A Green Smoothie Girl...

There is a wonderful website:

here

That my cousin Megan told me about, that I think everyone should take a peek at! This lady has, I guess, invented the Green Smoothie, which is an incredible way to get you or your husbands (aka kids) to eat fruits and vegetables. I'm slurping one down right now, which is why I thought I'd post about it.

I'll tell you what I put in mine, but you have to promise to read all the way to the bottom, and not get grossed out because you think it doesn't taste good. IT DOES.

I didn't get a recipe from her site or anything, I just read a little about it, and came up with my own. Really, you can use anything that you have, which is another beauty of these things.

This morning's smoothie:

5 Stalks of Kale
10 Strawberries
1-1 1/2 C Frozen Blueberries
1 Banana
3/4 C Milk
3/4 C ice

I blend up the fruit and kale with the milk, and then add ice until it's the right thickness. I don't think this girl uses milk or ice, but I like it that way. You can do whatever you want. My cousin said she uses orange juice. If you don't have a really nice blender, you will probably need a little liquid in there to get things going.

This made 3 large glassfulls of smoothie. I usually make a big one, and freeze the left over for the next 2 or 3 days, so I only end up making them every three days or so. I pop my smoothie in the microwave for a few seconds, and wala... How much easier can it get?

Anyway, you're probably thinking "kale????!!!!!???? GROSS. no way." Usually we just use kale as a garnish, and it makes us feel like we are eating vegetables, because it's this huge green thing on our plate. Here's a news flash though. First, kale doesn't get into your stomach by looking at it, and second, it's SO GOOD FOR YOU! And YOU CAN'T EVEN TASTE IT! It's like tricking your taste buds.

Here's some nutrition facts I pulled off a web site for Raw Kale. I suggest you go here to see all of the other great things about Kale. You will be convinced.

This is for 1 Cup of raw kale. I easily ate that much, if not more in my little smoothie this morning...

Serving Size 1 cup, chopped (67g)
Amount per serving
Calories 34	Calories from Fat 4

Total Fat 0g		0%
	Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 29mg		1%
Total Carbohydrates 7g		2%
	Dietary Fiber 1g
Protein 2g

Vitamin A	206%	Vitamin C	134%
Calcium	9%	Iron	6%
Thiamin	5%	Riboflavin	5%
Niacin	3%	Pantothenic Acid	1%
Vitamin B6	9%	Potassium	9%
Phosphorus	4%	Magnesium	6%
Zinc	2%	Copper	10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Crazy, huh?!? Look at all that goodness you're getting. Add that with the good fruit you're putting in there... That's one healthy smoothie.

As a complete side note, Justin mentioned this to a guy he works with the other day, and he said that his wife had been doing Green Smoothies for a little while now, and had lost 40 lbs! Of course, you should drink Green Smoothies because they are good for you, and you're giving your body a treat that tastes good too. BUT, weight loss wouldn't be a bad side effect. Apparently, anytime she craved a snack or a sweet, she made herself a smoothie instead. The best thing is that you really can have as many of these as you want. They are so good, power packed with so much natural goodness, and really, the more you drink, the better you are (within reason- don't go too nuts). I'm pretty sure she paired this with exercise, but it's something to consider if you are wanting to be healthier!

Go to the green smoothie web site, check it out, and do a little experimenting! Really, you can use anything- kale, spinach, or whatever other greens you can find. I would always try to put in a banana at first, because it's sweet and makes it creamier. Other than that, just throw in whatever you have, and have fun! You won't even need any sugar...