Sunday, April 19, 2009

Green Smoothies

I wrote about going green right here. You can go back and read that rather brilliant post again if you so desire. Today, I'm going to talk about green smoothies.

Health and diet are big interests of mine and once while browsing another site, I came across a link to the Green Smoothie Girl. There's a wealth of good health info on the site and it's an enjoyable one to look through. I signed up for her email newsletter and you should also.

I like smoothies but I've always had fruit smoothies or fruit smoothies with a yogurt or kefir base. I was reluctant to try a green one. It just sounded, well, disgusting. It was several months after I signed up for Robyn's (the Green Smoothie Girl) newsletter before I actually decided to try it. I'm glad I did.

She has instructions on the site on how to make one but you can always alter things to suit your tastes. The basics are a fruit base along with greens, enough water to make a smoothie and maybe some stevia to make it a little sweeter. I've tried adding carrot to it but it doesn't taste as good. My favorite combo is banana, clementine, and strawberries, along with the greens. I've made some that I was able to choke down but just barely so I gave up being adventurous. Mostly, they have been pretty good.

If you've ever spent any time on a raw food web site, you may have come across the term "blended salads." In case you're wondering, that's a green smoothie. Some of those raw fooders use a fruit base and same make a savory green smoothie. I've yet to try that. I'm not sure I want to.

You will want a good blender. I have a Vita Mix. Robyn likes the BlendTec. A 20 dollar blender from Walmart will probably not cut it and it won't last long if you're making green smoothies every day. You can buy one from her site at a price you probably won't be able to beat.

I won't go into the benefits of green smoothies other than that it's easy to get a good nutritious meal on the road and I spend a lot of time driving. They make it easy for me to fill up on something good for you while going down the highway. For other benefits, check out the website.

She has a book coming out called, surprisingly enough, "The Green Smoothie Diet." It's one I will add to my library.

Just so you know, I am in no way associated with her site and I don't get a commission if you go there from here and buy something. I just like green smoothies and I discovered them through her site. It's a fun site to browse and she's got a lot of good stuff there. Even if you don't like smoothies but are interested in overall health, it's a good place to stop by.

After writing this, I'm reminded that I'm hungry. A green smoothie would go well right now. Take the plunge and try it. Yes it does sound gross but they really are quite good and very good for you. Give it a shot.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks but no thanks brother. I'll stick with solid food and an occasional vegetable juice. We have an Omega juicer that works well with hard type fruits and vegetables. I especially like carrot juice with a quarter of and apple and a small slice of ginger root.

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  2. I have a Green Star juicer but it's a pain to clean so I don't use it very often. I also prefer solid food but green smoothies are quick, easy, tasty, healthy, and easy to consume on the road.

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  3. Charles, don't forget this green power drink:

    http://pierini-fitness.blogspot.com/2009/01/treating-myself-to-green-3-cocktail.html

    Enjoy your green journey. I'm check out that website in more detail later. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

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  4. I've blended vegetables (without fruit) many times. I've never used a juicer and dont ever intend to. I think it's better to blend and a lot easier too. Carrots make it sweet enough for me but many of the sugar addicted might not think so.
    Blended veg are a great pick-me-up and often taste much better than they look.
    Big Bruv

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  5. Thanks Bruv. I may have to try it sometime.

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  6. Charles, i admire you posting about green smoothies, i've been a convert for awhile now, I've been getting my info from http://greensmoothiesblog.com , i thought you could add it to your repertoire if you get even more into it!

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