Posts Tagged ‘banana’

The Popeye Punch!

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 by stacey

by Kate Nicholson

As a long-term vegetarian, I’ve suffered from chronic mild anaemia for the last ten years or so. It wasn’t until I switched to a raw vegan diet at the end of last year that my iron levels rocketed from a low-energy haemoglobin level of 10.4 to a ‘got to take the stairs at a run ‘cos I’ve got so much energy‘ 13.7!).  I’m attributing this to a regular intake of my favourite green smoothie - the Popeye Punch!

The Popeye Punch

(By Kate Nicholson)

1 cup of mixed organic berries
1 organic Fairtrade banana
2 handfuls of organic spinach
1 handful of organic parsley
1 tsp spirulina
filtered water to top up
splash of Agave (optional)

The vitamin C rich berries enhance the absorption of the bio-available iron from the spinach. There’s also a host of other health benefits to be gained from this delicious refreshing smoothie - spinach maintains good eyesight by helping to prevent age-related macula degeneration, and also protects against cancer and heart disease.

Bananas contain the mood-enhancer tryptophan and as Fairtrade bananas ensure better wages and working conditions for plantation workers (which consequently has a beneficial knock-on effect for their families) every one benefits! Karma points!

Enjoy!

References:

Adnani, S.  Health benefits of spinach.  Retrieved from

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-spinach.html

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

The Three P's! Pears, Pineapple, Parsley!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 by admin

by Joyce Wiatroski

Hey Green Smoothie Super Star!

Here’s an interesting taste treat you might like to try.

I’ve been using more fresh parsley in my salads, juices and in my smoothies…today I made a super tasting powerhouse:

Pears, Pineapple, Parsley!

  • 2 ripe pears
  • 1/3 of a fresh pineapple (approx)
  • half a frozen banana (to add body and potassium)
  • 1/3 of a large bunch of parsley (approx)
  • 1/2″ slice of fresh ginger
  • 1 cup of filtered water
  • 1 cup of ice cubes (optional)

**I have a Blendtec - so I add a cup of ice cubes on top of everything, too…
this is thick and creamy - eliminate the banana and add more water if you want a thinner outcome.

Enjoy!
Joyce

Joyce Wiatroski is the wit and wisdom found on foodiefumblings blog. You can watch for her contributions on the Diva blog on Tuesdays.

Berry, Berry, Green Smoothie

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 by Aran

I am a ‘by gosh or by golly’ type of cook. . . .   Entirely intuitive, no recipes allowed. . . lol   Which means I take a little of this and a pinch of that in all my recipes, raw or otherwise. I hope you will enjoy this recipe and change it as much as you like.

Berry, Berry,  Smoothie. . . .fruit2

(Makes 1 litre  or more of smoothie)
3 Bananas,
2 Ripe Peaches
A couple of handfuls of Frozen Blueberries
Sugar snap peas (lovely fresh flavour)
Frozen Blackberries and Raspberries (handful each)
2-3 Cabbage leaves from the Garden
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
Fresh herbs from the garden (Thyme, Cilantro, Parsley)
1 or 2 bottles of Spring or Distilled water depending how dilute you want it.

Blend everything together beginning with the softest ingredients. Add the   water to make the smoothie to your preference.
(My personal preference is for a thin, ‘dilute’ smoothie)

***Aran is our Blog Coordinator here at Green Smoothie Queen, and will  be featuring Smoothie recipes each week.  She is looking for more yummy Smoothie recipes to share on our Green Smoothie blog.  So, come on you Smoothie fans! Send in your original Smoothie recipes to contributors@therawdivas.com and you too could see your name in (Green) Lights!!!

Meet our Green Smoothie Day Sponsors!

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 by admin

We couldn’t have celebrated International Green Smoothie Day without our sponsors. Here’s a BIG thank you to our sponsors and an overview of what they’ve contributed to help make this the greatest green guzzling event EVER!

Check out the treats and remember to send us in your photos and recipes so that YOU can be entered to win our prizes.

**Important**

You have until August 23rd to submit your entries to win, then on August 24th, we’ll be announcing our winners!

All contest entries MUST be submitted in The Powder Room!

See you there and thanks for playing along!

**The Grand Prizes**

Blendtec Blender

blendtec

Excalibur Dehydrator 9 Tray 26 hour Timer

excalibur

**Our Sensational Sponsors**

Larabar

Larabar

“LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices. Made from 100% whole food, each flavour contains no more than 2-8 ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.”

5 Variety packs of Larabar

*****

Victoria Boutenko

The Raw Family

10 signed copies of Green Smoothie Revolution

*****

LivingRawLogo1

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.

www.livingraw.com.au

*****

certifiedorganicwoman

A free webinar on August 18th at 7 p.m.

Certified Organic Woman

*****

Ultimate Wellness

Steve Prussack

FREE e-book transcript
of an interview with Viktoras Kulvinskas

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RawReform - The Natural Way to Weight Loss

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

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Raw Foods Witch

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

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Raw Vegan Network

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

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LesleeFeiwus

One pair of handmade earrings that I made from my jewelry company

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Raw Breakthrough/Elements for Life

2 Coaching sessions  (a $200 value).

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3 raw cookbooks..”DINNER TONIGHT

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Paul Nisson

Raw Life

3 books of raw knowledge

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NudeFood

A bag of Fiesta Mole — a superfood seasoning mix that can be added into a smoothie with any type of vegetables to create an instant SAVORY smoothie!

http://NudeFood.com

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Raw Fun Family

Wild Edible Book - Starter Guide

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Serenity Spaces

1 Book Celebrating Our Raw Nature

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Wind-River-Acupuncture

Center For Wholism

Hourly phone diagnostic consultations to assist people to understand their personal constitutional needs re nutrition and living foods.  $150 value

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I love Raw

I Love Raw fridge magnets

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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

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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’.

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Val

Eat Sprouts

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

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Radiant On Raw

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

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Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils

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

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Ely Organics

Bottle of Tropicana Body Milk

Value: $28:95 USD

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Kristens Raw

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

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Frederick Patenaude

Uncooking DVD’s

fredericpatenaude@me.com

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Raw Radiant Health

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

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Elixir Craft Mastery

Free digital copy of ElixirCraft Mastery

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Movement As A Way In

Fitness  EBook

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Cathie Breshears

4 One hour PC sessions valued at $295 or one one-hour session for $90.

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125Mineral Makeup

Two $25 gift certificates from Affordable Mineral Makeup
http://www.affordablemineralmakeup.com/

holisticstressmanagement

Free “10 emails Holistic Stress Management coaching services” ($100 value)
http://holisticstressmanagement.com/

Thank you to everyone for joining in the International green Smoothie Day!

Lambsquarter lovin’

The Green Smoothie Queen

A New Take on My Old Favorite (Banana, Pomegranate, and Spinach Smoothie)

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 by Doll

spinachI’ve gotten myself into a rut with my smoothies lately being the same old, same old…bananas, baby spinach and sometimes some frozen strawberries or orange pieces.  Today I wanted to try something new and inspiring.

Just before the holidays we purchased a really great juicer.  This is something I’ve always wanted, or thought I wanted.  So far I’ve enjoyed juicing carrots, apples, oranges and even making almond milk.  Pretty good stuff!

Today was the day to be daring.  I tossed my banana in the blender then tossed a pomegranate into the juicer.  I added a couple of tablespoons of the pomegranate juice to the banana and blended away.  A little extra water was added since I knew that I didn’t really want pudding.  Tossing in some baby spinach made this a great snack for me!

The outcome?  Not too bad.  The pomegranate was a little tart for me but for those who really enjoy this juicy fruit, I’m sure it would be loved be all!  A little more spinach or romaine would have been a great asset.

I wonder where my imagination will take me next time?

Doll Creelman

Family Slushie (Frozen Green Smoothie with Bananas, Mangos, and Spinach)

Friday, December 12th, 2008 by Aran

Bananas and mangos ready to make into a smoothie
We’ve been buying extra mangoes and bananas because they are in season Down Under, and freezing the extras. I went to make a large batch of mango smoothie, and discovered a slushie!

 
Summer Green Slushie!
200g (7oz) frozen baby English spinach leaves
4-6 frozen bananas
3 frozen mangoes

I put the above ingredients into my food processor and processed them on high until they were chopped up. I then slowly added water (to the desired consistency) and didn’t want to wait for it to thaw out, so had it as a smoothie. This made up 2 litres (quarts).

Yum!!! What a great summer dessert.

Blessings,
Veronica