My first homemade green smoothie

I need to get more greens in my diet. Don’t we all? I remember as a child my grandma used to try and get me to eat these ice cubes she froze with calaloo and milk and I dunno what else. I thought they were the most disgusting thing on earth, unless she put lots of condensed milk in it. So she made a deal with me to sweeten it up. I guess yo gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to kids.

Fast forward to me as an adult in a time where green smoothies are “cool” and all the health nuts are doing it. I’m well aware that my diet is sorely lacking in greens. Apart from the few leaves of lettuce I put in an occasional homemade burger, there’s really nothing else green in my life. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you why we need to eat at least 3 cups of leafy greens per week…but I will anyway.Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.

My blender has become my best friend. I really don’t see how I could get my daily allotment of fruits without it and now I’m using it to get my daily allotment of veggies. I’ve stopped drinking juice, calories are too precious to waste on a drink with no nutrients, (unless I’m out having fun) so now I use my blender to satisfy my juice needs while packing in a power punch of nutrients as well. Just like the deal I made with my grandma when I was younger, this one was sweetened as well. I’m not jumping in the deep end straight away, gotta work your way in. Here’s my recipe: Lots of good stuff….vitamin K, they say, helps prevent a bunch of old and maybe black people ailments like arthritis, diabetes and osteoporosis. I always said when I get to 30 I’m gonna start using products like Olay on my face…but of course it would be a good idea to start from the inside out.

8oz homemade june plum juice (june plums, brown sugar, lime juice, water)
half banana
1 tbs honey
3 ice cubes
1 cup spinach

The honey was definitely overkill since I added banana and my juice already had sugar in it but I was just afraid of the awful taste I was expecting. But it was SO yummy! Munchkin even had half my glass…and it was a big ol’ 16oz glass. So we each got a cup of yummy goodness. Even if you do eat a lot of salads you should still consider a green smoothie every now and then as this article says:

Most of the nutrients and vitamins stored in these vegetables are found in the cell membrane, and the membrane needs to be thoroughly ruptured in order to release the vitamins and nutrients. Even with a significant amount of chewing, humans cannot always do so adequately. This is why the blenders that are used in the preparation of green smoothies recipes are so important.

It’s such an excellent way to get veggies in the munchkins diet as well. She loves her “juicy” and even though I ensure she gets things like carrot and cabbage often, we could both use some green. 🙂

Now I need some kale and some parsley to mix up my greens. Do you make green smoothies at home?

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