Even though I write very frequently, this will be a challenge to post daily about something so I decided that even of I do not have a new recipe to post I at least want to feature something new Monday through Friday. Starting today until November 30th, I will post a new Green Smoothie recipe.
Green Smoothies are such a great and easy way to get your greens on. All the essential vitamins can be in one smoothie of your choice. You might look at the color and kind of cringe (which Ryan does) and forget about trying this, but I VERY much look forward having my green smoothie daily. After my workout, I immediately go to my blender (I use a Vitamix) and choose
- 1 to 2 different fruits
- one leafy green ( I alternate between spinach and kale)
- non-dairy milk
- water
- flaxseed oil (wonderful source of Omega-6 and -9 essential fatty acids, see here for more info)
- protein powder (I use Metagenics or Peaceful Planet powder)
The protein powder and the fruit definitely mask the flavor of the greens. Spinach is milder in flavor and is perfect for beginners. 2-3 cups of packed spinach is wonderful and even a banana masks that flavor too. A banana can mask any unwanted flavor, seriously.
Leafy greens are tremendously important to ingest on a weekly basis. It is idealt to consume leafy greens 4 to 5 times a week. Vegan food in general is not always healthy if you a newbie is focusing on substituting non-vegan foods with vegan substitutes, like pizza. Vegan pizza with vegan cheese can still have lots of calories. Focusing on foods like these during the week with no vegetables is not healthy even so. If vegetables are an issue with you vegans and non-vegans, smoothies are the PERFECT way to add greens to your daily meal.
Kale is another leafy green I also like using. Before getting my Vitamix, my regular blender would not blend this veggie up too well. It definitely made my drinking pleasure NOT to pleasurable. When the time came where I could invest in one of those high-powered babies, I jumped at it. Kale never tasted so good! The high-powered blender blends it SO smoothly that I hardly know I am drinking it. I remove the leaf from the stem, wash it and then place it in the blender.
I read a little more about kale and wanted to let you know that according to Bon Appetit, “Kale is a hearty winter green, and is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K; it also contains impressive amounts of calcium, fiber, and antioxidants. Eating kale may support eye, liver, bone, and digestive health, as well as build up the immune system and help protect against certain kinds of cancer.” Who doesn’t want this protection?
Here is my smoothie for the day:
-
2 cups kale
-
1/2 avocado
-
1 cup frozen peaches
-
2 Tbsp goji berries
-
1 tsp maca powder
-
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
-
1/2 cup water
-
1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
-
1 Tbsp maple syrup
