Wishing I was somewhere tropical...

... this smoothie almost takes you there. :-)

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup coconut water
1 heaping cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
1 heaping cup frozen mango chunks
1 banana, fresh or frozen
flax seeds, flax oil, or chia seeds, optional

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. I'm sure this would also be good with some greens added.

More Parsley Goodness

I had some parsley in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I wanted to make some good old parsley juice tonight. Sadly, I was missing a few ingredients, so I had to improvise, and this version turned out quite tasty as well - surprisingly mild and smooth.

New Parsley Juice

~1 cup pineapple chunks and juice (I used canned)
1 large banana
~1/2 cup orange juice
one half to a full bunch of parsley leaves
4 ice cubes
a squirt of agave nectar (or dates if you have them; I didn't)

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

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.

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.

Day of Smoothies

I overate yesterday big-time (homemade vegan cinnamon rolls in the morning, plus vegan cheese tasting and dinner out in the evening - lots of fun, but ugh!) I decided I needed to detox a bit today, so I had a green smoothie for each meal with a smaller-than-usual portion of solid food. I know, I probably should have stuck with just the smoothies, but what can I say - I have a healthy appetite. :-)

Breakfast -

Minty Green Smoothie
makes one large or two smaller servings

This smoothie had a fairly thin consistency; if you prefer a thicker smoothie, reduce the amount of non-dairy milk and/or use frozen bananas instead of fresh.

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used vanilla rice milk)
1 large ripe banana
1/2 can pineapple chunks, drained
4 dates
5 small mint leaves (use fewer if your leaves are large)
3 ice cubes
as much kale as you can handle

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Lunch -

Blueberry Green Smoothie
makes one large or two smaller servings

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used vanilla rice milk)
1 large ripe banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
4 dates
4 ice cubes
as much kale as you can handle
handful of alfalfa sprouts, optional

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Dinner -

Mild & Fruity Green Smoothie
makes one large or two smaller servings

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 ripe pear
1/4 cantaloupe
4 ice cubes
as much kale as you like

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Sooo Purple

I can't say anything too articulate about the flavor of this smoothie... after fighting off my preschool-aged son's cold germs for months, my body finally gave in and I'm all stuffed up - can't taste much at all. But the color was nice!

makes one large or two small servings

1 cup frozen cherries
1/2 can pineapple and juice
1 apple
large handful of spinach

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

A break from the green...

A girl cannot survive on green smoothies alone - sometimes a fruity pink concoction is in order! I neglected to actually measure ingredients, so feel free to consider these amounts as rough guidelines.

Fruity Pink Smoothie
makes two large servings

1/2 can of pineapple chunks and juice
2 bananas (I used frozen chunks)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup vanilla non-dairy milk (or more as needed to achieve desired consistency)

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Tropical Green Smoothie

No photo today; I figure you don't need me to post a picture of every single green smoothie I make; after all, a green smoothie is a green smoothie is a green smoothie. :-)

Tropical Green Smoothie
makes 2 medium-sized servings

half of a pineapple
1 cup mango (I used frozen chunks)
2 kiwis
1-2 handfuls kale
1/2 cup pineapple juice
4 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. This would probably also be good with a banana added.

Another Green Smoothie

If you're ready to take your green smoothie adventure to the next level, here's one that's actually green in color. This was a 'cleaning out my refrigerator' kind of breakfast. :-)

(pictured with one of Hannah's Superfood muffins)

Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Smoothie
makes 2 medium-large servings

1 orange, peeled and quartered
1 apple, quartered
1 banana (fresh or frozen chunks)
1/4 pineapple
1/2 cup mango (I used frozen chunks)
3 dates
2 handfuls kale
1/2 cup pineapple juice
4 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.