The Green Monster!

Alright, as promised I said I would start posting pics and "how to's" for my cooking/un-cooking creations once I got my camera back. Well, that has not happened, so I borrowed Steven's! This post might seem to be a little overkill on the steps for making a green smoothie, but my dear non-cooking friend needs major details. Here ya go, Holly!

First off, here are the leafy greens I'm using this week...kale and spinach. It's good to mix different greens so you get a broader nutritional profile spectrum (sounds much more fussy than it is). You can either do this by mixing greens in one smoothie, or trade off days of just using one type of green in a smoothie. A good tip is to wash/prepare all your produce as soon as you get home from the grocery store. Here, you can see I've de-stemed and washed the kale and spinach, and have stored them in 1 gal. zip lock bags. I also cut slits in my bags to help the greens breathe. This will help prevent premature spoilage.



Ok, Holly, there are no exact measurements here, but this morning I used approximately a handful of kale, and a handful of spinach. Trust me, it seems like a lot, but it's not. You will not taste the greens in your smoothie!



Here are the fruits I'll be using today. You'll also see ginger in there. I love ginger. It adds a little "fresh spice," as I like to call it, to whatever you're making. It is strong, though, so if you wish to add ginger make sure to peel the outer skin, and then just cut off a little "disk" about the size of a nickle to start.

"Staple fruits" for me are apple and banana. I almost always put strawberries in the mix, as well, because I always have fresh ones on hand (my favorite fruit), but my amount of strawberries will vary depending on whatever other fruits I have on hand. I'm going to use more strawberries today because I need to use these poor little suckers before they go bad!



Another great tip is to freeze fruit! Fruit freezes GREAT, and it's perfect for smoothies because they'll add a creamy consistency, and make your drink nice and cold. I almost always use frozen bananas in my smoothies. When freezing fruit, make sure to wash (as always), and then make sure the fruit is COMPLETELY dry of any wash water before freezing them. Wet fruit will not freeze well!



Ok, so this morning's fruit concoction was kale, spinach, strawberries, frozen banana, half an apple, sliver of ginger, and about 1/4 cup of blueberries. Holly, if you do not use blueberries, or blackberries, DO NOT freak out when your smoothie looks green. Blueberries and blackberries have a huge affect on making your smoothie look "pretty."

*UPDATE*  Three main ingredients that are now staples in my smoothies are lemon, pineapple, and spirulina powder.  These are must have for the tastiest, and most nutritionally packed, smoothie!



Now, BLEND! This part can be tricky, or trying, at first, but be patient. You will need to add either water or fresh squeezed juice ONLY. Do not use a store bought juice (Holly!), as it defeats the purpose of having a wholly raw nutritious smoothie. Store bought juices have added sugar and are pasteurized. The clay pitcher next to my blender has some diluted grape juice I made myself by using my nut mylk bag, but I use water all the time, too. The key to adding liquid to your smoothie is to NOT add too much too fast (this key for any blended drink, by the way).

You can actually start your blender on low with the top off, and start drizzling in your liquid. You will see it can take a while for it to get started. Use a spoon, or something, to press the mixture down into the blades. Add liquid as needed, but be patient; it will come together. Some people prefer to blend in stages. For example, they'll blend the greens with the liquid first, then start adding fruit. This works just fine, as well. I don't feel like I need to do that, but if your blender sucks (Holly!), you might want to go this route.



And, voila! Green smoothie! As you can see, what seemed to be A LOT pre-blended, does not end up being that massive post-blended. It definitely suffices as a meal; I drink mine for breakfast. As you get more acquired to having greens in your smoothies, try adding a larger amount to the mix. Leafy green veggies are amazing for your health, and we don't get enough of them in our daily diet! A green smoothie is better for you than eating a spinach salad. Blending your greens, as opposed to chewing them in your salad, breaks down the cells walls so our bodies can consuming the maximum amount of nutrients possible. When eating a salad, although we chew our spinach, we do not chew it to a total pulp before digesting it. This is essential.



Enjoy your greens smoothies, people! I know this was a way-too-detailed explanation, but I'll do whatever is needed to help a friend (Holly!) along to better nutrition and more home preparing of food.

Tips for a Successful Green Smoothie!

• Freeze your fruit!  Not only will it keep for a long time, but frozen fruit will give your smoothie a cold creamy consistency!   Definitely use frozen fruit over ice cubes.  Ice cubes = watered down smoothie...eeeew.  During blending, the motor of your blender can warm up smoothie.  Double eeeeeew!  I always freeze my bananas, berries, and and grapes.  Freezing fruit also allows you to stock up on yummy seasonal fruits that don't taste so great later in the year, and you can also buy more of whatever fruit might happen to be on sale that day without freaking out about eating it all before it goes bad.'
• Know your "sweet power fruits."  These are fruits like apples, bananas, pineapple, and grapes.  They are almost always sweet year around (especially grapes), and should be used in your smoothie as if you were adding sweetener.  Need to mask a leafy green better, or making a green smoothie for a newbie?  Load that baby up with these sweet fruits.
• Smoothie virgins, don't go too green too fast.  As you drink more smoothies, you will probably start acquiring your taste for more mature greens with less super sweet fruit taste, but until then, take it slow!  The easiest green to start with is spinach.  It blends easy leaving a nice texture, and has a very smooth, and "maskable" flavor.  Start with spinach, and then work up to more advance greens like kale, collards, etc.
• DO NOT BE SCARED of fruit!  Forget calories, and all that other conventional crap we've been listening to.  Your smoothie needs fruit, and a lot of it.  For example, I always put at least 1 whole orange, 1/2 large apple, and 1 whole banana, and then I throw in various small hand fulls of other frozen berries I have.  This is your breakfast; make it count!
  
• If your blender is not a "super man" blender, then blend in batches.  Take a fresh orange and your greens with a tiny splash of water to get moving, and blend those first, then start adding the rest of your fresh fruits, and then finish with the frozen fruits.
• Drink your smoothie out of a straw.  If you have food texture issues, you might feel safer using a straw.  A box of straws is so cheap at the grocery store.  Also, drinking out of a straw reduces possible acid wear on your teeth.  If you wish to be more green, you can buy a reusable glass straw here .   
• Don't add too much water too soon.  Be patient.  Use a spoon to press your mixture down into the blades as an air pocket forms.  Add water a tablespoon at a time.  Pulse your fruit in the beginning while also pushing the mixture down, untill liquid from the fresh fruit starts to release.  Once it gets turning, then you can turn the blender on a steady speed, slowly working your way up to the highest speed.    

Also, being the foodie braggart I am, I have to show you all the most amazing bread I made yesterday. Isn't it beautiful?! It's a multi-grain bread consisting of millet, almond meal, flax seed, flax meal, wheat bran, oats, sprouted wheat berries, and corn meal. I can't wait to make my veggie sandwich for lunch today! I know bread's not raw, but hey, I'm transitioning folks ;)



Happy fooding!
Claire