Green Smoothies

[tmacd]

Just wondering about the longevity of these things......how long after you make them do they need to be consumed in order to get the benefits from them. Also, does anyone have any ideas on what to use as a portable blender so I don't have to lug my vitamix around when I travel......which I do often.......thanks

[gillmoli]

I have similar questions,

If we make them in the morning, do they need to be refrigerated until we drink them or if they are nicely sealed from air, would they be fine without refrigeration?

Also, who's found the best recipe for a green smoothie? I'll be making one this week and haven't found one yet that looks good. Any suggestions?

~Lissa

[gillmoli]

Well....

I just looked at the main website and found Victoria Boutenko's book...I guess that's exactly what I need to get! Ooops!

Thanks,

~Lissa

[Res]

I'm pretty sure you need to drink them right away. Or maybe that's just me. It's bad enough....Uh, I mean, they're great right away, but besides vitamin breakdown I don't know what else might break down.

I just love being helpful.

[lovejones596]

Howdy all - I've made a couple of smoothies and can't say I love either of them. Not much for the consistancy of them. I tried a banana, strawberry and romaine. Ehh! then I tried a peach/spinach - I put some apple in it in hopes it would sweeten it some. Ehh!

Would juicing give you the same effect? I had a carrot/spinach combo that was good.

Those are my 2 cents.

Elisa

[gillmoli]

Thank you, Elisa and Res!

Once again, you've given excellent input! I think I'll be apt to drink it right away too...if it doesn't taste that great to begin with, I can't imagine how it would be several hours later ! Yuck.

I'm guessing more apples are key in making it taste better. I'll give that a shot.

Thanks!

~Lissa

[Res]

Apparently we're unanimous on this green smoothie topic
I'm still trying though.

[sopheetsa]

yea-- me too-- unanimous w u .... Boutenko says to keep adding fruit--to taste-- er hum. i haven't gone back yet--still prefer my salad as a salad. oh well. waiting for my life to stabilize (ie get back to work) before I try again. interested to hear of any successful experiments!

[Res]

Not sure if I've posted this or not, and I don't remember where I got it. Obviously Raw Family something... Anyway, a few of these sound do-able. I let you know when I get to that point. Oh, and this article says you can refrigerate the Smoothie for up to 24 hours. So there's that.

Love,
~Res

Green Smoothie Recipes

Victoria writes in her newsletter: “Some of my favorite greens to add to smoothies are parsley, spinach, celery, kale and romaine lettuce. My favorite fruits are pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, mangoes and apples. Strawberries and raspberries taste superb in green smoothies, when combined with ripe bananas.”

My note: the best water to use in smoothies is alkaline water from the Jupiter Melody or Microlite at eatsprouts.com/water. Also quickly rinse your greens under the Melody’s acid outlet if they’re store-bought, to kill pathogenic microbes.

Preferably don’t rinse any greens you pick yourself, they have healthy microbes, like the ones making Vitamin B12. Fresh-picked greens from the soil are a good source of B12. Cows get their B12 (present in their raw milk) from eating green grass.

Here’s delicious fruit-green combos from Victoria.
My note: I leave the water out because I seldom drink with meals – water dilutes our digestive juices. I also tend to use less fruit, about 30% fruit and 70% greens, because fruit sugars lead to teeth sensitivities, they eat away at the enamel.

Greens are the perfect food for building strong bones and teeth – nearly every animal on earth has discovered that, except the big cats and polar bears!

Recipes from Victoria's newsletter, email victoria@rawfamily.com:
• 2 large mangos, 1 bunch parsley, water
• 6 peaches, 2 handfuls spinach leaves, water
• 2 mangos, 1 handful wild weeds (e.g. lambs quarters, stinging nettles, purslane), water
• 1 cup strawberries, 2 bananas, 1/2 bunch romaine lettuce, water
• 4 apples, 1/2 lemon juiced, 4-5 leaves kale, water
• 4 very ripe kiwis, 1 ripe banana, 3 stalks celery, water
• 4 ripe pears, 4-5 leaves kale, 1/2 bunch mint, water
• 10 finger-bananas, 2 handfuls of spinach leaves, water
• 3 bosch pears, 1 handful raspberries, 4-5 leaves kale, water

Raw Family's favorite Green Smoothie:
• 1/2 pound fresh lamb's quarters, or 1/2 bunch fresh dinosaur kale, 2 ripe mangoes, 2 very ripe bananas, 1 quart water. Blend thoroughly in a Vita-Mix blender. Yields 1/2 a gallon of delicious smoothie. Will keep for 24 hours in the fridge or cooler, stored in a glass container.

[jwithamac]

Hi,

I've found that a couple of things make the green smoothies more palatable: frozen fruit (I like Trader Joe's frozen fruit but for purists, you can freeze your own) or a few cubes of ice; and/or the juice of a lime and/or lemon. Warm green smoothies are no fun and the citrus accentuates and balances the sweetness of the fruit.

Sometimes I'll also use cucumber instead of sweet fruit and add some stevia to help balance blood sugar levels.