Our Daily Green Smoothie

We make daily green smoothies at our house, around lunch time (in addition to green juice 4-6 mornings a week) using our Vita Mix. We first started doing this for our extremely picky 3 year old, so he would get some good nutrition, without having to force him to eat the slimy & wet textures of fruits/veggies that he would burst into tears just looking at. So if we miss a day, it means that he isn't getting a really big part of his diet. Hence, we are committed to making this everyday, whenever possible. It also has been great for my husband and I- a sure way to get our daily nuts/seeds, omega 3s, probiotics, vitamin C, and of course all the fruits and veggies and protein.

Here is what our juice usually consists of (the measurements are approximate since we are always changing the kind of fruits & veggies we put in and we sometimes add the juice from our greens instead of the whole greens):

Our Green Smoothie:

(REVISED April 2014)

GREENS:

2-3 cups (tightly packed) leafy greens: spinach, kale, or collards (spinach blends a lot easier and is almost tasteless, so great for those not accustomed to green smoothies)

FRUIT:

2 cups frozen fruit (mango, berries, pineapple, etc)- we love mango & strawberries

1-2 bananas (for sweetness)

1/4 lemon (peeled & seeded)- lemons have so many health benefits!

OTHER VEGGIES:

2 carrots (or carrot pulp from earlier juice)

or

a small wedge red cabbage

or 

1/4 cup chopped cucumber, zucchini, or asparagus or broccoli

NUTS/SEEDS:

1/4 cup raw almonds or raw sunflower seeds

3 Tablespoons source of Omega 3s (ground flaxseed, chia seed, or hempseed)

LIQUID:

2 cups water, almond milk, or coconut milk

EXTRAS:

- Protein powder: 1 scoop raw organic protein powder (Garden of Life brand) (my husband likes extra protein, but I don't add to mine or my kids) 

- Probiotics: 2 Tablespoons Inner-eco probiotic kefir (from coconut water)- added to adults smoothies (kids get different kind of probiotics separately)

- Extra Vitamin C: 3/4 teaspoon Vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid) (3000 mg) (I try to add more Vitamin C to our diet after reading Dr. Andrew Saul's book "Doctor Yourself" and learning about the research showing diseases being cured with high levels of Vitamin C.)

ORIGINAL POST (Nov. 2013):
Our Green Smoothie:
1/4 cup raw almonds or raw sunflower/pumpkin/sesame seeds
3 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 big handfuls greens (spinach, collards, or broccoli usually)
2 carrots (or carrot pulp from earlier juice)
1/2 cup frozen fruit (mango, berries, pineapple, etc)
1-2 bananas
scoop raw organic protein powder (Garden of Life brand)- added to adults' smoothies
2 Tablespoons Inner-eco probiotic kefir (from coconut water)- added to adults smoothies (kids get different kind of probiotics separately)
3/4 teaspoon Vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid) (3000 mg)
water- enough to get desired consistency

** This smoothie is guzzled by 2 adults and an almost 4 year old (our 14 month old gets a slightly different smoothie you can see here).

How to feed your non-raw/non-vegan family

I know a lot of people are in this position, so I thought it was worth writing a post about it. 

Here are some tips if the people you live with and prepare meals for are NOT willing to give up meat, cheese, and cooked food, even though you are trying to eat more raw and vegan meals yourself.

Salads
As often as you can, have big main course salads for dinner, and set them up salad bar style. Include dark leafy greens (organic Spring Mix is great because it has a variety of greens, spinach is also always a winner) and lots of different colored vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers (orange, red and yellow add sweetness), grated beets (raw). Include some high protein and more filling items, such as beans, hemp seed, avocados, sprouts, nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews...), and other seeds (sunflower, pumpkin...). 
This way they can pick what they want, so they won't feel like you are forcing them to eat "healthy."

(Of course for those family members who can't imagine not having any meat or dairy, you could put a small side of hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, chicken, etc, but hopefully there will be more of the veggies so they will have to fill up on the good stuff, with only a small amount of animal products.)

At first everyone will want their favorite dressing (which is hopefully organic, since you can find most for the same price as regular these days, and you don't want the bad ingredients that regular dressings have, such as MSG in Ranch). But I would highly encourage them to just squeeze some lemon juice on top instead of dressing. I have been doing that (no oil is necessary) and it tastes great! It also helps you to taste the natural flavor of the vegetables so your taste buds start to crave that natural, fresh taste. 

The prep is simply washing and chopping vegetables. Get the whole family involved and do it while you talk about how your day went.

See, this is a way for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores to all eat the same meal. :)
(Note: This is also a great idea for having guests over. I recently went over to a friend's house and they did a salad bar dinner with a lot of people and it worked great! Everyone brought a salad topping so there was really something for everyone's taste.)

Smoothies
Make smoothies for everyone daily. If someone isn't around, save theirs in the fridge so they can have it when they get home. Smoothies make great snacks, or I like to have mine with lunch. Put in dark leafy greens, carrots, and then banana for sweetener, along with other frozen fruits like strawberries, mangoes, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, etc. Add in a splash of lemon (natural antibacterial- great for your body), some flax seed oil (for Omega 3s), hemp seeds for protein (they completely blend in by the way), and if needed, a scoop of frozen 100% juice (like Dole Orange Peach  Mango) and water. You can always add other things too, such as the superfoods Spirulina, goji berries, etc. You can play around with different veggies to see how they affect the taste, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage (I have tried them all and my son actually really liked the broccoli/cabbage smoothies we used to do!). Most people (and kids) love these smoothies because they taste just like fruit! (Blueberries hide the green color, if that's an issue.)

I suggest getting BPA free plastic 16 oz cups with lids and straws to make it fun and less messy if your kids will be drinking them.

Other dinners ideas
Make dishes that they can add meat or dairy to if needed, such as:

Enchiladas- just make them with rice, beans, bell pepper, etc, and if they really want, they can add cheese on top to their own individual enchilada and melt in the microwave (or you could put cheese on some of the enchiladas...but then that doesn't give them the opportunity to try it the way you made it, which they might actually like.

Veggie Pizza- you can add cheese to half of the pizza, and eat yours without cheese. However, I suggest that before cooking the pizza, you cut your part out to eat raw and put your own raw "cheese" on (consisting of: cashews, nutritional yeast, water, lemon juice, salt). I just did this and it was amazing. I will post about it soon.

Really, they can add dairy or meat to pretty much anything you make. So, I suggest making it your way, then if they want to add something to it, they can. Or they can just eat it the way you made it.  Don't judge or make them feel bad if they want to add some cheese or meat to the food you made. You don't want tension while trying to enjoy a wonderful fresh salad. Negative emotions affect our health anyway, so try to be positive and happy in the kitchen and around the dinner table. :)

Here are some tips on breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast- If everyone normally eats cereal, see if they are willing to try almond, coconut, rice, or hemp milk in place of cows milk. Also always offer lots of fruit for breakfast (and if possible, have them eat it first, or they might get filled up on cereal before a piece of fruit even enters their thoughts). Also make sure the cereals they are eating are free of preservatives, artificial ingredients, GMOs, etc. which means it should probably be organic. I try to look for low sugar (under 4g per serving) and high protein & fiber.

Lunch- veggie sandwiches (there is protein in the bread, you don't need meat or cheese- make sure it is whole grain bread, sprouted is best). Mash an avocado (add salt, pepper, garlic, etc) and spread generously on each slice (in place of mayo), then put in sprouts, tomato, cucumbers, spinach, etc.

Other ideas: raw almond butter and sugar free (Polaner's) jam sandwich, veggies and hummus, leftover dinner, etc.

Hope this helps!

Day 2- Green Smoothie & Quinoa Lettuce Tacos

This was my menu for the day:

Breakfast: organic waffle*, banana, blueberries
Lunch: Leftover waldorf salad, adding kale & raw goji berries
Snack: Kale smoothie, Trader Joe's Whole Grain Pita Chips*
Dinner: Quinoa* lettuce wraps & pears for dessert
Snack: Apple slices with Sunflower Seed Butter*, and pumpkin seeds

*= not raw, but I'm still transitioning...

I'm pretty impressed with myself that I am eating so much raw food already and I don't even own a lot of ingredients & kitchen tools needed for a lot of the raw food recipes in my new books.

Here is how to make the Kale Smoothie that I had for snack:

Green Smoothie

Fill blender to the top with spinach or kale.

Fill half way with water.

Add a handful of chopped carrots, 2 bananas, any fresh or frozen fruit you want.

Add flax seed oil &/or hemp seeds.

Add a scoop of Raw Organic Protein Powder (I use Garden of Life brand)

Blend and enjoy! The variations & possibilities are endless!

Our dinner was another personal creation of mine, and turned out fantastic! This was also for my husband who is not necessarily gung ho about "going raw" at this point, and he was also finishing an all day fast. So, it includes Quinoa, which is cooked (and he did add some chicken to his). Although a simple, completely raw version would be to substitute quinoa sprouts (home grown), instead of cooked quinoa. I'm looking forward to experimenting with growing my own sprouts, since I have discovered how highly nutritious they are. I had no idea! And I actually really like sprouts

Quinoa Lettuce Tacos

Ingredients: 

Organic Romaine Lettuce Hearts

Quinoa (cooked or sprouted)

Grated Carrots

Chopped Green Bell Pepper

Olive Oil

Rosemary

Other spices (I will have to experiment)   

Here's what you do:

Wash & separate romaine leaves- they will be your "tortillas" to put your taco mixture into.

Cook Quinoa (and season with rosemary & any other spices) OR use raw quinoa sprouts

Grate carrot, chop bell pepper.

Add all ingredients together & spoon into the leaves of romaine. 

Eat like a taco. 

Be sure to make enough because it is tasty!

 

Have pears for dessert. :)