Happy New Year! Welcome to 2013! We had an amazing end to 2012…spending time with family in Texas for a warm and sunny Christmas, followed by a brisk and electric night in New York City to watch the ball drop on New Year’s! Along with all the fun times, yummy food and endless treats came the consequences… a bigger waistline and the inevitable New Year’s resolution to get back into shape.
I’m starting each day this week with what you may call a green glow smoothie. In September of last year I read a book by Victoria Boutenko called “Green for Life.” It inspired me to add blended greens with fruit into my diet every day, and I can tell you the one month last year I had a smoothie every day I not only felt incredible, I got into better shape and had several people comment on how my skin and face seemed to glow. Then the holiday season hit and it all went out the window. Well…. it’s time to start up again, and I guarantee if you try this with me you will see and feel the same results.
Green smoothies are an amazing way to boost our health. They are packed with antioxidants, phytonutrients, and chlorophyll, all of which enhance the immune system, purify the blood and rejuvenate the body. They add a tremendous amount of live food to our diet. They also provide our system with a great deal of fiber that naturally regulates the digestive system and keeps us extremely regular. After about one week of daily smoothies we’ll see our skin begin to look healthier and any complexion issues will begin to disappear.
The key with these smoothies is to blend fruit with greens. You can use any fruit and any greens you desire. Starting with bananas as a base and adding in spinach (the most mild of greens) is the perfect way to start. Eventually you will not need the smoothies to be as sweet and will enjoy the more bitter flavor of the greens. At this point you can add in more greens such as kale, chard, lettuces, herbs, celery, broccoli, etc. You can also cut down on the banana and add other fruit to the mix. Also try to stick with as much organic produce as possible… I think this is one recipe we can all enjoy for life.
Happy New Year and cheers, to our health!
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
1 cup pineapple
1 cup orange, skin and seeds removed
1 banana
2 cups baby spinach (or green of choice)
Directions
Blend well in a powerful blender. I prefer the Vita Mix with its Boeing caliber motor. If you don’t have one, you may need to add a little water to get things started.
Enjoy.
Always a great reminder. I’m on it!!
It was so nice to see the greeting card and see you all.
We started on the “smoothie” and Paavan has lost 7 lbs in one month. Shobha is still trying.
Thanks for such a tasty and beneficial recipe. Keep them coming.
Love and good luck and happy new year to you all.
Paavan/Shobha
It is so nice to hear that you are both enjoying the smoothies! V and I drink them often (myself almost every day). They have made a profound impact on our health. We find that we are more stable in our weight, more resilient to illness, and have more energy every day. If you want to lose weight I recommend replacing one or two meals a day with these smoothies. There are great recipes you can also find online. Hope you are both doing well and give our love to the girls as well! Love, M
Will the smoothies keep in the fridge overnight?
Yes, but they will separate a bit. I wouldn’t drink them after 24 or so hrs. They taste best and are the most nutritious when fresh.