Detox Smoothie....take one

Detox smoothies. Hmm....I've not tried a smoothie that specifically claimed to be Detox because it usually didn't sound super tasty. I received an email from a website called Simple Green Smoothies and it contained a recipe for a detox smoothie. Since I had most of the ingredients I went ahead and threw one together.

Umm...it was definitely different. It was kinda sweet, but mostly not. It was pretty spicy, which was different from my normal sweet smoothies. Will I make it again? I don't know. Am I willing to try more detox smoothies? Absolutely. I didn't want to mess with the recipe TOO much because I didn't want to take away it's Detox factor. Original recipe called for Kale, instead of Spinach. Also, original only wanted 1/2 a banana and a whole orange versus 2 cuties (I'm a mom....I have cuties, not big oranges!) 

Here's what I came up with.

Orange Lime Detox Smoothie

adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

1 C Filtered water

2 Tsp Fresh lime juice

1 2 Cutie oranges 

2" Peeled ginger root

1 Frozen banana

2 Tbsp Fresh parsley

1 1/2 C Fresh spinach

2 Tbsp Chia seeds

**Agave nectar, to sweeten it up a bit

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Green Hulk Smoothie

Until last year, I'd spent most of my life living in Indiana. Now I'm in Illinois, about an hour West of Chicago. Indiana winters always bring snow, but forecasters usually OVER estimate the amount of snow that is going to fall. They freak everyone out by telling them that there will be 12" of snow by the AM, but when one wakes up the next day there MIGHT be 2" on the ground. Needless to say, I'm used to the forecast being significantly wrong about snow.

Apparently, in Chicago things tend to be pretty accurate when it comes to the forecast. The prediction was for lots of snow to start Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning. As predicted, the snow began Saturday night, while I was at my PT job. By the time I left at 10pm the snow was starting to accumulate. When I woke up to go to work in the morning there were maaaany inches of snow on the ground, but I hopped into my truck and hit the road. I worked for 4 hours and within that time about 2.5" accumulated on my truck roof. (yuck!) After I brushed it off I head home to enjoy my day. Throughout the day the forecasters kept upping the snowfall, and actually intensified the Winter Storm warning to a Blizzard warning. This was very different from the Indiana warnings I'm accustomed to because I'm so used to predictions not coming true. Well, here they were true, and surpassed what the weather guys anticipated. Here is a pic of my deck this morning. Last night we stuck a tape measure in the snow, and it measured 15". This morning you can't even see the mark where we measured the accumulation. Needless to say, I am NOT leaving the house unless absolutely necessary.

Saturday, before the snow began we hit Costco, thank goodness! I stocked up on my smoothie fruits and veggies, so I'm golden for a while. Here is what I came up for today. I gave some to my 3 year old, who called it his Hulk drink. I say, he can call it whatever he wants, as long as he enjoys the healthy benefits!



Hulk Smash Smoothie

2 C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 Ripe banana
2 C Frozen pineapple
2 C Fresh spinach
1 Tbsp Lime juice
1 Tbsp Organic Coconut Palm Sugar

Combine all ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Fill your glasses and enjoy!!

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Nothing quite compares to a nice, cold glass of orange juice in the morning...except this! Here is a green take on one of our favorite breakfast beverages.

Good Morning Sunshine

1 1/2 C water

2 Oranges, peeled

1 C Frozen pineapple

2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1-2 C Fresh Spinach

1 Tsp Agave Nectar (for sweetness!)

Layer ingredient in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. 

The Green Grapefruit

When I was young I spent a lot of time with my Abuelos (grandparents.) Both my parents worked during the day, so until I was old enough for school, I spent most of my days at my Abuelo's farm. For breakfast, if we wanted juice we usually only had 2 options: Grapefruit juice or Orange Juice (from concentrate.) Grapefruit juice was always ready to go in the refrigerator, but the OJ required work, so my usual choice was the grapefruit. Many people (young and old) don't care for the tartness of grapefruit juice, but I like it. Now a days, when I have some I flashback to the kitchen table at my Abuelo's house, sitting there having some breakfast, while my Abuela busies herself in the kitchen doing the things she did.

This smoothie reminded me of breakfasts back in the day because it tasted like grapefruit juice. The pineapple helped soften the tartness, but didn't dissolve the grapefruit flavor. If you enjoy an occasional grapefruit, give this one a try. I will definitely make this one again.

The Green Grapefruit

1 1/2 C Water
1 Grapefruit, peeled
2 C Frozen Pineapple
2 C Fresh Spinach

Layer ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 30-40 seconds. Using frozen pineapple helps keep this smoothie cold. If you are using fresh pineapple, you might cut down the water amount, and use some ice instead. Enjoy!!

Okay to Kale

Ever since my amazing husband bought me a Vitamix, I have been obsessed with smoothies. Luckily my boys are big fans too. It's gotten to the point where one of the first things I hear out of their mouths in the morning is "Mom! Can I have a smoothie?!?" I take advantage of their love of these tasty beverages by incorporating some healthy leafy greens. Many of the recipes I see consist of using Kale instead of spinach, but since I'd never actually had Kale, I steered clear of it....until today! This morning I made a pretty basic smoothie, but used kale instead of my usual spinach. The other difference here was that instead of using a milky base, I used water. The end result was more of a juice, versus smoothie, which was not a bad thing. Sometimes I want something thinner, versus the thick consistency of a smoothie so I was good with the change. With spinach, I've never been able to taste anything except the fruit, but when I used the kale I did taste a more leafy flavor. I poured some for my 3 year old who did drink some, but didn't chug it like his usual smoothies. I did not add any additional sweetener, so what you see below is exactly what we had. I enjoyed the freshness of the juice, and will most likely go back for more. Thus far, kale is a keeper! 

Okay to Kale 

2 C. Water

1 1/2 C. Fresh Kale

1 Banana

1 C. Frozen Strawberries

1 C. Frozen Pineapple 

Combine all ingredients in order listed and blend for 45 seconds*, or until you reach a smooth consistency. 

*Since I am using a Vitamix, your blend time may differ from mine