Christine’s Crossing — Green Smoothies 101

Starter Green Smoothie

It’s time once again to hear from Health Coach, Christine de la Cruz—this month on the subject of green smoothies…

Do you ever wonder what in the world you are going to do with all of the gorgeous greens you receive on Wednesdays? Some weeks I can barely fit them in my refrigerator—which is actually a great problem to have.  My solution to not wasting one fabulous bit is to make green smoothies!

Include a green smoothie in your diet every day for 30 days, and you will see some of these awesome benefits:  improved digestion, increased energy, weight loss, glowing skin, luxurious hair, improved sleep and better moods. Who’s not on board now?  And the best part is that you don’t have to change anything else you are consuming.

To get you started, use about 60% fruit and 40% green leafy vegetables (if you do not have blood sugar issues).  Then, as you get used to the taste, gradually increase the amount of leafy greens. Your body will not only start to crave your green drink, it will tell you when it’s ready for more greens.  Feel free to add in chia seeds, flax seeds, flax oil or almond butter.  Most of these do not change the taste, but will increase the drink’s staying power if you are replacing a meal.

On weeks when you find yourself unable to finish an entire bag of vegetables, cut them up and tuck into the freezer in a Ziploc bag.  You’ll have your next green drink prepped and ready to go, and you’ll take advantage of every once of nutrition from your Freshness Farms delivery.

Starter Green Drink

The berries change the smoothie color from vegetable green to a fruity purple.  Just be sure to add enough, so you don’t end up with a brown drink instead, which might not be quite as appealing.  If you are hoping to convert kids or adults who are apprehensive, toss in some frozen mango and pineapple.  And bananas add a wonderful creaminess.

Serves 2 or more

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 2 handfuls mild leafy greens such as spinach, kale or collards, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 apples, cored and cut into cubes
  • 1-2 frozen bananas
  • a mix of frozen red and blue berries, such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
  • frozen mango and pineapple chunks

Method:

  1. Start with the greens and water, and blend them together until very smooth.
  2. Then layer in each of your fruits and blend until you have a drink that rivals Jamba Juice.  Pour into a pretty glass, add a straw, and you’re set!

I hope you will give green smoothies a try, and let me know what you think.  And if you want to learn more about their benefits, feel free to join me at one of my Healing with Green Smoothies classes. You can contact me at onthehighwaytohealth@gmail.com.

Christine de la Cruz is a native Minnesotan who moved to balmy California after freezing for far too many years.   After taking time off from a career with the San Jose Sharks to raise her daughter and son, she decided to pursue her lifelong interest in health, by training as a health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  To learn more check out Christine’s website and introductory video at onthehighwaytohealth.com, her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OnTheHighwayToHealth?ref=hl or contact her at onthehighwaytohealth@gmail.com.  Christine’s is a regular contributor to Four Cooking Together.

 

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