Here is a submission from one of our FREE 3-Day Green Smoothie Mini-Course Graduates, where we feature the original green smoothie recipes from our community of slurpers! Debra opted to send us a video rather than a photo, and we hope you enjoy!
Orange Apricot Yum!
By Dr. Debra Tibbitts
(makes about 32 ounces)
Ingredients:
- 3 oranges
- 4 apricots
- 3/4 cup water
Directions:
Blend… and then add:
- 2 large leaves of kale
- 1 handful baby spinach (optional)
Blend again. This is one of my favorite green smoothies!
First up, there are blueberries. According to 
asparagus may help prevent broken capillaries due to the large amounts of the bioflavonoid rutin that it contains. Now I haven’t tried asparagus tips in a smoothie, so if anyone has, I’d love to hear what it’s like!
dandelion greens straight and I even like them that way! Don’t worry though, I still have a problem with wheat grass juice! But thankfully, my favourite green detox drinks are simple to make.
I thought writing a little about kale would be interesting because Mark and I have been eating, and drinking, quite a lot of the green stuff around here lately! The curly stuff is actually very healthy for you and I bet there are some things you didn’t know about it, either. I learned a few things myself!
Now, for the really fun stuff! I found out there are a couple of varieties of kale. It comes in “dinosaur”, which is blue grey in colour and has embossed looking leaves. I haven’t found any of this in my local grocery store yet, but am dying to. I just have to try it just because of the name! There is curly kale, which has curly leaves. That one is a no-brainer, I guess! And there is ornamental kale, which is also called salad savoy. This one is a newbie to the kale scene, having been cultivated in California in the 1980’s and it’s pretty mild tasting. So far, I’ve only found the curly kind here. I’ve also heard of black kale, but I think that might be another name for Dinosaur kale. Apparently, Romans were quite fond of it, and settlers brought it over here to North America from the U.K. in the 1700’s.
I never knew eating raw snacks could be this good! Take a step back all you prepackaged, synthesized flavored treats. I’m here to tell you that I have found a new, get me through the cravings, snack.
Everyone knows that leafy greens are important, but often, we don’t really know why they are, we’re not sure which greens are best, and we wonder how much of them we should eat on any given day. Standard American Dieters often try to have a daily salad, but it’s often a fairly small one that is generally drowned in store-bought dressings made with soybean oil (one of the most genetically modified crop in the US), cottonseed oil (a very pesticide heavy crop), white sugar, artificial colorings etc. and iceberg lettuce is a SAD favorite.
Green juices don’t have to mean shots of wheatgrass. They can be delectable when made properly, and they are quick to make, too. For green juices to be palatable, you need to add the secret ingredient: fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice will take away the green taste and add a refreshing lemonade like flavor to the juice. Adding a little spiciness with ginger juice will make your green juice even better. By drinking 30 ounces of green juice a day, you can consume a whole head of lettuce on average without even noticing it! Don’t forget to add dark leafies such as kale.
People on the SAD (standard American diet) often equate salads with boring. Growing up in Europe where bottled salad dressings are hard to come by, I had to learn to make my own. Try your hand at new recipes such as sweet dressings with mangoes, or spicy dressings with mustard, or even fat free dressings with blended tomatoes and fresh herbs! When I don’t have time to make an exotic dressing, I simply mix olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar at a 2:1 ratio, add a pinch of sea salt, a little mustard, and sometimes a little crushed garlic.
When I eat out at restaurants, I’m often disappointed by the salad selection. You can make large, delicious and satisfying salads without having to resort to the traditional iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Try layering lettuce with peeled citrus fruits and avocado, or tossing spinach with strawberries! Try different greens, such as arugula (also called roquette) with fresh mushrooms. The possibilities are endless.
The Raw Vegan Network Member’s Recipe e-Book
Lately I’ve been craving more fruit in my diet, which is surprising since I usually have two green smoothies a day and in between that I have some fruit as a snack. I guess my body is asking for more of what it needs.
This week I was fortunate to be able to speak at a “Greening Your Life” seminar for a small group of moms and their babies. I thought a lot about what I wanted to talk about because there were so many ideas I wanted to share with them,; however, having 45 minutes in which to speak, I wanted to really get the message out about the importance of non-toxic cleaners in the home as well as the importance of organic and locally grown foods.
