With the heat wave we are having, I have returned to making smoothies from greens & fruit. I reviewed a book on this topic called Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko a couple of years ago and she explained how greens are a separate vegetable category that combine well with fleshy fruit. The one I made today was so good I decided to post it as only one example to whet your appetite. Experiment with arugula, spinach, baby kale and fruits you enjoy with The Good Taste of Health (my motto.)
Utensils: Cutting board & knife, blender
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: None!
Category: Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
2 cups fresh, organic lettuce (not iceberg)
one cup water or juice
1/2 mango or 2-3 chunks of fresh pineapple
4-6 org. strawberries, washed, stems removed and cut in half
one or two org.apricots
1/2 tsp. stevia (powdered) or 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
purified water
Note: The proportion is about 2 cups of greens to 2 cups of cut up fruit. In the beginning, you can use more fruit than greens if green drinks are new to you. Then cut back so that you have 2 cups of greens to one cup fruit, if you wish.
Directions
Place washed greens and cut fruit in blender. Add enough water to blend well. If too thick add a little more water plus the sweetener. The drink can be thin or thick, depending on what you like.I like my smoothies to be like a thick shake, so I use less water.
Also, feel free to use other (organic) fruits such as peaches, plums, kiwi, etc. Blackberries & raspberries have seeds that don’t blend well, so I avoid them in smoothies. Blueberries & strawberries work well, though.
Melons digest better alone, so if you want a melon smoothies, feel free to blend watermelon, cantaloupe & honeydew.
NOTE:
I just read two very interesting articles. One is in Women’s Voices for Change that is worth reading. Most postmenopausal literature mentions osteoporosis, but this is the first I have seen on kyphosis, when the spine is curved but not necessarily from osteoporosis. http://womensvoicesforchange.org/dr-pat-consults-the-hazards-of-a-misaligned-spine.htm?utm.