Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Semi-Green Smoothie

I'm a huge fan of the green smoothie.  It's my standard breakfast fare.  I had never been much of a breakfast eater, really, but when I started on my journey toward health, I learned that I really do have to eat breakfast.  Every day.  A smoothie is the perfect thing for me.  It almost seems like a cheat.  I'm getting a TON of good stuff in my body, and it's like I'm not really eating anything at all.  It also seems like a cheat in that I don't drink my calories, unless they come in meal form.  So yay for the breakfast that doesn't really require "eating" and for liquid calories to boot!

Most people don't get enough vegetables, especially greens, in their diet.  The green smoothie is the perfect way to sneak them in there.  Blending them also breaks down the cellulose and makes the greens far easier to digest.  You can take it wherever your imagination takes you, adding kale, spinach, Romain, any number of fresh herbs, etc. to your fruit(s) of choice.  I also always add wheat germ and rolled oats to my smoothies, no matter what else goes into them.  Wheat germ is fantastically healthy.  It has more nutrients per ounce than any other vegetable or grain.  Oats also have a huge amount of health benefits, and the fiber helps make you feel fuller longer.


The general rule of thumb is the 60/40 rule.  As long as you keep you use 60% fruits and 40% vegetables, you can barely taste the vegetables, making it a perfect way to get the kids to eat their veggies, as well.  I've been doing the green smoothie thing for so long that I've reversed the equation and use 60% veggies to my 40% fruit.  My go-to greens of choice are spinach, sprouts, and fresh mint.  Yesterday morning, I somehow didn't have any of these, so I improvised.

The Semi-Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 large zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 2 large leaves Romain
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 frozen banana
  • Mediumish sized chunk of frozen passion fruit pulp
  • Pineapple chunks
  • Orange segments
  • 1 TBSP wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup whole grain oats
  • Sweetener of choice, if desired (I find that the fruit makes it plenty sweet enough)

Directions:
  1. Place zucchini, Romain, wheat germ, and water in blender and blend until liquefied.
  2. Add banana, pineapple, oranges, passion fruit pulp, and oats to blender, and blend again until smooth, adding water to reach desired consistency.

Enjoy!

1 comment:

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