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