Category Archives: Green Smoothies

Green Smoothies

Kale Harvest and Storage

It is the middle of the growing season and time to harvest the kale. When I worked in public accounting we called tax season “harvest time!” I am happy to say this harvest is much more fun and healthier.

We’ve been eating it every morning for quite some time. We have kept the kale from flowering by cutting the center stems. This also helped to make the plants bushier, with lots of tender, small leaves. Continue reading

Blueberry Oatmeal Green Smoothie

The work week can get very busy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a delicious homemade meal.  This morning was cool and I felt like oatmeal. Unfortunately, I did’t have time to make any.  Luckily, I always have time to whip up a green smoothie.

I love the versatility of smoothies. I am constantly trying new combinations and this morning I really enjoyed my creation. It tasted like blueberry oatmeal but was quick and easy to grab and go on my way to work. The recipe below is half of what I made because I made some for my husband and son. They both loved it.

Next time you crave something yummy, try this:

Ingredients

1/2 banana
1 cup blueberries
1 cup kale
1/8 cup whole oats
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop collagen powder
good dusting of cinnamon
6 ice cubes

Directions

Add ingredients to high speed blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. I use the Vitamix and it is always smooth and delicious.

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Protein Smoothie

Every morning I walk out my front door to kale!

What a difference a few weeks makes! The kale in my garden is growing like crazy. The kale is in the front.  There are three different varieties of curly kale.

Lettuce is under the wooden structure while sugar snap peas are growing up the chicken wire.  There are sweet onions growing to the left. In addition, carrots are behind the onions but they didn’t fit into the picture.

This garden receives morning shade and afternoon sun.

I started harvesting the bottom leaves on the kale plants because they were the biggest. This was a mistake.  I learned later that I needed to cut the center stem out before it started to flower (aka “bolt”).  By cutting out the top center, the kale plants are bushing out and creating new leaves and branches.  I will continue to cut the newer leaves before they flower.  I hope to be able to harvest through the summer.  I am going to start a new round of seeds that should be ready for harvest when these are done. I will plant them in another section of my yard.

I have several garden sections mixed with flowers.  With chickens free range in the back yard, I had to be creative in the front.  When my chickens were new, I had a batch of kale and lettuce starts to plant in my raised bed.  It was on the side of my house, an area connected to the back yard.  The next day I went to water my new seedlings and they were gone!  There was a couple chicken poops left as evidence to let me know who the thieves were.  I fenced the side yard garden away from the chickens now.  I don’t know what I was thinking.

So let me get back to the topic. You cannot deny that this is a delicious way to eat your greens.

Combine the following in your blender in the following order:

1 banana
8 oz water
1 tbl spoon powdered peanut butter
2 cups kale
6 ice cubes

Blend until all chunks are gone

Add 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Blend until mixed

Enjoy!

 

People have asked me what protein powder I like. I have tried many. My favorite brand is GNC Pro Performance AMP Wheybolic Extreme 60 Original. I use the chocolate for this recipe and vanilla with my berry and tropical smoothies.  It is the smoothest and creamiest powder I have found.  I mix it in at the end of my blending process because it gets frothy if blended with frozen chunks.

Also, you have to try powdered peanut butter.  This was a game changer for my smoothies. It is all the taste and none of the fat.  There are even brands that include fax and chia seeds to make smoothie prep quick and easy.

Please try this recipe and let me know if you like it.

-Martha

 

Raw Diet – Conclusion

I made it through day eight and into day nine of my personal challenge.  Day nine was Sunday and spent much of the day thinking about the challenge I made to myself.  Why did I want to try this? What have I learned so far?  What do I want to do now?

I wanted to try it because I know that increasing the plant foods I eat would be beneficial to my health and I wanted to lose weight.  There are numerous news articles, studies, and other data out there that say eating fruits and vegetables are good for you. There are long-term benefits, such as reducing your risk of cancer. Plus there are immediate benefits of more energy, feeling fuller, clearer skin, improved concentration, reduce digestion problems, stronger immune system, and so many more.

Raw Diet – Day 7

It is Friday night and I am only slightly missing my glass of wine while sitting on the couch.  Instead, I have washed the dishes and swept the kitchen floor.  I’m full of energy but starting to get a slight headache.  Today overall, was mostly free of headaches.

We tried something new for breakfast. It was a smoothie but it was not green!  I found a new recipe in a magazine from The Blender Girl. It was supposed to taste like chai tea and it did.  I will definitely keep this recipe.

I had a dentist appointment today, so I ate lunch early.  As a result, I ate two afternoon snacks.  I used some of the leftover coconut sauce from last night’s dessert as salad dressing today.  It was a nice change of pace.

For dinner, I was out of interesting ideas. since I had not had a green smoothie for breakfast, it was time to have one for dinner.  I made enough for the rest of the family to have a small glass with their food.  It is a good way to get some fruits and veggies into the orange chicken and fried rice dinner.  My six year old asked if fried rice was healthy because it was full of veggies.  Unfortunately it is not healthy because it is cooked with a fair amount of oil.  I am happy that they did eat every little carrot, pea and soy bean on their plate without complaint.

Today’s Menuimage

Breakfast – 278 calories

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/8 cup almonds, soaked overnight
  • 1 medium banana, frozen
  • 1 date, pitted
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 dash salt
  • 2 shakes allspiceimage

Lunch – 244 calories

  • 2 cups 50/50 baby salad mix
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 small mandarin
  • 1/8 cup almonds
  • 3 tbsp coconut sauce from yesterday

Afternoon Snacks – 175 calories

  • 1/8 cup almonds
  • 3/4 ounce Brad’s Crunchy Kale, Nachoimage

Dinner – 281 calories

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 medium banana
  • 1 cup pineapple
  • 1 1/2 cups kale
  • 1/8 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup of remaining coconut sauce

After Dinner Snack

  • 1 cup grapes (it’s almost wine!)