Long Time No Post...

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've still been drinking my green smoothies (last weekend I even shared some with family members who had never tried them before - that was fun!), but life has been beyond crazy and I just haven't had time to get too creative with my recipes. I did throw something together this morning that turned out pretty tasty though, so I thought I'd share, even though I didn't measure ingredients. Be warned, the combination of red fruits with fresh leafy greens produces a brownish color that is not the most visually pleasing thing, but the taste is great.

a handful or two of frozen strawberries
a handful or two of frozen cherries
2 medjool dates
1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional
lots of kale
enough non-dairy milk to make it blend (I used vanilla rice milk and vanilla soy milk)

Enjoy!

Yum!

Delicious Tropical Juice

watermelon chunks, chilled
mango chunks, frozen
papaya nectar, chilled
a bit of agave nectar, optional

Blend and enjoy!

Tropical Paradise

This is another one from my other blog, again without absolute measurements... sorry.

Tropical Smoothie

frozen strawberries
frozen banana chunks
pineapple chunks (from a can)
frozen mango chunks
orange juice
a splash of flax oil

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Pomegranate Smoothie

(originally posted on my McFarland Designs blog)

I don't have exact measurements for this one - more of just a general guideline. :-)

Pomegranate Smoothie

frozen banana chunks
frozen strawberries
frozen mango
pomegranate juice, frozen in ice cube trays
ground flax seed (1 tablespoon per person)
apple juice

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Repetition

Sorry I haven't posted much lately; I've been drinking pretty much the same smoothie over and over lately and here's why - I learned a few months ago that I'm mildly iron deficient. The doctor recommended a supplement, which I attempted to remember to take for a while, but I prefer to get my nutrients from whole foods whenever possible, and I recently read that combining spinach (a good source of iron) with vitamin C helps to increase your body's absorption of the iron. So I've been dedicating myself to drinking lots of shakes with spinach and oranges. Here's a current favorite -

Iron-Rich Green Smoothie
makes one large or two smaller servings

1 cup pineapple juice
2 oranges, peeled
half a bunch of spinach (or more)
2 medjool dates, optional
1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Popsicles

Last night I made fruit popsicles for my son. They didn't set up quickly enough for him to try one last night, but right now he's eating a popsicle for breakfast. And I don't even have to feel guilty because it's all fruit!

Fruity Popsicles

1 cup apple juice
1/2 can pineapple chunks and juice
2 handfulls frozen mango chunks
2 medjool dates

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

This recipe made more than I could fit into my new rocket popsicle molds, so I saved the leftovers and this morning, I added an orange, half a bunch of spinach, and a couple of ice cubes, and I had a delicious green smoothie for breakfast.

Sorry, No Photo...

...I gulped this one down today after my run without even thinking of taking a photo. It was tasty though!

Serious Spinach Smoothie
makes one large or two smaller servings

1 ripe pear, quartered and cored
2 hand fulls frozen mango chunks
2 hand fulls frozen blueberries
4 dates, pitted
lots of spinach - I used an entire bunch, minus the stems
just enough orange juice to make it blend

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.