Blackberry and Lime Green Smoothie

Blackberry and lime are one of my favorite combinations.  I found some blackberries lurking the freezer and decided to use them up.  I used spinach but kale, chard etc. will work just fine.  Spinach is what I happen to have on hand at them moment.  This can run a tad tart so use a little honey if needed.  

Blackberry and Lime Green Smoothie

1 to 2 handfuls roughly 2 cups spinach fresh or frozen

2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen

2 cups almond milk

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 cup water if needed

1 to 2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Add almond milk, spinach, black berries, and lime juice and blitz for two minutes.  My spinach and blackberries were frozen it needed some extra liquid to blend properly.  If you find it is too tart add some honey.  This made about a quart of smoothie.

Dandelion Smoothie

Dandelion leaves are a very healthful food most people don’t think about cultivating them in their garden, they think about eradicating them.  I started letting dandelions grow in my garden a few years ago and the have flourished.  I do pull off the flowers to keep the population down, but other than that I don’t have to do anything to them other than pick them.

The colour reminds me of the '70's.

Dandelion green will provide you with vitamin K, A, and C and provide a good dose of calcium and other nutrients.  Treat them like any other green for cooking: blanch and saute them, young leafs can be tossed in salads, or smoothies.  My garden provides me with plenty of dandelion greens and I know they have not been sprayed with pesticide, so keep that in mind when picking them.

Dandelion Smoothie

2 cups Dandelion greens

3 apricots, pitted and chopped

1 clementine, peeled

1 cup almond milk

1 - 2 tablespoons honey

Toss in your blender and blitz for two minutes.

IIN 57 Juices and Smoothies of Summer and my Smoothie is on it!

As I was perusing through one of the facebook groups I belong to for Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and I saw a link to submit smoothies and juices.  I clicked on the link and entered my Berry, Cherry, and Kale Smoothie.  Then I went on with my life and didn’t really think about it until, there were all sorts of hits coming from their blog.

At this point there was much squeeing on my part and a flurry of tweets, FB posts, and hitting up all the forums I am on letting them know I made the list.  Give me a moment to squee again, thank you.  If you haven’t guessed I am still extremely excited about  being on the IIN Blog.

Ready to blitz.

There are several recipes I want to try that are included on 57 Juices and Smoothies.  Mine is number 53! *squee*   I am a regular tweeter you can follow me @RadianceHealth and I am also on Facebook at Radiance Health.  Give me a follow on twitter and see what I am up to when I am not blogging and get the latest scoop.

Spinach, Pineapple, and Apple Smoothie

I’ve been loving this bright green smoothie lately.  It is as pretty as it is tasty.  The pineapple and apple compliment each other very nicely and neither one has a dominant flavour.  They work well together and the spinach makes this so vividly green and happy.

Spinach, Pineapple, and Apple Smoothie

2 good sized handfuls of spinach, about 2 generous cups

2 cups chunked pineapple

1 apple chopped, peeled and cored

2 cups almond milk

Toss in blender and blend for 2 minutes. It made about 1 and 1/4 quarts.  Store in refrigerator.

Berry, Cherry, and Kale Green Smoothie

I am on a green smoothie kick.  Kale and spinach has been going into the blender with fruit and the liquid of choice several times a week.  I make a big giant smoothie so it is more than one serving. Sometimes I drink part of it right away or put it in the fridge and using it for a base for post workout protein shakes.

There was a time when the green smoothie scared me and it took me some time to work up to trying one.  Turns out they are pretty tasty and the green part is not the dominant flavour your fruit is. Do not be afraid they taste good and are an easy way to get an extra dose or two of green leafy veggies in your life.

Green Smoothie of the day

3 cups green tea

3 cups kale, frozen

1 cup cherries

1 cup mixed berries

2 clementine, peeled and segmented

Toss in blender and blend for at least two minutes. Drink. This made about a quart and some.  Which will give me a protein shake base for the next few days.