Eat Simply, Eat Well

Tropical Green Smoothie

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Tropical Green Smoothie

Are you looking for a jump-start to your morning?  Or maybe you like the idea of adding a healthy dose of spinach to your diet, but don’t actually like the taste (or that weird feeling you get on your teeth afterward from the oxalic acid it contains).  Or maybe you just want something quick, satisfying and simple before you head out the door, or before/after your workout.  Try this smoothie.

I was looking for an alternative to my standby breakfast of oatmeal porridge with berries, yogurt and nuts (which I still absolutely love, by the way).  I wanted a way to incorporate different fruits as well as vegetables at the beginning of my day, but wasn’t excited about the idea of doing the work to create a salad first thing in the morning.  So I dumped a pile of fruits and vegetables into the blender jar one day, and out came a healthy, delicious beverage with nearly no effort at all.  Now I’ve been experimenting with having a different variation on my daily smoothie every morning, and I’m loving it.  I feel brighter and lighter. My stomach works like a champ – definitely no constipation issues here!  I swear my skin looks better as a result and my energy levels are better than ever.  My morning smoothie keeps me happy with no hunger issues all morning long.

I still have vegetables with every other meal too, but it’s pretty great that I can pack a pile of the good stuff into a glass every morning without breaking a sweat or dirtying more than the blender jar and the glass I drink the smoothie from.

Give it a try – you’ll be loving it.

Tropical Green Smoothie

1 small can (220g) of pineapple in its own juice
1 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
2 cups raw, washed spinach
1/2 English cucumber, cut into chunks (about 1 cup)
3 fresh dates, pit removed
1 cup plain yogurt*
2 tablespoons coconut flakes*
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 cup cold water (preferably filtered)

*If you want to make this dairy free, replace the yogurt and coconut flakes with 1 cup of coconut milk.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender jar.  Process until completely smooth; 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

Cranberry Apple Ginger Smoothie

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There’s nothing better in the middle of the holiday season rush than a refreshing smoothie as a pick-me-up.  Taking advantage of seasonal fruit, this delicious drink will wake you right out of any afternoon slump, post-party blahs, or sugar crash you’re experiencing.

Grab an organic apple, a handful of cranberries (or lingonberries) add some ginger, dates and flax, and top it off with plain yogurt, kefir or buttermilk and blend it up.  Share half with a friend or save it for later – this is just the thing to get you through the last of your Christmas shopping or card writing session.  We just finished writing up a big pile of cards over here with a few more to go.  Christmas shopping is on the final leg, the tree is up, and the house is as decorated as it’s going to be.

The holiday baking begins tomorrow.  I’ll be needing another round of smoothies to keep my hands out of the cookie jar, no doubt about it.  This is sure to be a seasonal favorite in my house.

Cranberry Apple Ginger Smoothie

2 cups kefir, plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 organic apple, washed and cored, peel left on
1/2 cup / 1 dl fresh or frozen cranberries or lingonberries
1″ / 2.5″ piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 fresh dates, pits removed
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Combine all the ingredients in a blender jar if using a blender or in a bowl if using an immersion blender.  Blend until completely combined and smooth.  Divide between two glasses.  Enjoy the energy surge.

Serves 2

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

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Just when you may have thought your pumpkin spice days were over for the year, here’s a reason to pull that jar from the cupboard and use it in a whole new way.

It’s the holiday season.  And if you, like me, find yourself running from place to place, store to store, eating too many sweets or not eating at all, here’s something tasty that’s quick to whip together, full of fabulous winter flavor, and stuffed with healthy ingredients to keep you going through all the tasks on your list today and through the season.

It’s a few simple ingredients, can be made in 5 minutes, and can be taken with you, or made in advance for enjoying later.  It’s chock full of antioxidants, fiber, and calcium – not to mention the probiotic benefits from the kefir or yogurt and sweetened with natural sugars.

The bilberry can be swapped for blueberry, and you can use satsumas or mandarins instead of clementines.  If you don’t have flax – use chia. If you don’t have kefir, use yogurt or buttermilk.  If you don’t have pumpkin spice, combine cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.Raw ingredients

The bilberry can be swapped for blueberry, and you can use satsumas or mandarins instead of clementines.  If you don’t have flax – use chia. If you don’t have kefir, use yogurt or buttermilk.  If you don’t have pumpkin spice, combine cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

And go forth and take on your day.

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie for Two

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

2 cups kefir, buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup fresh or frozen bilberries (or blueberries)
1 clementine, peeled, seeds removed, separated into sections
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix

Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Process on high speed until well-combined.  Serve immediately; or store in the fridge for enjoying later.

Serves 2.