Days #16 & 17

Yesterday got away from me before I could get a post in so I am combining two days. I am really liking the addition of Kombucha to my smoothies.
I would have to say that Heidi is thus far the most adventurous with combinations. Go Heidi!
What are the rest of you experimenting with? We would love to hear from you.

Day #15

It is so exciting to read and hear about all of the possible combinations for making smoothies. And every time I realize just how nutrient dense each one is, I am amazed at how much we are improving our nutritional status by just adding one item to our day. And it's easy to do!
So keep up the beautiful committment to yourself.
Today...I am introducing my very reluctant friend to green smoothies. I am very anxious and hopeful. I don't think I will use the protein powder or the nuts for her first try. I will let you know how it goes.
Keep posting please!

Day #14

Good morning! Now I am not sure why I never tried this combination before but this morning I tossed in 1 cup of Kombucha to the smoothie and it was even more tasty! That little bit of carbonation and slight bite added a very interesting dimension to the flavor. I would strongly recommend it if you are already an avid Kombucha drinker. If not, maybe just add a little separate from the total smoothie batch.
Any one else try the carrot tops?

Day #13

Carrot tops were delicious and sooooo nutritious! I would strongly recommend them to you. And romaine lettuce.
How is it going for the rest of you?

Day #12

Repeated the recipe from yesterday with spinach as the green. Yummy as usual! And as I was perusing another blog written by a friend of mine I found this link incredible link:
http://transformyoureating.blogspot.com/

If you only want to spend 10 minutes at your computer because it's so damn nice out, check out this spot. It is truly amazing information!

Namaste,
Geri

Day #11

OMG!!! Today was the best smoothie combination EVER! I purchased fresh strawberries and blueberries at the Farmer's Market. I combined 1 cup mixed greens, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup ground cashews, and a splash of water with 5 ice cubes. It was a little thicker than the others I have made and the taste was amazing! So refreshing!

Thoughts: the best mangoes are really ripe and then much easier to cut up. Frozen mango is the tastiest in mixed drinks.
I don't if know if Heidi juiced the carrot or not before making her smoothie but it would probably make a better consistency if juiced.
I like the idea of finding a likeable foundation and adding from there. It really makes life so much easier. Not so many 'gotta choke this down' smoothies.

Excellent thoughts and suggestions everyone! Thanks.

Day #9

WOW! My smoothie is very tasty today. I mixed one packed cup of swiss chard from my garden/1 cup of apple/pear juice/1/2 cup blackberries and blueberries. It is NOT green, it's purple due to the berries. And oh, so delicious!
What was your combination today?

Day #9

I have had some interesting conversations about the challenge. Most people make the funniest faces when they hear the combination of foods we are drinking. At those moments I wish I had a mini cooler with smoothies to taste.
I am meeting with a very cautious friend next week and she has promised that she will taste anything I put in front of her. It will be a hard sell but I am confident she will like the taste. Whether or not she joins the challenge is a whole other story:-)
Check out this challenge that my favorite Kundalini studio in Chicago is doing:
http://www.shaktakaur.com/lifestyle/fasting/melon_detox_fast.pdf
I don't when I could take this on. It might need to wait until next June when I am not teaching middle school children.
Please let us know how it is going.

Day #8

The smoothie I made today was a little greener due to a miscalculation on my part. I was only making one but put in the greens for two servings. It tasted really good. I must be acquiring a taste! I also like the addition of the rice protein powder. How are the rest of you doing?

Day #7

Hello everyone! It's so exciting to read what people are posting. I am learning all the time and I really appreciate it.
Today is another one of those strange, hard to eat around schedules so I am going to have my smoothie for lunch. When I teach yoga, I like to do it on an empty stomach. This morning I taught at 9:00 so I did not eat ahead of time. As a result, when I got home I was starved so I went for the egg breakfast. Funny how I don't think of a smoothie satisfying that enormous hunger...I wonder if I will evolve into that thinking or not. I will wait to be hungry and then make a smoothie.
Today will be a blue smoothie because of blackberries and blueberries. Their color dominates the greens. Otherwise the rest of the ingredients will remain the same.
Keep posting!

Day #6 cont.

I did have my green smoothie for dinner about 3 hours ago. It didn't stick with me like it does in the AM. I was starved when I got home at 8:15. I fixed myself a large salad with feta cheese and assorted nuts. My brain is starting to feel less fuzzy already. I think I will stick to the smoothie breakfast. What have your experiences been?

Day #6

Due to my hectic schedule today I am choosing to have my green smoothie for dinner. I haven't tried it at that time of day yet. I only have an hour between job responsibilities so I thought it would be the perfect light dinner. I will update later to let you know how it went.
I am planning to mix spring greens with pears, apples, kiwi, strawberries and blueberries. I expect the color with become a dark something or other...

Day #5

Good morning! I wanted to let you know that this morning I drank the final 'leftover' smoothie from Friday and it tasted good as well. Warning: the greens taste stronger with each passing day so if that is something you want to avoid, I would suggest making them fresh.

I found this snippet of supportive information on MSN homepage this morning and just had to share it with you. Let us know how it's going!
In Depth: The Healthiest Foods On Earth
The only thing these diets have in common is that they're all based on whole foods with minimal processing. Nuts, berries, beans, raw milk, grass-fed meat. Whole, real, unprocessed food is almost always healthy, regardless of how many grams of carbs, protein or fat it contains.
All these healthy diets have in common the fact that they are absent foods with bar codes. They are also extremely low in sugar. In fact, the number of modern or ancient societies known for health and longevity that have consumed a diet high in sugar would be ... let's see ... zero.
Truth be told, what you eat probably matters less than how much processing it's undergone. Real food—whole food with minimal processing—contains a virtual pharmacy of nutrients, phytochemicals, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and healthful fats, and can easily keep you alive and thriving into your 10th decade.

Day #4

Today was a first. I drank a 'day old' smoothie and it tasted great! So yes, you can make smoothies a day or maybe two ahead and then just grab them from the fridge. Just give it a shake or a stir and it tastes fresh!

Protein Powder

Taste test determined that the protein powder was a delicious addition. Hopefully it's addition will keep those hunger pangs from arising mid-morning. I bought a rice powder because it's gluten free. It's available at Northwood's Nutrition and maybe at the big box stores as well.

Day #3

Created a different version this morning. I added a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries and a scoop of rice vanilla protein powder. I think it is delicious but the real test will be my yoga students giving it a go after class. I will update later on the concensus. Hope your third day is a charmer!

Day #3

I took two different kinds of smoothies to the yoga studio with me and had people taste test them. Everyone thought it tasted wonderful! I am excited to report that about six more people expressed an interest in beginning the practice. Encourage your friends and family to join you. Just to feel better if nothing else.
Please post your thoughts, ideas, recipes, etc. We have alot to learn from each other.

Day #2

I am wondering how it went yesterday for the folks that began the 40 day practice. I had an interesting experience. I drank my green smoothie around 8:30 for breakfast and I never really felt hungry the rest of the day. I doubt it was due completely to the smoothie but it definitely had some influence. Usually on cold, rainy days I feel compelled to eat alot of warm, sugary carbohydrates but that was not the case after drinking my breakfast.

Day #1

We officially begin our 40 day adventure NOW! I just finished my breakfast smoothie and it was delicious! I had an opportunity to talk with a few new folks at the studio this morning so maybe more will be jumping on board.
Someone asked "why green smoothies?" The answer is that green smoothies are the a very good way to practice what is called 'clean eating'. Cleaning eating is consuming foods as close to their natural state as possible. That includes being organically grown, unprocessed without sugars and other additives, nutrient dense, raw and whole. Green smoothies meet all of these criteria. Even the 'whole' part since the entire edible part of the plant can be put into the blender!

This morning I made a delightful combination that resulted in 32 oz. of smoothie; enough for you and a friend!

1 cup spring salad mix
1 cup green tea
3 very ripe peaches
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup ground pecans
2 cups pure juice (I made this in my juicer: 2 apples, 2 pears, 2 kiwi)

If you do not have a juicer, any 100% juice is a good choice.

Please post your experiments! We want to hear what works and what doesn't. Thanks and good luck!

24 hour notice

Only 24 hours before we begin our Green Smoothie Challenge! Just a reminder that the minimum challenge is to replace just one meal with a healthy, delicious green smoothie. You may, of course, go further by cutting out all white sugar/refined foods, eating mostly raw foods with your other meals and snacks, increasing exercise, etc. The 40 day concept is related to the fact that we need to practice something 40 days for it to become a habit.

I have tested out adding a cup of green tea to my smoothie and it was delicious. I also cut up some very ripe peaches and threw them in, skin and all, to the blender. They were wonderful too!

Remember, green smoothies taste like the fruit you are using, not like the greens. Unless you put too many greens in. A suggestion: start with 1/2 cup of greens and increase as you trust the taste:-)

Green Smoothie Challenge

Hello everyone,
Welcome to the 40 day Green Smoothie Challenge! Let's begin with our smoothie challenge on Wednesday, July 15th and continue for 40 days. Why 40 days? It takes 40 days for a behavior to become a habit. And, a green smoothie habit would be a good one to acquire.
Why green smoothies? Green smoothies provide us with a nutrient dense, low-cal food that is only good for us! Green smoothies are natural, clean eating.
So join us if you would are at all interested. And then please share your thoughts, experiences, recipes (successes and failures) so that we can all benefit from each others' experiences.