Green Smoothies

Today I am going to talk about something very healthy -- so if that is where you are, you will like this post but for those of you who aren't there, just cover your ears and hum something like -- The Battle Hymn of the Republic. If you're still with me, read on.

A few weeks ago I was introduced to the concept of green smoothies. I thought it was a very interesting concept: Make a healthy drink by mixing fruit and vegetables together in a high-speed blender with ice cubes and you will have a good tasting, very healthy snack (or meal).

My daughter tried it, and loved it. She has been raving about how good she feels with smoothies added into her daily diet. I wanted to try it then, but I had one drawback. My blender had recently died and I just had not had enough time to replace it.

Last weekend, I bought an Oster Fusion blender. It probably won't last as long as the high powered Vitamix blenders but so far I really like it. It chops and crushes ice with ease. I'm not sure how long it will last but it has to last as long as my last blender. I figure I can't loose because the Vitamix is $300 + and the Fusion blender was around $50.

I am still amazed that my carrot, which is usually chopped (at best) in the blender was pureed so finely that I didn't notice any texture. Really amazing!

My recipe:

1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1/3 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup almond milk
4 drops of liquid stevia
a handful of lettuce with radicchio
ice

I mixed the carrot, mango, lettuce and almond milk until it was smooth and then added the ice and stevia. It was so creamy and smooth. I could not believe it.

You can add other fruits, especially frozen berries, peaches or/and seeded oranges.

Adding spinach, kale or watercress would probably be healthier than the lettuce, but I didn't have any. Wouldn't this be a good way to get kids to eat more greens?

I added stevia but you could start with Splenda. After you get used to the taste, you could use less and less sweetener.

The idea is to eat whole fruits and vegetables. I love fruit and vegetable juice, but they are not as beneficial as including the whole fruit with the fiber. The blender grinds it up so well that you don't know you aren't just drinking juice. Make sense? Try it. You may like it and you would be healthier for it.