The well thought out smoothie…

So today is day 8 of my sugar detox and besides Valentine’s Day, this has by far been the hardest day. I think going out last night and having a couple of drinks did not help, at all. Why is it when you have some drinks, you crave bad stuff the next day?

When I got my Vitamix, my mission or goal to was find a smoothie that was as nutrient dense as possible that tasted pretty good and well, if it tasted great, then that was just a bonus. I don’t need a mixer to eat lots of yummy fruits. I have no problem getting those down and since fructose is still sugar, that is something I don’t really want to over do. But, I can always use more greens in my diet and if this machine is going to help me (and my family) do that, then I am so happy!

First, I debated about kale versus spinach for my base in the smoothie. Turns out, kale has more vitamin C, A, K (I need to look that one up) and calcium and spinach has more fiber, magnesium and iron. So, I decided to use both. Why not, right?  I do use the juice from a whole lime to take away any bitter taste from the spinach and kale.  Since I make this smoothies twice a day, I like to get a big bag of limes from Costco.

I start by blending my kale and spinach. I’ll just use some warm water to start blending and then will let the vitamix run on high for a minute or two.  I do this so the greens can actually heat up a little and my body will be able to absorb more iron.

I know, I know you gotta be thinking, he’s making a big mess. Just look at his shirt. But don’t worry, he’s on clean up duty as well…

I also wanted some more veggies too and was using celery and cucumber, but then thought, why exactly am I using these. I like to make educated decisions on what I eat whenever possible. And after a little research, I found out that celery and cucumber are pretty light in the nutritional arena so decided to go with a few carrots instead for their beta carotenes and vitamin A and a little bit of sweetness.

Next I needed to add something else to make this a little sweeter. Since Costco’s Wild Organic Blueberries have a super high amount of antioxidents.

Now pre-sugar detox, I was also adding in half a banana and 3-4 drops of stevia. And as far as taste AND nutrition, in my mind, this was a perfect concoction.  Tate even loved it!!  But since I was doing the detox and wanted to stay away from high sugar fruit (and stevia) since it can cause cravings, I left these two things out. At first I didn’t love it, but now I look truly forward to it, twice a day!  Talk about changing your taste buds!!

Here is what you need:

• kale, 1-2 handfuls
• spinach, 1-2 handfuls
• water
• almond milk, about 1/3 cup
• blueberries, 2/3 cup
• chia seeds, 1 tbsp
• raw cacao powder, 1 tbsp
• banana, 1/2 (optional)
• stevia, 2-4 drops (optional)
• Lime, whole, juiced
• Handful of ice

By the way, I’ve started experimenting with green powders like Green Vibrance (thanks Gracie for all the great smoothie ideas including this one!). I had also heard about Healthforce Vitamineral Green and am curious, do you use these? Do you like them and/or notice a difference in how you feel?

As for the rest of the family, this is Alice’s favorite is called Chocolate Covered Strawberries (or rasberries). Here is what you need:

• spinach and/or kale
• coconut water
• coconut or almond milk
• Strawberries (or rasberries)
• Stevia, few drops
• Dark chocolate chips

Here is Tate and Scott’s breakfast smoothie:

• spinach and/or kale
• blueberries
• coconut milk (TJ’s can)
• almond butter
• ripe banana
• 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
• 2-3 drops stevia IF banana isn’t really ripe

By the way, I went to costco yesterday because I need to restock on some smoothie ingredients and was so excited to find so many other great things…

By the way, this sausage is amazing in the cauliflower soup!

Have a good long weekend and stay warm!!