It's not easy being green.

No, I’m not talking about Kermit.

No, I’m not talking about saving the environment.

Yep, you guessed it!
Smoothies!

Green smoothies to be exact. I started drinking green smoothies about 6 months ago. It seemed as if I was seeing a lot about cleansing and healthier diets in the news. Between a desire to get rid of my baby pooch and wanting to promote my husbands well being I decided to give them a try. The hubby had some major health issues and few years ago and we need to stay on top of what he eats and how much water he drinks to stay ahead of any nurturer trouble.

What the heck is a green smoothie???? It’s basically a blended drink full of green leafy vegetables and a few pieces of fruit. Some have other things like nuts or yogurt in them and all need some sort of liquid added like milk, juice or water.

I stated researching the health benefits and looking up recipes last June. I began making them every morning and I would often have a second one in the afternoon. Here are some of the health benefits to drinking a green smoothie…

* boost your immune system
* boost your mental performance
* increase digestive efficiency
* support weight loss
* support your liver and kidneys
* reduce bad food cravings
* balance body PH
* increase energy
* help blood sugar management
* and in fact drinking green smoothies helps the body prevent and heal disease such as those listed above and more.

Now do they work miracles? Not really. I still have that belly pooch from having baby #3. I did get pretty sick this fall. Remember November? I was down and out for the whole month. The hubby still has some issues from time to time but has stayed out of the hospital so that’s a good thing. OK, so I don’t do a lot of other things to take good care of my self. I rarely exercise, I don’t always eat right and I don’t get enough sleep. So maybe I was counting on the smoothies to do more than they could. Overall, I do feel that I’m being more healthy by drinking them and I know I’m getting more vitamins and minerals in my diet than I might otherwise get.

For breakfast today I drank a cup of spinach, a small fist full of parsley, an apple and a banana.
Some days I use Kale, collard greens, Swiss chard or bok choy. Now there’s a list of things that aren’t in my regular diet. From what I have read, you need to vary the foods you use to get the most out of what you’re drinking. So each day I try to make them a little different.

Some of the reasons to drink a green smoothie…

For Cleansing:
Drink one three times a day for 14 days in place of each meal. Use only fresh and organic foods don’t use yogurt.

For weight loss:
Drink daily with small healthy meal. Use water only no juice and minimize using fruits high in sugar. Avoid using yogurt.

To improve general health:
At least one a day with a well-balanced meal.

What to add for extra flavor:
Lemon/Lime
Vanilla extract
Cayenne pepper
Honey (this is also healthy)


What to add for even more added benefits:
Yogurt
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
¼ cup of nuts


The 10 healthiest fruits to use…

1) Apples
2) Bananas
3) Blueberries
4) Apricots
5) Blackberries
6) Cherries
7) Pomegranates
8) Oranges
9) Purple (not green) grapes
10) Mangoes


Greens that are highest in nutrition…

Collard greens
Bok choy
Kale
Mustard greens
Swiss Chard
Spinach
Beat greens
Turnip greens


Time to get started. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own green smoothie.

Basic needs for a recipe:
The size of an 8x10 sheet of paper covered in greens per person (Two pages is best)
1 to 2 pieces of fruit (the more, the better it tastes but the fewer, the healthier it is)
1 Cup or more of liquid (water, milk, juice)

If you want more recipes, I have a ton I’d love to share, just e-mail me.

Cheers!