written by erin //
Like most other couples, Jon and I have a list of items we would like to save for and eventually purchase. One of the items on our list is a
Vitamix. We've made a lot of lifestyle changes throughout our 3 years of marriage, because of my health, yes, but also because we are addicted to learning about nutrition and healthy living. I recently finished reading an amazing book that inspired me to start drinking green smoothies and/or green juices each day. I've been a fan of them for years, but when I had to remove sugar from my diet, most of the ones I drank became no-no items because of all the fruit in them. Now I am getting back into them again, minus the hoards of sugar (and minus all the processing and pasteurizing and junk that comes along with pre-packaged drinks).
If you've ever really delved into
healthy living (or just the raw, vegan diet part of it...or really any part of it), you've probably met the "all this stuff I 'need' to live this healthy lifestyle is expensive!" monster. Or maybe it's just me...but I don't think it is. From expensive blenders, juicers, and special wheatgrass juicers to food dehydrators and dozens of other fun tools, the list can get pretty overwhelming...often so much so that we don't do anything because we don't know where to start (or don't have piles of unallocated funds hanging around). That was me. I didn't think I could start making my own green smoothies every morning until we had purchased our Vitamix. Well, I finally realized that that was just stinkin' thinkin' and changed my mindset! A couple days ago I decided to start simple (5 ingredients + ice), with what I have...
our $30 blender. Better to try than not do anything! This was the result (yum!):
Now, to be honest, the first day we made our green smoothies, we had a little mini disaster...the carafe of the blender got stuck on the base after the smoothie finished blending. Jon came to the rescue to try to get it off...but I hadn't unplugged the blender after removing the lid...and the boogie monster erupted all over the counter...and my shirt, when he tried to detach it. We actually only lost about 10% of the yummy green goodness, though, and Jon did get the carafe to come off the base, so the disaster wasn't as traumatic as it could have been. We were still able to enjoy our
liquid sunshine...after we cleaned up our mess.
Our blender actually did surprisingly well. I thought it would have
failed miserably, because it hasn't done such a swell job at some other
things we've attempted. Of course, I'm sure the more expensive blenders
are far superior, but for now, while we're saving, this works! Ready for
the recipe? It's super easy! I've listed the reasons this blend is so
perfect for our bodies and our taste buds, along with cost estimates,
later in the post, so be sure to keep reading past the ingredients. =)
Ingredients for this yummy smoothie (makes two adult-sized servings):
- 1 large organic cucumber (or two smaller pickling-size cucumbers)
- 1 organic pear (or green apple, if you'd prefer)
- 2-3 stalks of organic celery
- 1 heaping handful of organic baby kale (or whatever greens you choose to use)
- 1 heaping handful of organic sprouts
- 1 large handful of ice
Steps:
- chop your ingredients (if you decide not to use organic ingredients, you also need to peel them)
- place them in the blender, as shown
-
alternate pulsing with stirring with a spatula, if your blender needs a
little help, until the blender can do the rest of the work on its own -
for us, we only had to quickly stir it 3-4 times before the blender
caught up
- blend on "smoothie" (or whatever) for 60 seconds, or until you reach your desired consistency
The whole process (including chopping) usually takes us less than 5 minutes.
The next two photos show our ingredients pre-roller-coaster-ride and during the blending process.
Taste & some health benefits:
The smoothie tasted
super yummy - completely refreshing and not at all bitter. Mine actually
made me feel full! I can't say the same for Jon's man-sized stomach,
but that's okay. ;) The cucumber base is perfect for smoothies...but not
just because of the taste! Cucumber is extremely alkalizing. The
typical American diet is actually very acidic and acidity in our bodies
is linked to just about every illness, imbalance, or health problem you
can imagine, including cancer. Our bodies need to be
alkaline to
function properly which means, you guessed it, we need to feed it
alkaline fuel (along with adopting alkaline lifestyle habits...but
that's another post). Thus, the cucumber is the perfect base for just
about any green drink.
The pear is included, mainly, to
add a touch of sweetness to the drink. It balances the flavors of the
greens, but doesn't overpower the smoothie. You probably won't even be
able to detect a pear taste in the drink, as it really just enhances the
refreshing cucumber flavor and counteracts any bitterness that might
have come from the greens.
The greens are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
and sprouts are some of the best things you can eat. They're powerhouses
of raw, living nutrition (the best kind!).
A couple side notes:
-
Blending and juicing raw produce helps our bodies to access the nutrients we can't normally absorb by chewing our food. Our teeth don't always break open the cell walls of our produce, which means the nutrients inside those cells never reach our cells. Blending/juicing solves this problem. Cooking breaks open the cell walls, but kills almost all (if not all) of the nutrients and enzymes within the food by the time it reaches 118 degrees. When you can, stick with raw or very lightly steamed food (we're talking non-juicing here...don't steam your juicing/blending produce).
- Choose
organic. If you don't you'll need to peel your produce and you'll miss out on all the nutrients and fiber found within the skin, as well as expose your body to toxic substances that will create acidity and other problems.
- Don't drink your smoothie in the late afternoon or evening...I tried that the first day and couldn't sleep. (nutrients = energy!)
- If you want to start drinking green smoothies/juices, but they seem totally unappealing to you, give them a makeover! Serve them in some
fancy glasses or add something you love. For maximum health benefits, stay away from protein powders that have any kind of protein isolate or soy listed in the ingredients, artificial sweeteners, sugary items (including fruits high on the glycemic index), etc.
Cost:
We purchased our ingredients at our local
Whole Foods Market (except for the ice). $30 per week covers the cost of 1 organic green smoothie per day for two adults with ingredients purchased at WFM. This may seem like a lot, especially when money is tight, but we either invest in our health now, daily, or we pay a lot more to fix serious problems later. I would rather invest in my health now than have a doctor's scalpel anywhere near me in the future. I can't eat out because I'm allergic to things that are found in virtually every restaurant, but if you do eat out, eat out one time less per week and there's your $30. If you still can't fit them into your budget, drink one every other day and the cost drops to $15 per week. =)
Enjoy your smoothies! Do you have a recipe you love? Are you going to start drinking green drinks?
