Green Smoothies

"And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome ^aherbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with ^aprudence and ^bthanksgiving." ( Word of wisdom, verses 10-11)

Spinach. Kale. Collard Greens. What do they have in common? They are REALLY good for us. How much of them do we actually eat?
Well, spinach gets quite a bit of publicity. It is eaten cooked and raw in salads by a lot of people, I'd say. That's great. But when was the last time you had kale and parsley raw, or ever?

If you've been drinking green smoothies, you can answer with confidence: "This morning!" Wahoo! I can.

When I first got into living the Word of Wisdom more fully, the Raw community gave me lots of good ideas and information on how to feed myself and my family. Green smoothies were my real start, and if people only added one good thing into their diet, these would be my suggestion.

If you know nothing about green smoothies, here is the website of the woman who first thought them up. Here is a very good basic video done by her son.

People do a lot of different things with green smoothies. On the sidebar is a site called Green Smoothie Girl, and she has lots of info and products. Some people say to do lots of supplements and such, some people say otherwise. There will always be conflicting information, so the best thing to do is experiment for yourself. I happen to favor the method of the woman who started the whole thing.

Here are some great starter recipes. Once you get going you won't need recipes, but it's nice to have them in the beginning. These recipes come from the Raw Divas.

Banana Slug Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup water
3 bananas
2 pears
2 cups romaine lettuce
Directions:
Blend everything. If you think lettuce and bananas can’t combine, think again!

Green Revolution Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup water (or more if needed)
4 medium bananas
1 handful chard leaves
Black (dinosaur) kale, 5-6 small to medium leaves or 2-3 big leaves
Directions:
Blend water with bananas first, and add greens progressively and blend until smooth.

Groovy Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana, cut in chunks
1 cup grapes
½ apple, cored and chopped
1 ½ cups fresh spinach leaves
Directions:
Place the banana, grapes, apple and spinach into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and serve.


I’m Green, I’m Green
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups papaya, diced
2 bananas
1 or 2 cups kale
Directions:
Blend the papaya first, and then add bananas and kale progressively. Use more or less
kale to taste. Add water for blending, if necessary.

Kale Lover Green Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
3 bananas
2 apples (golden or other sweet variety)
1 cup water
1 ½ cups kale or mixed baby greens**

** “Mixed baby greens” is a mix of various young greens. It can be found in most
produce stores and health food stores. The best types are the organic brands.
Directions:
Blend in the bananas, apples and water. Add in the kale or mixed baby greens and
continue blending until smooth.

I personally mix greens, and recommend using lots of spinach to begin. It tastes the least "green." Also, adding a small slice of lemon (skin and all if it's organic) hides "green" flavor. If you need to in the beginning, add a tablespoon of honey or agave. There are recipes and videos all over the place online. Have fun with it and if you have questions, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer.
Drink up!