Archive for the ‘Green Smoothie Imagination’ Category

Frisky Friday Fun! Letters and Foodscapes

Friday, February 26th, 2010 by stacey

What a fun week!  Blenders were loved, smoothies were drank, and health was shared!

And speaking of sharing, I’m going to send you a couple really fun things for you to enjoy ‘just because’ today!

The first is a letter from Mary I wish I’d written myself! I could use Merry Mary outside my castle!  :)

I’m takin’ over the world…one green smoothie at a time…
Anyone who dares cross my drawbridge gets a green smoothie…

I taught two small adult classes this week…took my blender on the bus…what a fun time!
Next, I’ll be going to a progressive dinner which will begin at my home for appies…bwa ha ha…

I will do three smoothies…red, white, and green… (peeled cucumber for the white one, red Swiss chard for the red, and kale for the green) Each colour will have 5 fruits corresponding to the colours of the veggies mentioned above. There will be a game card where you guess what is in each of the 3 coloured smoothies. The prizes… are you ready for this? …will be bouquets with skewers inside green onions with a dozen radish roses and leaves of kale, romaine and red Swiss chard…yes, I started doing this B4 the Olympics!!!

Love and chlorophyll… OH… punch for St. Paddy’s Day… white (green) grapes, lime juice, kiwis, spinach, etc. with Stevia to make it palatable for the newbies!

Merry Mary

Thank you! Bless you! Love you!

And THESE are a set of photographs that Joan, one of our program participants sent along our way to enjoy!  I loved them soooo much, I had to find out where they came from. So, a little google here, a little giggle there, and voila!  I’m happy to share with you the incredible creative artwork of Carl Warner (those Warners… always the creative ones eh?).  And these photos are just a small taste, so to speak, of his beautiful work.  If you’re hungry for more of these, and you’d like to see the images in their full size and glory, then please visit his website and click on his collection of FOODSCAPES (the pretty teal box on the left!).

carl-warner-1

carl-warner-2

carl-warner-3

carl-warner-5

carl-warner-6

carl-warner-7

Green Smoothie Song

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by stacey

Me, me, meeeeeee….

La, la, laaaaaa….

[garggggggggles]

Join hand with the Raw Family and begin!!

Green Smoothie Winter Pleasures

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 by stacey

- by Kate Nicholson

Brrr, it’s cold, it’s cold, it’s cold! I’ve started adding grated fresh ginger to my morning smoothies; it heats up my circulation like an internal radiator. I’ve decided not to make one complaint about the weather this winter, but to celebrate all the fabulous things about this season instead. Here are some great ways to enjoy the next few months:

Sitting in front of log fires with a cup of raw chocolate nut mylk and a good book

Gorgeous snuggly woolly jumpers, huge thick socks

Go for a sauna

Fairy lights

Candles

Snugly PJs

Hand warmers

Jewel coloured woolly tights

Spices

Hot baths with aromatherapy oils

Videos and DVDs in front of the fire

Visiting historical properties: walking through wintry gardens

Horse riding through crisp snowy fields

Playing family games by the fire

Putting some music on and dancing madly with total abandon!!!

Go ice skating

Donning hats, gloves, scarves, strong boots and going for long brisk country/coastal walks

Do hot yoga

Go indoor climbing

Spend a dark rainy or snowy afternoon in the cinema

Make some cinnamon scented candles to fragrance the home

Make some beautifully scented soaps to give as gifts

Visit that museum or art gallery you keep meaning to go to…

Knit a fabulous scarf

Thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom (great exercise when it’s too wet and windy to go out)

Be happy!

Happy Holidays!!

Monday, December 28th, 2009 by stacey

Welcome back green smoothie goers!  We hope you had a splendid holiday with friends and loved ones.  As you get ready to celebrate the New Year, we’d like to share a very special poem from one of our green smoothie program participants!

A Thank You From Mrs. Claus

- by Rena Reason

T’was Christmas day and the North Pole was humming
With laughter and song and dancing and drumming,
The elves were gleefully at play in the snow,
And the reindeer were frolicking to and fro.

Since Santa had traveled the world far and wide,
He settled in his rocker, a bit sleepy eyed,
But thanks to Green Smoothie Queen, I hurried to the kitchen,
Got out my blender and knew what to mix in,
Then handed Santa a green jug and said “Sip on this!
It’s full of flavor, nutrition, and bliss!”

Said Santa, “It’s sweet like candy cane, and as green as a Christmas tree!
It’s bliss to my lips, yummy to my tummy, and gives me great energy!
This beverage gives such leverage, Ho, Ho, Ho, I feel so alive!
I could sing out Christmas jingles and dance the Jive!”

These groovy Green Smoothies are quite a sensation,
Let’s get the word out all over the nation,
Milk and baked cookies are things of the past,
Green Smoothies are the real elixir at last!

Thank you your Majesty, Green Smoothie Queen,
for showing me how to blend fruits and greens!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good year,
Let’s drink to our Health with Green Smoothies and Cheers!

Busting the Christmas Cravings!

Monday, December 21st, 2009 by stacey

Looking at the greens in your fridge and not sure you’re up for a full-throttle garden glory, but not wanting to resort to cooked food either?  Kate has your solution!

- by Kate N.

You know those days when you wake up craving something sweet and decadent? Well, that happened to me this morning. Work has been so insanely busy over the last two days, I’d gotten home too late to get to the shops to stock up on yummy fruits and veggies. I wandered into the kitchen this morning to be greeted by a mountain of chocolate cookies and cakes my sister had brought over the night before. All that remained in ‘my’ corner of the kitchen was one solitary avocado…Was I tempted by the cooked food? No! Thanks to the lessons I’ve learned on my BES journey, I rolled up my sleeves and got creative.

Here’s what I made:

Chocolate Heaven Smoothie

1 avocado
handful of mint leaves
some frozen cherries
nut mylk  (small amount for a thick ‘dessert’ type smoothie, more for a liquid one)
raw cacao powder (about 2 heaped tsp or to taste)
1-2 Tbsp Agave or 1 tsp raw honey

Blend and enjoy!

The avocado provides a good dose of lutein, which helps to maintain healthy eyesight. It’s also rich in potassium, vitamins B, E, and K and a good source of monounsaturated fat (giving the smoothie a wonderful creamy texture).

Cherries are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and folate; one study (by the University of Michigan), suggests that they are good for fat loss, particularly belly-fat.

The mint aids digestion, while the cacao offers an abundance of health-giving nutrients - antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins and above all, the wonderful mood-enhancing theobromine, making you feel all loved up and happy!

P.S. - If the sight of shortbread and cookies is still making you vibrate, then you may need some heavy duty craving cullers.  Right now, you can take advantage of The Raw Divas Cravings and Emotional Eating Program for a third of the regular price!

BearHeart’s Breakfast Green Smoothie

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 by admin

This is a recipe from one of our International Green Smoothie Day Challengers

Living in Scandinavia, I am 8 hours before Eastern American time, so I just had my breakfast smoothie - my first green smoothie in about a week and it tasted good and felt fabulously to drink it. Good to be back on the green smoothie track! I don´t want to get off it when this challenge is over.

SmoothieBearHeart’s Breakfast Green Smoothie

Anna Jonsson

  • 1 stem of celery (including the leaves)
  • 1 orange
  • 1 green (granny smith) apple, peeled
  • handful spinach
  • handful romane lettuce
  • handful lambs quarters (lovely “weeds” from the garden)
  • small piece of ginger
  • 1-2 teaspoon honey
  • 1-2 cups water

I like it since it is not too sweet, but I added a little bit of honey and even then it almost was not sweet.

Mmmm. I feel loaded for my morning walk!
See you later, lettuce leaves.

Let’s Give Thanks for Cinnamon!

Friday, November 27th, 2009 by admin

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the USA!  Many people joined their families around dinner tables to indulge in some food and the pure enjoyment of being with loved ones. As I reflected on what I was thankful for, I got a whiff of sweet cinnamon, and I knew I had to add it to my list of thanks!

2009_06_23-cinnamonSo, cinnamon is the magic ingredient in the smoothie I wrote about the other day, but what is cinnamon, and is it beneficial to us?

Cinnamon is a small tree that is commonly found in South Asia and the Middle East region. The cinnamon that we typically find in our supermarkets is the bark of this tree, which is either sold as the dried tubular form known as a quill or stick, or ground into a powder.

Although it is available throughout the year, the fragrant, sweet and warm taste of cinnamon is a perfect spice to use during the winter months. Cinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine.

Cinnamon has extremely high anti-oxidant activity, and the oil of cinnamon has strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Cinnamon is also a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Studies have shown that cinnamon:

  • may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar levels and is therefore beneficial for people with Type 2 Diabetes.
  • can lower cholesterol.
  • has a role in aiding digestion.
  • can help to treat diarrhoea.
  • can help to cure the common cold.
  • combined with honey can reduce arthritis pain.
  • can help to boost memory and cognitive function.
  • is useful for treating toothaches.
  • can Eliminate bad breath.
  • can cureuring headaches and migraine pain.
  • can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells
  • has an anti-clotting effect on the blood
  • is a natural preservative as when added to food it inhibits bacterial growth

So, let’s give thanks for the many benefits of cinnamon! In fact, during the GSQ 24-Day Countdown Christmas, a few recipes featuring cinnamon will be shared with participants! I hope you’ll join us!

Purple Passion Smoothie! Who said anything about green?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by admin

beetsI am just loving beetroot at the moment, and have come up with a super recipe for beet smoothie, which not only has great liver cleansing powers, it’s also my favourite colour….Purple!

The liver is the largest gland in the human body and is responsible for several functions which keep our bodies in good health including the production of bile. A healthy liver can benefit all parts of the body and so if it doesn’t function properly, the body can’t function at peak capacity either. My liver has taken a bit of a battering of late and I can feel that my body isn’t performing at its optimum level so it’s time to I did something to redress this situation. NOW!

Beetroot is one of the few vegetables which you can enjoy both their roots and leaves. Studies have shown that beetroots can help to protect liver cells from harmful chemicals as they contain the compound betacyanin – the red pigment which is found in beetroot. This pigment provides the body with powerful antioxidant protection. Beetroot is also rich in folate, a water soluble B vitamin which is important for a healthy heart and is also essential for the growth of tissues in the body. The red pigment in beetroot helps to raise the antioxidant enzyme levels in the liver and may also promote detoxification in the intestines, blood and liver.

Beet greens are also delicious and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They contain almost twice the potassium of the beetroot, as well as high levels of folic acid.

My Purple Passion Smoothie contains both beetroot and its leaves and is a gorgeous rich purple colour which fills you with that feel good factor!

Simply juice:

  • a small beetroot
  • a handful of beet green leaves
  • a handful of spinach
  • ½ cucumber
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 apples

Then transfer the juice to your blender and blend with 2 bananas and extra spinach if desired. Pour into an elegant wine glass and savour – purple bliss!!!!lisa-purple-passion-pic

This is an excellent smoothie for those sceptical about the appearance of green smoothies, as the intense purple of the beetroot predominates and the greens are cleverly hidden!

Lisa Simpson

Raw Liberty

Post Workout - Green Goodness

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 by admin

by Jenn Givler

After a workout, your body needs to be replenished – even if you aren’t feeling particularly hungry. After your workout, while you’re resting, is the time that your muscles are looking for energy to build, repair and become stronger. The energy they’re looking for is in the form of broken down carbs, fat and protein from the food you eat.

If they can’t find the fuel they need, they start breaking down their own cells to fuel the repair and growth. If you don’t eat what your body needs, all that hard work you did will literally go right down the tubes.

This delicious green goodness contains protein, healthy, complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants, and good fats to help nourish those muscles that just worked so hard for you.

kaleRecipe:

  • ½ cup water
  • 2 generous handfuls of spinach
  • 1 handful of kale
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • ¼ cup of raspberries
  • 1 banana

Whir that all up in your blender and enjoy!

If you like your smoothies creamier, freeze the banana and the berries prior to blending them.

International Green Smoothie Day Awards!

Monday, October 19th, 2009 by admin

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an update on the results of our International Green Smoothie Day Challenge Contest Winners.

If you weren’t around on International Green Smoothie Day (August 15), we put together a fantastic list of Sponsors!

We had quite a few people from around the world joining us for that adventure, and in the spirit of Green Smoothie Community, we gave away great prizes to contest winners.

Ripple Maker Award

wins a Blendtec Blender!

vid00172

Andy Reed, L. Ac., Dipl. Ac. NCCAOM

Living Foods and Ancient Folk Healing

Wind-River Acupuncture

windriveracupuncture@gmail.com

www.centerforwholism.com

Green Moustache Award

Excalibur Dehydrator

Winner:  Jennifer Strilchuk

mymindfulreflections.blogspot.com

Our whole family has had a blast on this green smoothie challenge. The green goodness has us all feeling so full of LIFE! My girls had so much fun giggling goofy giggles about their green smoothie mustaches. I just had to share!

jennifer-strilchuk-daughters

Best Green Smoothie Recipes

Win a signed copy of : Green Smoothie Revolution
from The Raw Family

Blueberry Bliss: Christine Hansen
Mid-Summer’s Eve Cosmopolitan: Tamara Premer
Strawberry Fields by the Sea Melissa Hurt
Passionately Deluxurious Smoothie: Nathalie Blechner
Purple Velvet Smoothie: Juliette King

Top Testimonial Prize:

12 month subscription to Living Raw Magazine

The one year subscription includes 6 issues and postage anywhere in the world, valued at approx $50 USD.

Winner: Jet

I started as a vegetarian when I was 14, but gave up when as a married woman I tried to start a family and had a miscarriage. I was frightened (unnecessarily) about my diet having a bearing on my ability to conceive and started to incorporate fish and some meats back into my diet. Two children later, I found it difficult to get back to being vegetarian when the rest of the family were eating flesh foods so it wasn’t until my eldest turned 10 and was continually asking to become vegetarian that we made a pact, that we’d both go veggie as long as she would eat what I say she needs to eat for her health. She’s now almost 17 and I am happy to say we are both very healthy!

My husband and son are another matter. My husband is overweight despite cycling everywhere in his job, he suffers from Ulcerative Colitis for which I have had him on organic Molasses since April and currently he has no symptoms. At the start of the year we had a very stressful time as we both thought he had Colon Cancer, all the symptoms seemed to fit but two colonoscopys later we discovered he had UC running the entire length of his Colon and ten biopsies confirmed it was consistent with UC. The hospital have had him waiting 5 months until he sees the Consultant, this appointment is in two weeks from today and meanwhile he has been cured by my Molasses experiment, or so it seems! Would you believe they actually never prescribed him any medication, even though he was passing a LOT of blood every day? I think they will be very surprised at his turn-around in health due to the Molasses. Because of his experiences with his Colon health my husband is quite sceptical about eating a lot of greens and fruits, but he has been gradually coming around to the idea and in fact yesterday he tried my smoothie when I got a takeaway from a Juice Bar. He didn’t like it, due to the seeds haha! But I am going to continue to push the idea for him.

My 13yo son and I are both asthmatic, although I’m very well these days. Both my son and my husband eat a largely vegetarian diet for ease of cooking on my part, however they both supplement their diets with meat wherever they get the chance (lunches, eating out, and the occasional home cooked meaty meal). He has been suffering during the school holidays with wheeziness which has just about gone since he has been sampling my smoothies this past few days! He has noticed the benefits and we have been discussing the potential for his health if he starts having a green smoothie each day. I always hold out hope that he will become vegetarian full time, since he can see how easy it is for me and not to mention cheaper! I believe I have brought my children up to understand the basis of good nutritive foods and this coupled with knowledge of raw foods will give them a great start in their young adult lives when they become more independent.

My husband and I did a month of raw eating back in 2007 but we both found it very difficult. I seemed to be constantly trying to think of things we could eat and chopping ingredients. It largely consisted of raw patés and salads, and lunchtimes we were generally just eating a plate of greens with nuts and things. It became very boring and a real chore to chomp through. One thing I have learned from International Green Smoothie Day is that a glass or two of highly nutritious drink can contain all I need, including the fiber often lost through juicing, with no reason to feel I am missing out on the digestive process begun in the mouth by chewing one’s food. I think a lot of people just gulp down juices in the name of health, lacking in fiber and not bothering to chew, partly because they taste ‘like medicine’ because they haven’t got enough sweet fruits or water and because they don’t feel the need to chew - no skin or bits of pips or seeds. Of course, juices have their place in our diets, but the fiber lost along with some of the vitamins, minerals, fats, amino acids and other properties is a real waste unless the pulp is used to make raw crackers etc.

Anyway I am rambling LOL.

I didn’t hold an ‘event’ unless you count the event itself of taking more green smoothies in, realising several things including those described above, and also the fact that I can ‘get by’ with just my little stick blender! It suits my tastes fine but I’m not so sure I’ve converted hubby just yet as it’s not quite ’smooth enough’ for him. I’ve educated and spread the word at my local juice bar, who are considering adding greens to their menu of available fruit and veggies, and I have gotten my parents interested in eating more things raw including Beets!

I’ve also realised I don’t ‘need’ to buy lots of raw superfoods like Maca, Mesquite, Lucuma, Blue Green Algae, et al to have a healthy balanced raw lifestyle and I am looking forward to setting out to be High Raw once again, with no guilt trips when I feel I want something cooked.

I feel I am off on my path once again; I just took a diversion is all! Thank you so much everyone for this opportunity to take part, learn more, feel more and share more!

Most Elegant Green Smoothie Presentation Award

Angela Stokes and Matt Monarch donate a set of their 8 e-books

Winner:Family Morning Smoothie

familymorningsmoothie

by Julia Mauch

We have two boys, 13 and 17! They fight over the fullest glass, even if it’s just by a smidgen! And our granddaughters love to drink this from their “sippie” cups. Minus the nuts and flaked coconut, of course!

Approx. 2 cups of different greens (see below)

2 cups restructured alkaline water

Pulse blend until liquefied

2 T. of flaxseed oil

1/4 cup of fresh coconut water from a baby Thai coconut

1 cup almond milk (optional) made from raw almonds is extra wonderful!

1/2 avocado (optional)

4 frozen strawberries (may use any other berry such as blueberries, raspberries, or all together)

2 frozen bananas

Fresh or flaked unsweetened coconut (optional)

5 pecans or almonds (optional)

Raw agave nectar to sweeten

Pulse blend until smooth. Blend for approx. 10 seconds, and then turn on high for another 20 seconds.
Mild tasting Greens I’ve had success with:

Beet Greens

Chard

Baby Spinach

Dandelion greens

These greens are GOOD, especially kale, but I use sparingly for my boys because they don’t like a strong ‘green- tasting’ smoothie:

Kale

Collard

Top Powder Room Posters (2 Winners)

The Raw Vegan Network Member’s Recipe e-Book  A Collection of Our Favorite Raw Vegan Recipes from Around the World

Winner: Jennifer Strilchuk

One highly effective 1-on-1 Magick Power Session with Nathalie Lussier

Winner : Juliette King

We had so many Generous and Fantastc Sponsors that we had Prizes Galore  and we ran out of categories… *giggles*

So here’s the list of ALL the prizewinners!

One pair of handmade earrings from

Leslee Feiwus Jewelry

Winner:  Anna Jonsson


Raw Breakthrough/Elements for Life

2 Coaching sessions (a $200 value).

Winner:  Jane McDermott

3 raw cookbooks..”DINNER TONIGHT

Margaret Bauer
Isobel Phillips
Darya Slyusaryeva<

Paul Nisson
Raw Life

3 books of raw knowledge

Winners: Annabella Cruz
Karla Morelli
Jane McDermott

Raw Fun Family

Wild Edible Book - Starter Guide

Winner: Jane McDermott

Serenity Spaces

1 Book Celebrating Our Raw Nature

Winner :  Karla Morelli

Parallel Perception

‘The Art of Stalking Parallel Perception’  the eBook version of the book It is in the genre of self-improvement and new age

Winner:  Beth Grant

Jaydee Sperry
Infinite Birthing

A raw, vegan pregnancy related consultation.  This would be valid for pre-conception, pre-natal or post-partum and infant care/feeding.  This service provides a comprehensive evaluation, with a one-hour long phone conversation and ’plan of action’.

Winner: Virginia Morrison

Eat Sprouts

Plans to build Automatic Sprouter which I sell for $9.95 at eatsprouts.com.

Winner :  Angela Randels

Radiant On Raw

15-page report called “Five Steps to Raw Success That Will Make Your Raw Journey a Breeze”

Kathy Burkholder

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils

A package.  (A t-shirt or tank top and a product + literature and stickers)

Winner: Kari Powell

Ely Organics

Bottle of Tropicana Body Milk
Value: $28:95 USD

Winner:  Rhonda Hovden

Kristens Raw

3 books (print) for people in continental U.S. And 3 Ebooks for others outside continental U.S

Winners:   Paul Rauh – South Korea
Tandi Hartle – US
Avril El-Amin  - US
Linda Germany – US
Tahnee Benson- Australia

Frederick Patenaude

Uncooking DVD’s

Winners:  Melissa Scavetta
DebK

Raw Radiant Health

Ebook titled:  ‘Raw Radiant Health’s Favorite Summer Recipes’

Winner:  Erika Scheidegger

Movement As A Way In

Jenn Givler
Fitness  EBook

Winner:   Alexandra Paine

Elixir Craft Mastery

Free digital copy of ElixirCraft Mastery

Marie-Lies Van Asten

Two $25 gift certificates from Affordable Mineral Makeup

http://www.affordablemineralmakeup.com/

Winner: Darya Slyusaryeva

Free “10 emails Holistic Stress Management coaching services” ($100 value)

http://holisticstressmanagement.com/

Winner:  Alexandra Paine