Home ยป Posts ยป Sip Your Way to a Springtime Glow with Green Smoothies

Sip Your Way to a Springtime Glow with Green Smoothies

Suzanne-Headshot |Gimme the Good Stuff
Written by Suzanne, Chief Health Officer and Resident Grandmother

Today it’s 70 degrees here on the East Coast! The spring green onions are starting toย peek out of the grass. My grandson and I took a long walk and we were delighted to find lots ofย little purple crocuses, one of my favorite spring flowers. Itโ€™s only March, butย spring is coming, and you can feel it in the air. The strength of the sun has increased and theย songbirds are more exuberant. They too notice the return of the light and the slow thawing.

s from Gimme the Good Stuff
The crocus in my yard!

Springtime Eating

You may notice that you have a desire for lighter food as the weather warms. This is a sign that your body recognizesย the seasonal change and wants to make adjustments. Spring is a great time of the year toย incorporate more fresh foods into your diet.

Kimberly Snyder, author of The Beauty Detox Solution, explains that fresh, raw foods help boost health andย beauty. (If you want a great detox book and lots of information about how to create beauty fromย the inside out, Snyderโ€™s book is an awesome resource).

Raw foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds tend toย be higher in nutrients than cooked foods, and they have more digestive enzymes. Still, Snyderย doesnโ€™t recommend a diet of 100 percent raw foods. Instead, she encourages you to increaseย the amount of raw food that you eat. One of the easiest and most delicious ways to do this is byย enjoying fresh juices and smoothies.

Fresh Juice

I love fresh juice, especially as part of my first meal of the day. You can make juices from anyย combination of fruits and vegetables. Fresh herbs and spices, like mint, ginger, and parsley, areย also wonderful. My favorite juice combination is apple, celery, cucumber, and kale.

The easiest and most effective way to make juice is with a juicing machine. There are manyย good juicers on the market. I use this one from Breville.

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Smoothies

Smoothies are also great because they have all the nutrients of juice, plus fiber and protein. Myย husband, Maiaโ€™s dad, loves smoothies because they pack a lot of nutrition into your diet withoutย requiring much time in the kitchen. A good smoothie can be a meal in a glass!

I love Kimberly Snyderโ€™s Glowing Green Smoothie, posted below. Itโ€™s full of fruits, greenย veggies, and even herbs.

(Previously, I shared the recipe for a super simple and yummy hempย seed smoothie, which is another household favorite. This is my go-to smoothie for a healthy dessert or an afternoon pick-me-up. It has cacao nibs,ย dates, and bananas. For my smoothie recipes that kids love, check out this post.)

The Best Blender

Having a very powerful blender is key to making great smoothies. A good blender will grind upย anythingโ€”even cacao nibsโ€”into a rich, smooth drink. We love our Blendtec, which is a true workhorse. Unfortunately, there are no plastic-free blenders available, so for now we just transfer our smoothies into glass water bottles as soon as they are blended.

Recipe: Glowing Green Smoothie

(From The Beauty Detox Solution, by Kimberly Snyder)

As you can see, that there are lots of fruits and veggies in this recipe. I donโ€™t always use theย exact ingredients listed here, as I like to play around with what I have on hand. All ingredients should be organic, if possible.

green smoothie from Gimme the Good StuffIngredients:

  • 1 ยฝ cups water
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
  • ยฝ head of large bunch or ยพ of small bunch spinach (I do a handful)
  • 3-4 stalks celery
  • 1 apple, cored and chopped (I use this tool to quickly core/chop apples).
  • 1 pear, cored and chopped
  • 1 organic banana
  • juice of ยฝ lemon

green smoothie finished Gimme the Good Stuff

Optional ingredients: These herbs may add strong flavors, but theyโ€™re great for cleansing

  • ยฝ bunch cilantro (stems okay)
  • ยฝ bunch parsley (stems okay)
  • Ice in place of some of the water, if you like your smoothies colder.

Directions:

  1. Add the water and chopped head of romaine and spinach to the blender.
  2. Starting the blender onย a low speed, mix until smooth.
  3. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple, andย pear.
  4. Add the cilantro and parsley if you choose.
  5. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

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Be well,
Suzanne's signature

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