Archive for the ‘Blenders’ Category

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!

Warm Your Winter Nights!

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 by admin

As the nights are drawing in, (it’s dark here by 4:00pm here aaagh!), sometimes the thought of an early evening juice just doesn’t have the same appeal as it does on those fabulous summer evenings.

This recipe looks to remedy this. It is perfect when you feel a little chilly, or in need of a comforting hug as you curl up in front of the fire. The addition of cinnamon really transforms a simple smoothie to complete other level.

Winter Punch Smoothie

Juice:

2 apples

1 carrot

2 oranges, peeled

½ lemon with skin

Transfer to blender and add:

Cinnamon to taste (I used 2 sticks – but then I’m a mega cinnamon fan!)

1 banana

Handful of spinach (add more if you wish)

And blend!!!

This is absolutely fabulous as it is really comforting on cold winter nights. Enjoy!

Lisa Simpson of Raw Liberty

Eh! What’s Up Doc?

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 by admin

carrotsCarrots aren’t just good for Bugs Bunny to munch on! Or just for giving your smoothies an orange color! They are also an excellent vegetable, having both nutritional and medicinal values which are essential for our optimum health.

They contain a very complete nutrition to provide our body with essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. A single carrot will supply all your vitamin A needs for the whole day. In fact, Chinese medical practitioners recommend eating carrots to give your liver more energy!

Carrot Juice is an excellent source of pro-vitamin A, vitamins C, D, E, K, B1 and B6.  Carrots are also rich in biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium. They also offer an excellent source of beta-carotene which is an anti-oxidant that has health benefits that has been reported to positively affect a variety of conditions and diseases, including:

•    Balancing blood acidity and blood sugar.
•    Detoxifying the liver and reducing toxicity in the body
•    Reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke by cleansing deposits in the arteries
•    Providing protection from infection for the respiratory system
•    Reducing the risk of cancer
•    Lowering cholesterol levels
•    Easing nasal congestion
•    Regulating problems with chronic constipation
•    Keeping the optic system in good condition – we’ve all heard that carrots help you see in the dark!
•    Reducing inflammation and easing arthritis and rheumatism
•    Building the immune system
•    Nourishing the skin and helping to prevent psoriasis and acne
Chinese practitioners have said that carrots taste sweet, and are good for the health of spleen and stomach.

The best thing about carrots is that they are easily assimilated by our body, especially when blended or juiced, to break down the cell walls.

So try adding carrots to your juices and smoothies, enjoy their colour and taste, and relish the fact that you are nourishing your body optimally at the same time!

Lisa Simpson of Raw Liberty

Missing the summer heat? Warm yourself with…

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 by admin

A Sunshine Smoothie!!!

I’m just loving playing around with my juicer and blender at the moment, creating fabulously delicious smoothies from my juices, which makes them more filling and sustaining at a time of year when our bodies need more nourishment. This morning I was woken by howling winds and rain pounding on the windows – not a good start to the day! I’m seriously craving sunshine; not just for its warmth, but also its colour. This provided the inspiration for today’s juice/smoothie recipes.

Warming Sunshine Juice

4 carrots

2 oranges

2cm of fresh ginger (or more if you’re craving extra warmth!)

Juice all ingredients and savour – a beautiful orange colour with warmth provided by the ginger!

Warming Sunshine Smoothie

Take the juice above and blend with

lisawarmingsmoothie

2 bananas

2 sharon fruit

Eat with a spoon from your favourite glass, and dream of sunshine!

Warming Green Sunshine Smoothie

Take the smoothie above and blend with a large handful of your favourite greens – I used spinach.

Top with some of the leftover juice for a fancier appearance, and to retain some of that summer glow! Reminds me of summer sun over green fields!

Curl up and enjoy! Mmmmm!

Lisa Simpson of 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

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.

From Doll’s Kitchen. . .

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 by admin

I had a nice chat this afternoon with a great Raw Food advocate, Natasha Kyssa and one thing we talked about was how important greens are in our diets. Although I’m doing very well keeping my food plan clean I realize that I’m still not adding enough green smoothies to my daily routine. I really believe that I need to fix this.

I love checking in on the Green Smoothie Blog to see the recipes and fun ideas people share. I have the same smoothie over and over again: bananas, spinach and celery. Don’t get me wrong. I really do love my green smoothies like this. They are tasty and in a quirky way becoming familiar to me. Not quite comfort food but I think they’re coming close.

I’m going to step outside of my comfort zone today and make something completely new and different for me. So for something new and exciting I give you :

greensmoothieTropical Tune-up and Relaxer

  • Fruit of one ripe mango
  • Big chunk of fresh pineapple
  • Coconut – as much as you’d like
  • Very small bit of fresh ginger

Blend together adding enough water to make a nice blend.

To this add:

Greens – fill the blender (I’m using Romaine since I don’t want to play with the flavors too much!)

Blend again. Taste.

Add whatever to make it taste and feel like a tropical breeze.

For an added bite add a pinch of cayenne Serve with a spike of pineapple and a cutesy umbrella! Close your eyes and imagine you’re hearing the surf.

Wonderful!

Do you feel relaxed? Add some great Beach Boys surfin’ music and you’re there.

Fruity Veggy Smoothie. . .

Thursday, September 24th, 2009 by Aran

I like taking other recipes and changing ingredients but this week I have been inventing my own. And I have now discovered the secret to enjoying green smoothies. Add More Water!

Makes more than one litre

2 Mangoes Blackberries

3 Apples

1 bag of spinach leaves or 4 cups of fresh from the garden.

1 cup Blackberries frozen or fresh

1 head of Celery (you have to like celery or substitute a favourite veggy)

8 large Tomatoes

1 pint of Blueberries (small box from grocery store)

2-3 bottles of Spring or Distilled water

Blend it all together starting with the softer ingredients, and drink!

*Will last me all day.

***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!!!