I think it’s time for a little inspiration this marvelous Monday morning! In January, I was thrilled to introduce you to Jessica Mauk. Jessica is a green gal after my own leafy heart. She’s really stepping up to the plate this year and is taking on 365 days of green smoothies!
Each month, she’s going to share with us a little update about her progress and what she’s learned, so here to tell you more is the fearless chlorophyll challenger herself. And if you like the idea of green smoothies, but just can’t see yourself doing 365 days just yet, then perhaps our upcoming 10-Day Challenge will be more to your liking! It’s a live challenge starting on St. Patrick’s Day, so order yourself a green jug now and get ready to chug down some shamrocks!
- by Jessica Mauk
Hello everyone! I now have two months under my belt in my 365 days of smoothies challenge. I can not wait for spring to hit as I’m getting a little tired of frozen fruit and I’m longing for all of those luxurious greens that are so abundant at our local farmer’s market each year.
So, in addition to this new supply of energy that I’ve found, what are a few things that I’ve learned or noticed in my two months of drinking a quart a day? My fingernails are growing like weeds, green weeds! I’ve never had strong or long nails in my life. They always split and tear as soon as they eek out just slightly above my fingertip. Now, I actually have to file them back a bit. I’ve also noticed that if I drink a green smoothie about an hour or so before bedtime I sleep so much more soundly and I wake up refreshed and ready to tackle my day. I can honestly say, after only two months of my challenge I will never go back to a S.A.D again.
I have found heaven on earth and it’s green!
To read more about Jessica’s challenge and her year of green smoothies, please visit her blog: http://365smoothies.blogspot.com/
And I happened to pop into the Emerald Lounge a few minutes ago, and I saw even more great posts! I’m so flattered and pleased by the positive response so far! And I hope all those bodies out there are humming with green energy and optimism! I myself am on a high that I think involves a lot of gratitude… gratitude that I can spend my days doing work I love and that makes other people feel better and positive. It’s WIN WIN!!
My name is Julie. This is my second Green Smoothie class! I LOVE all of the BEAUTIFUL art work on the Green Smoothie Queens/Raw Divas colorful web pages, E-letters and E-books! (Art work is very inspiring!) I find the Queens and Divas to be very enthusiastic, offering such wisdom/logic and encouragement! The Queens and Divas offer SO MUCH information - we simply cannot fail!!! This is a wonderful web site!
Stephanie, I’m grateful to maximize your green ripples by sharing your words and your recipe with our green smoothie community at large. And you made so many important points. Sometimes, there are so, so many of us flying around kitchens looking after others it takes a real effort to just step aside from the busy lives that we lead and just give some quiet attention to where we’re at with our lifestyle. How often do we take the time to just put something in our mouth and savor it for a moment before we consume it? 
OPTION 1 - Call ahead to your destination and ask if your family or friends wouldn’t mind bringing an old blender up from the basement or making sure they can find the lid (I’ve learned the hard way that a blender lid can be the start of a great day or the initiative you needed to wash your kitchen cupboards, walls, canisters, light fixtures - you get the idea). If they don’t have one, then pack yours into the car.
There’s no doubt about it, figuring out the blender situation is the “ay, there’s the rub” when it comes to being on the road. But people do make this work. In fact, I know there are even “tailgater” blenders out there that plug into your car’s cigarette lighter socket. But uh, it probably goes without saying, please blend and drive responsibly.
A few years ago, I tried to go on a week’s vacation with the intention that I would stick to the diet I was on at the time. We travelled by car to a hotel, and I took two coolers with me of salads (I remember the big honkin’ bag of veggie coleslaw in particular), fruits, and healthy snacks. I knew the hotel we’d be staying at didn’t have any fridges in the rooms, so my plan was to keep buying ice and use my coolers as mini-fridges. I was all gung-ho to be committed and completely avoid eating out! Well… that lasted until the first large social opportunity came along and everyone wanted to go out for supper. I didn’t want to miss out, but I found that good intentions were not enough to keep me from digging into the deep-fried junk along with everyone else at the table. Afterwards, I felt *darned* guilty that I hadn’t stuck to my plan. Worse, I felt so bad that I kinda (as in totally) gave up. By the time we were ready to head back home, my room had the rather enchanting aroma of rotten uneaten cabbage. So… that didn’t work.
And sometimes that satisfaction actually sprouts into pride, and then I find I’m reaching for the fruit bowl more often than the shortbread tin.
The Raw Vegan Network Member’s Recipe e-Book
• Don’t add anything to your smoothie except greens, fruit and water. I don’t recommend adding nuts, seeds, oils, supplements or other ingredients to your green smoothie. Most of these items slow down the assimilation of green smoothies in your digestive tract and may cause irritation and gas. Even though I provide recipes with more than basic ingredients in my books I encourage you to stick to the basic green smoothie recipe (fruit and greens) in your daily routine.
