Back on Track Smoothie

Over the weekend, I had some crazy temptations....food 'sirens' that would call to me from across the room! I’d been doing so well this week getting myself back to my pre-birthday party (my mother’s) weight! Yeah, I put on a few last weekend too! Well, I was back to ‘normal’, and of course, another party came up. This one last night was with my high school class friends. We often get together for dinner out, or, worse, the ever-scary POTLUCK!! And if you’d see our group, you’d know how very much we all love food! Food was even the topic of conversation for quite a bit of the evening.

Well, I ate lots of stuff that I knew that I shouldn’t. Hey....it CALLED to me, ya know!!! Anyway, this morning, I felt lousy, sluggish, bloated, and generally slovenly! I told my wife that today was going to be ‘Back on Track’ day for us. I started the day out with just a cup of coffee, and a nice bowl of bran cereal with almond milk.

I began to look through the fridge for some fruit for lunch, and I noted several things that simply needed to be thrown out. I then started going through the fridge, throwing out obsolete leftovers, shriveling fruits and veggies, and old outdated beverages. Going through the fruits and veggies, I realized I had the potential for a really nice smoothie for lunch. A quick check of the freezer confirmed that I did, in fact, have a nice bunch of recently frozen fruits that would add nicely, so I started pulling stuff out. I got a big bowl, a cutting board, a ‘trash bowl’, a couple of good knives, and I started to work.

While I was being so creative, I decided that since we had a dinner guest planned for Monday, I would use some of these treasures to begin dinner as well! I was on a ROLL!!

Below is the recipe for the smoothie I came up with. Ruth and I had this for lunch and LOVED it! It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and cold and delicious! What more can you ask for??

Back on Track Smoothie

2 apples (cored)
2 inches of fresh pineapple (core INCLUDED) peeled
1 lemon (seeded, but include the entire peel)
1 raw beet
1 fresh carrot
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
About 3/4 cup pitted sweet cherries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons flax seed
1 inch or so of fresh ginger
1/4 to 1/2 cup agave syrup
approximately 3 cups coconut water

And from my freezer:
About 5 large (and I mean LARGE) fresh-frozen strawberries
Half a quart of fresh-frozen peaches
About 1 1/2 fresh-frozen (overripe) bananas
3/4 cup fresh-frozen blueberries

As always, I put all the ingredients into my big super-duper HealthMaster blender and blended until completely smooth.

I refrigerated what we didn’t drink right away. It won’t last long!

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH REPLACEMENT SMOOTHIE!

Last night, as a treat with dinner, we had some very fresh peaches, given to us recently by a friend and co-worker. They were DELICIOUS. I found myself thinking about them all evening. Should I go get more, I thought? Maybe just a few. No…I would tell myself, I’ve been really good, and I don’t want to blow my diet now. Finally, it hit me that I had just packaged and frozen a bunch of those peaches, and had been waiting for the right moment to break open a bag to make a nice fresh smoothie!

Since I’ve been on a crusade to improve my health and appearance, I always seem to have fresh fruits and vegetables in the house. So I went foraging through the refrigerator drawers and started laying out the things that I felt would work well together. 

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TODAY SMOOTHIE!

 1 Fuji Apple, cored

½ lemon, unpeeled
1 large navel orange, peeled
1 carrot
1 ½ bananas, frozen
1 cup (approx.) fresh frozen peaches
10-12 large fresh frozen strawberries
2 inches or so fresh pineapple, peeled, but with core left in
1 handful (probably 8-10 good sized leaves) fresh spinach
1 ½ inches (approx.) of fresh ginger, peeled
1 tbsp. chia seeds
2 tbsp. flax seeds
2 cups (more or less to desired consistency) almond milk

I put all the above in my own HealthMaster super blender and blended until smooth and creamy. One may need to alter the amount of liquid (almond milk) to a desired consistency. ENJOY!! I sure am enjoying mine today!

Simple All-Fruit Smoothie!

Today I went to the dentist and had one of my molars temporarily crowned. My dentist is great, and it was pretty easy, but my molars are tender enough, after the numbing medicine wore off,  that I didn't want to worry about chewing. So I ran home and made myself a quick smoothie with what I had in the fridge and freezer

1 apple-cored
1 large navel orange
1 carrot
1 frozen banana
6 (approximately) strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup agave syrup
2 1/2 cups coconut water

Drop all ingredients in a super blender (I use the HealthMaster blender) and blend until smooth and creamy.

NEEDING A NICE COOL LIFT?

FRUITY PATOOTY!

1 overripe banana
1 red delicious apple, cored, but WITH peel
1 navel orange, peeled
1 small lemon, minus the seeds, but WITH the rind
2 small peaches, pitted, but WITH the peel
1/2 cantaloupe peeled and seeded
8 medium strawberries, complete with tops
2 inch full slice of fresh pineapple, peeled, but WITH the core
handful of fresh organic kale
2 tablespoons of flax seed
2 tablespoons of chia seed
3 heaping tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups coconut water
1/4 cup agave syrup

All of the above was completely processed until smooth and creamy in my HealthMaster blender. It is so cold and refreshing, especially on this 99 degree evening!

So....new thought.....I am contemplating FREEZING some of this mixture into POPSICLES!! Whaddya think???

SWEET BEETS 'N' STUFF!!

Beets in a smoothie?? 

Why does this surprise so many people? Beets are very sweet veggies, and have such amazing health benefits at phytonutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and more! Check out this page for some great information on how beets can boost your immune system, help you central nervous system, and so much more!

While getting a massage on a recent Saturday morning, my therapist and friend, Vince and I started talking about smoothies. I should note here again that Vince really helped inspire me to begin my weight-loss journey again a few months back. He continues to check my progress, and we compare notes regularly on healthy lifestyles, recipes, shopping for organic foods, etc. So on this sunny Saturday, we were also talking about our respective gardens, and Vince mentioned he had planted beets. I told him he should put some of his beets in his smoothies. Surprisingly, he seemed a bit incredulous and said he'd never thought of that. I told him that beets would mix well with many veggies and fruits, since they have a lot of natural sweetness, and of course have all these great health benefits. So, in usual Vince fashion, he began to verbally run through his inventory of possibly ingredients, and said to me, "When we're done here, you can help me, and we'll whip up a smoothie before you go!" This was not the first time we've done this, and it's always fun!

So, after the great massage, I met him in his kitchen, where he was already pulling veggies out of the fridge. "Come with me," he says, and we head out back again to his garden, where he promptly pulled up a couple of nice small very healthy-looking beets. Back to the kitchen we went, where he washed the beets as I pulled together the other potential ingredients, a cutting board, and a knife. The following is what we put together. Note also that I went home and later that afternoon, I recreated this same recipe, basically, and have just thoroughly enjoyed it!

3 small beets, stems removed
2 good sized carrots
1 apple (golden delicious)
1/2 lemon, seeded, but with the peel left on
approximately 2 cups of coconut water
agave nectar as sweetener to taste

We blended these ingredients together first in his super blender (he has a Vita Mix), and at this point, the mixture was already delicious! Vince also had a glass full of leftover smoothie he'd made the day before of cantaloupe and lemon, so we dumped that in too! That just added a whole new level of flavor!

So, below, is what I reproduced at home, and I highly recommend you try this sometime!

3 small beets, stems removed
3 small beets, stems removed
2 good sized carrots
1 apple (golden delicious)
1/2 lemon, seeded, but with the peel left on
about 1/3 of a fairly large ripe cantaloupe, peeled
approximately 2 cups of coconut water
agave nectar as sweetener to taste

I blend mine in my HealthMaster super blender until smooth. The mixture took very little agave sweetener since it is full of naturally sweet veggies and fruits. You can adjust the amount of coconut water to vary the thickness and texture to your liking. Coconut water has a very light taste, and won't vary the real flavor of the smoothie a great deal. 

Be sure to let me know if you try it, and what you think of the flavors!

Keep blending....and SUCK IT UP!!

FRUITS FROM THE FRIDGE SMOOTHIE!

Tonight, I had a hankerin' for a good old sweet fruity smoothie. I knew it would be OK to stray from my usual green smoothies (containing kale, spinach, wheat grass, etc.) because all my research says that to continue with your weight loss, or to jump off your weight-loss plateau, it is a good idea to change up your food varieties. One should continue to watch unhealthy fats; excessive calories, starches and sugars;  and avoid processed foods; and look for fresh fruits and vegetables, organic, when possible. So, I pulled out the old HealthMaster blender, and began to rummage through the fridge to see what fruits, etc. I had available. Here is what I finally settled on:

1/2 pineapple, peeled, but with core intact
1 mango, peeled and pitted
3 small peaches, pitted (peels intact)
1 large delicious apple, cored (peel intact)
1 navel orange, peeled
3 tblsp coconut chips
1/2 cup strawberry puree (simply fresh strawberries I've sweetened with agave syrup and cooked and pureed. I use this for mixing with smoothies, vanilla yogurt, over ice cream, etc.)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups coconut water
2 tblsp coconut oil
3 tblsp flax seed meal
3 tblsp chia seed

Of course, I blended all these awesome fruits and ingredients in my HealthMaster super blender until smooth and creamy. I tasted it....and it is KILLER!!! It's in the fridge right now, chilling so I can have some more before bed!

TODAY'S BREAKFAST AND LUNCH SMOOTHIE!

I’m in my office on a very rainy afternoon, happy that I made myself a large smoothie to replace both my breakfast and my lunch today. I’ve been continuing to work on my weight, of course, but my activity levels have remained pretty much the same due to work constraints, lack of time outside of work, etc. So, I’m hoping to boost my weight-loss efforts a little with some good old healthy fruits and vegetables, completely transformed into a thick, cold, delicious beverage by my HealthMaster blender! And this one is DELICIOSO!!!  It has many of the same ingredients that I’ve put in other smoothies, but I thought I would share anyway!

Breakfast and Lunch Smoothie!

Two apples (cored)
Two navel oranges (peeled)
About 20 large strawberries, with green tops attached
Approximately 2 inch slice of fresh pineapple, core included
1 mango, peeled and pitted
Handful of fresh kale
Handful of fresh spinach
½ cup organic unsweetened coconut chips
2 tbsp. organic flax seeds
2 tbsp. organic chia seeds
1 cup organic coconut water
1 cup organic pineapple juice

A SUNDAY SMOOTHIE!

Since my diet 'suffered' over the weekend, what with traveling, attending my son's graduation from Virginia Tech, attending a picnic with some incredible foods, I decided at least one, probably two of my meals today would be replaced by a  healthy smoothie. Since we had company, and there is such curiosity about my new HealthMaster blender, I decided to make a large batch for tasting!

Here is the lineup of fruits, vegetables and fats that I mixed together today....not unlike some previous smoothies, but, hey, it's what's in the fridge!!

2 large apples, cored
2 navel orange, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled and seeded
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
5 large strawberries, tops and all
1 cup red seedless grapes
2 inches of fresh pineapple (core and all)
2 carrots
small handful of spinach
small handful of kale
small handful of arugula
1 inch of ginger, peeled
1 cup (maybe more) of almond  milk
2 heaping tablespoons coconut oil

All ingredients were prepared and put into the blender and blended until smooth! Once again, DELICIOUS!!

AN ALMOST GREEN SMOOTHIE

Well, it wasn't really green, but it had green elements!

Despite my best efforts, as I built this smoothie, it got larger and larger, and it finally became a blender full! I’m still learning. It will take me some time! But let me tell you....this won’t go to waste! It’s delicious!

1 apple (red delicious)
1 whole navel orange
1 large radish with tops
1 avocado
1 cup strawberries
1 carrot
an inch-and-a-half of whole pineapple, peeled, but with core intact
1 stalk celery
1 inch ginger
juice of a whole lemon
handful of mixed greens (Swiss chard, spinach, arugula)
2 tablespoons of flax seed
1.5 cups grapefruit juice
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup agave syrup
2 heaping tablespoons organic coconut oil

GINGER MADE THE DIFFERENCE!

two apples
two bananas
1 carrot
3 oranges
10 large strawberries
juice of ½ lemon
a handful of wheat grass
a handful of almonds
approx. 1 cubic inch of fresh ginger
about 2 tblsp flax seed
about 2 tblsp coconut oil
1 cup of coconut water

This one was excellent! I loved the flavor of ginger in the mix!

ANOTHER FRUIT SMOOTHIE

This recipe will make a LOT of smoothie, so cut the amounts if you're drinking alone!

2 apples
2 oranges
1 banana
1/2 canteloupe
5 very large strawberries
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 stalks celery
handful of spinach (raw)
1/2 cup raw unsweetened coconut chips
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1-1/2 cups almond milk, vanilla

I blended all the above in my super HealthMaster blender! It is delicious!

MY FIRST EVER SMOOTHIE

My first green smoothie from my monster blender was a total experiment. I just pulled things out of the refrigerator and the fruit bowl and began blending! It turned out to be amazing! 

2Bananas

1 mango

2 apples

2 large oranges

Probably 10 or so large strawberries

a handful of  kale

enough coconut water to make it liquid

Welcome to SMOOTHIE DIARIES!

OK....I'll admit it publicly: I am one of those people who easily gets sucked into grocery store demos, infomercials, home shopping network sales pitches, etc. There should be a support group for us! Oh, yeah, I openly make fun of them in front of friends and laugh at the crazy over-the-top spokespersons, but secretly, I get excited when I think about how I, too can look like one of those sweaty hot-looking model types doing Zumba, or how I could cut through a tin can with a knife, and still be able to slice a tomato with it afterward!

The in-person demos are even MORE inviting to me! Case in point: the lady at the local Costco demonstrating the VitaMix super blender. Every time I go to Costco, I am secretly hoping she's there again, already whipping up some incredible-tasting combination of wonderfulness like green smoothies, fresh applesauce, or healthy taco soup! I have wanted one of those blenders since the first time I tasted one of her healthy smoothies! Oh, the things I could do with one of those, I would think!! Then, like a sharp slap in the face, I again look at the price tag and drop back into my reality....the one where I'd have to sell a vital organ or one of my kids to buy one of these blenders! Again and again, I walk away from that nice lady, head hung low, sad and empty-handed, knowing that I have way too many priorities on my list above the VitaMix.

True to form, while flipping through channels late one weekend night, I caught sight of an infomercial for the HealthMaster blender, and was sucked in faster than a tern into a turbine! There was this nice guy, Montel Williams, telling me all about how great this blender worked, as well as all the wonderful benefits of eating/drinking the endless concoctions that could be made with it! He and his infomercial assistant would create these amazing-looking fruit and vegetable mixtures, and pass them around to eagerly waiting audience members, who in turn would turn them up quickly, and of course return their perfect looks of yummy satisfaction for Montel and the cameras. Wow, I thought....this is just like the VitaMix lady at the store! Same stupefied yummy-satisfaction looks on the participants' faces, same good looking combinations of healthy foods...and at a MUCH MUCH CHEAPER PRICE! (Cheaper always calls out to me loudly!) I was hooked! I quickly began to do some web-research on customer satisfaction ratings of these HealthMasters, as opposed to VitaMix and other brands, and I ordered my HealthMaster before the infomercial was over!

When my blender came, it was the evening before we had to go out of town for the weekend, so I nearly drove myself crazy thinking about what I was going to do with it when I got home. But once my HealthMaster and I were reunited, I set off on yet another journey, one that I have decided to share with you here. "Smoothie Diaries" will hopefully be my sharing with readers my own experiences, not only with recipes for healthy super-blended foods, but with taste evaluations, healthful benefits, and related lifestyle-changing topics.

I do hope you'll subscribe here and join me on this journey! Write back and share your own experiences and recipes and ideas! We can obviously help each other by communicating what works, as well as what may not work so well! Thanks for stopping by!