34
My run was brutal this morning. Bru.Tal. It was 26F. Now you cold-hardened Northerners, don't laugh at me. I live in the semi-south. 26F is cold here even in the dead of winter. Besides, I married a Texan who thinks water isn't fit to swim in unless it is the temperature of bathwater. I have been softened. I bundled up in about 10 layers of clothes.
I'm pretty sure that there were wives rushing to their windows to stare at me as I ran by. Their conversations with their husbands went something like this:
Wife: "Look, Frank! I decare -- there's a load of laundry running down the street!"
Husband: "Huh?"
But I digress. You didn't want to know about my frigid running experience. You desperately want to know how to eat 5 cups of kale in one sitting. Right?
I was having trouble getting enough dark leafy greens in my diet. I mean, you can only eat so many salads before you just want to eat something else -- anything else. And I don't know about you, but a salad made of collard greens or kale just doesn't do it for my taste buds. But I knew those things were good for me, so I started looking around for other ways to consume raw, dark leafy greens.
Enter the Green Smoothie:
As one blogger said, it looks like lawnmower pulp. But it is surprisingly not disgusting. If fact, it is almost good. And once you get used to the idea, you start to look forward to them.
I have been having at least one green smoothie each day for the last several weeks. In that time, my energy has been outstanding, I feel stronger and my skin looks better. What's not to love? I know I am doing something that is great for my body, and it just happens to be simple and easy to do.
So how do you make your own green smoothie? Grab your trusty blender and a bunch of spinach, and I'll tell you how.
5-6 cups dark leafy greens (I suggest Spinach for your first one, because it tastes pretty yummy. Other greens to use are Kale, Turnip Greens, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Romaine, etc. You need to rotate your greens because using just one type of green can eventually cause you to have problems with it. Simply varying your greens avoids this.)
1 Celery Stick, cut into chunks 1 Banana, cut into chunks 1 Apple or Pear, cut into chunks Juice from 1/2 - 1 Lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp.) 1 1/2 - 2 cups water Ice cubes (I use 3-4)
That's it. Dump it all into your high powered blender (Vitamix, Blentec or Oster 18 speed. It needs to be able to crush ice or it will leave lots of lettuce bits. Not really a big problem, you just might have green stuff in your teeth when you're done.) Process on high until smooth and sip your way to good health.
----
Side notes:
*There are a lot of people out there who believe you should consume only green smoothies. I think our bodies need more than that. I look at this as a quick, easy way to up my vegie consumption, not a new diet.
*There are a lot of Green Smoothie advocates out there who subscribe to complicated and legalistic food combining rules. I don't. If you want to spend all your time figuring out want can be eaten with what and when it can be eaten, more power to you. I don't have the time or energy for that. I just want my food to be simple and good for me.
*Making smoothies (as opposed to juicing the fruits and vegies) keeps the fiber intact. Most of us need a good deal more fiber than we normally get. Also, juicing leaves the sugars without the fiber to help our bodies process the sugar. An occasional fresh juice is fine, but I like to keep the whole fruit and vegie, fiber and all, for daily consumption.
*Organic is best, but honestly, wouldn't you agree that getting enough fruits and vegies in your diet is still going to be good for you, even if it isn't organic?
*Dark leafy greens are incredibly healthy for your body. They are chock full of nutrients. They are also wonderful detoxers. If, about 3 days into your smoothies, you start feeling like you have the flu, it may be detox symptoms. The worse your diet and lifestyle, the more likely you are to have detox symptoms. If you experience this, drink plenty of water and get some extra rest. It will pass in a few days and you will begin to feel better than ever. If your symptoms are severe, back off the smoothies a bit and ease into it. That will give your body time to "catch up". You can find out more information about detox with a simple internet search. Some detoxes are incredibly harsh and can actually be harmful. Be good to your body. This is simply adding fruits and greens to your diet each day, which no one can argue against.
There you have it. My secret to getting plenty of fruits and vegetables each day. I drink lawnmower pulp.
Have a Great Day!
Angela (Oh, look! All those Green Smoothies are turning me green!!)
