You may already know a few things about me. Namely, that I’m an author, blogger, green smoothie enthusiast, vegan, and maybe a few other weird things.
But here is the thing…
I know nothing about you, except that for some strange cosmic reason, you ended up on one of my pages, reading one of my books or articles, and signing up for my list, entrusting me with your email address and attention.
And your attention, even if for a just few seconds, is priceless.
Because you’ll never get those few seconds or minutes (or hours, if you read one of my books!) back.
So, I would like to know—why did you do it?
Did you have a reason, or it was an impulse?
And what did you expect?
Are you a plant-curious omnivore? Vegetarian? Vegan?
Do you want recipes? Advice? Inspiration?
Information? Education? Entertainment?
Of what kind?
Now, I can’t promise you that I’ll deliver whatever you ask me to, but I can perhaps try.
BTW, I’ll tell you more about what I’m planning to write about in the near future. Some of things may already be familiar to you, some things may be new, struck you as strange, or even weird.
So, if you feel like you’d like to share with me a little bit about yourself, then you share your thoughts below or on my Facebook, Instagram, or via email.
Because I’ll just keep writing and trying to figure out my role in the big scheme of things in the universe.
P.S. Do you ever ask yourself these questions? “Who am I? Why am I here?” It’s worth asking yourself these questions repeatedly, again and again, because the answers you’ll get may surprise you.
People ask me all the time whether they will lose weight by drinking green smoothies.
The definite answer to this question is “Maybe.”
It really depends on your specific circumstances: how much smoothies are you drinking, what are you eating in addition to smoothies, what is your physical activity level, how often do you exercise, how committed you are to your diet and exercise, etc.
Generally speaking, green smoothies should help most people lose weight because they help you super-charge your body with nutrient-rich foods, foods that are nutrient-dense, and yet low-in-calories.
He claims that diets don’t work, because people who are already nutritionally deficient, when they cut back on calories, they become even more nutritionally deficient. Then their body develops a series of cravings and sensations that drives them to overeat preventing them from successfully losing weight.
Until the addiction is addressed and removed, people cannot comfortably eat less calories. Since they desire MORE calories, not LESS, to tell them to eat less food is like telling a person to breathe less oxygen for five minutes – and they’ll soon be gasping for air (read the whole post here).
The problem is this: Making moderate changes does not lead to dramatic health achievements, weight loss, and reversal of diseases. If you want dramatic results, moderate changes simply don’t work.
So, how much weight can you lose by drinking green smoothies, and how quickly this will happen, it all depends on your overall health, your overall diet, and activity level – and to what extent you are willing to abandon your old habits and adopt new, healthy lifestyle.
How Green Smoothies Help People Lose Weight
One of the most riveting stories of weight reduction ever chronicled with regards to blending is the story of Clent Manich who dropped 240 pounds in one year simply by consuming green smoothies daily. He was also able to beat Type II Diabetes, and was completely off all of his medications and insulin within 3 weeks! His amazing story was captured in Victoria Boutenko’s book titled Green Smoothie Revolution.
Clent had made it a practice to start each day by making a gallon of blended fruits and vegetables, and he drank some of it every 2 to 3 hours. This helped eliminate his food cravings better than anything he had ever tried before. Most other diets always made him feel hungry and weak. Clent Manich lost 240 lbs in one year. He describes how he did it:
“I went full-bore into drinking Green Smoothie every day. I also cut out animal products, fat, and dairy, and the weight started flying right off. The rapid weight loss encouraged me to stay on the diet.
At the beginning of each day I would blend one gallon of green smoothie and drink some every two to three hours. Sometimes after drinking a green smoothie I ate a few veggies.
I found that green smoothies helped me to eliminate food cravings better than anything I had ever tried before. … Most other diets I’ve tried made me hungry and weak. … On the green smoothie experiment, I didn’t have to count calories.
I have lost 240 pounds and have attained my dream weight of 170 pounds. … To my surprise I don’t have any hanging skin. My skin has tightened without any need for surgery, which I attribute entirely to the green smoothies.”
One reason GREEN Smoothies are so good for weight loss is because they’re so high in nutrients.
They are high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, carbohydrates and even protein. Yes, green smoothies have lots of protein. The cow gets her protein from grass, a leafy green. Wouldn’t it be simpler to get your protein from leafy greens too, rather than eat the cow or drink her milk? If it’s simple, you know it’s true.
Plant foods are generally less dense in calories, which means you can eat as much as you want of these foods and still be able to maintain a healthy weight.
For example, an entire head of lettuce or a bunch of kale or other leafy greens weighing over one pound contains less than 100 calories. That means that the caloric density of lettuce is less than 100 calories per pound. On the other hand, one single tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories. So you have more calories in 1 tablespoon of oil than in a pound of lettuce. But guess which one is going to fill you up more?
If you add that oil to your salad dressing and pour on that head of lettuce, you will not even notice it,but the number of calories consumed willhavedoubled.
Green Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss
Let’s look at the calories of some of the ingredients in green smoothies:
1 cup spinach, raw (30g) = 7 calories (!); 1 bunch spinach (340g) = 78 calories
1 cup cabbage (89g) = 22 calories
1 cup kale (67g) = 33 calories
1 cup collards (36g) = 11 calories
1 cup parsley (60g) = 22 calories
1 large celery stalk (64g) = 10 calories
1 cup cucumber (102g) = 16 calories
1 cup zucchini (124g)= 20 calories
1 cup beets (136g)= 58 calories
1 cup carrots (128g) = 62 calories
1 cup squash (140g) = 63 calories
All these foods are high in nutrients, yet extremely low in calories, so if you stick to more savory smoothies and soups recipes, you can literally have a gallon of this per day, fill up your body with valuable nutrients, and still have a calorie deficit. (For the complete list of best foods to eat for weight loss and health, check out 100 Best Foods to Eat post and download the full list.)
Weight Loss Smoothie & Soup Recipes
If you really want to cut down on calories, check out some of these savory soups and smoothies:
Mediterranean Green Soup
3 cups spinach
3 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper
1 large avocado
1 cucumber
1 jalapeno pepper
1 lime, juiced
1 spring oregano
1 spring thyme
2 cups water
Blend well all ingredients. Serve in a bowl, like a soup. Garnish with fresh herbs and/or a few pieces of avocado. Yields 3 quarts.
Celery Zing Soup
2 yellow bell peppers
1 lemon
½ cup basil leaves
1 cup celery, tops and greens
1 cup kale
1 cup water
Yields 1 quart
Celery Soup
4 stalks celery
1 cup fresh parsley
1 tomato
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon agave nectar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups water
Spicy Thai Soup
2 cucumbers
5 leaves kale
1 large avocado
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves of garlic
½ inch fresh turmeric root or ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
½ inch fresh ginger root or ¼ teaspoon dried ginger powder
2 cups water
Yields 2 quarts
Savory Tomato Basil Soup
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 bunch fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup water
Stir into the smoothie
2 cups Savoy cabbage, chopped
½ avocado, cubed
½ cup dulse
Fennel Soup
1 stalk fennel
2 cups kale
2 celery stalks
½ lemon
½ avocado
¼ inch turmeric root
2 cups water
Yields 2 quarts
Dandelion Cleansing Soup
2 cups dandelion greens
2 stalks of celery
1 green zucchini
2 pears
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon fresh ginger root
1 dash cayenne pepper
Bok Choy Soup
2 cups bok choy
1 celery stalk
1 apple
½ cup fresh cilantro
½ zucchini
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger root
¼ teaspoon fresh turmeric
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Arugula Orange Soup 2 cups arugula
½ orange bell pepper
2 oranges, peeled
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
cayenne pepper to taste
Stir into the soup
½ avocado in chunks
Sweet Apple-Dill-Avocado
4 stalks celery
1 bunch dill
2 apples
1 avocado
1 lemon
2 cups water
Raw Family Green Soup Recipe 3 leaves chard
1 stalk celery
1 large avocado
½ bunch fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 cups water
Stir into soup
Grated veggies, such as carrot, cauliflower, zucchini, etc., and sprouts
Even considering that you add a large avocado to each soup, you will still end up well below 500 calories in 2 or 3 quarts of soup or smoothie.
1 large avocado, Florida, raw (340g) = 365 calories
1 avocado, California, raw (136g) = 227 calories
So, you can literally eat these soups to your heart’s content and help yourself lose weight.
Green Fruit Smoothies & Meal Replacement Smoothies For Weight Loss
If your goal is to lose weight, the temptation may be to cut out the fruits and all sweeteners from the recipes completely to reduce the amount of calories in the smoothie.
While it’s OK to add more greens and veggies to your drinks and cut the amount of fruits a little, there are two risks associated with cutting down on fruits too much.
First of all, the smoothies will not be as tasty, and you may end up not liking them and not drinking them as often as you should.
Then there is also a second danger of not consuming enough calories.
For many people, a vegetable-based smoothie will not provide sufficient calories to be a meal replacement smoothie.
Even if you made a 32-ounce smoothie with just one apple, 1/2 cup blueberries and a ton of vegetables and greens, your smoothie will be extremely low calories. You’d be lucky to get 200 calories.
The problem with this is that you might still feel full from the fiber, but you will not be consuming enough calories. This is fine, if you are getting enough calories in the rest of your diet from healthy whole plant foods. If not, you will still be hungry after your smoothie, and risk overeating unhealthy foods. Getting too few calories will sabotage weight loss and may lead to nutrient deficiencies and health problems.
In short, fruit-based green smoothies can replace meals and are effective for weight loss. Vegetable-based smoothies are often too low in calories to be considered meals, so they are better used to supplement a calorie-sufficient whole foods diet between meals or consumed with meals.
That is why the green smoothies and meal replacement smoothies can be great for weight loss, too.
This is a great breakfast smoothie recipe. Because it contains oats, it's more filling than just fruits-and-greens smoothie, so it will keep you full longer.
Ingredients
2 cups non dairy milk (use whatever you like or have in your kitchen: oat, rice, soy, almond, hemp, coconut, etc. )
But Sometimes Even Green Smoothies May Not be Enough to Lose Weight
Sometimes, no matter what you eat, you just can’t start losing those pounds!
So, what do you do then?
What to do when even smoothies, blended soups, loads of fat and protein, or endless salads aren’t enough?
Or, perhaps, you JUST DON’T FEEL LIKE EATING THIS WAY ALL THE TIME! You just want to eat like a ‘normal person’ (whatever that means, LOL), not a person on a permanent diet.
I’ve struggled with this question recently, when during the pandemic (and well before that), my diet has been less than ideal. Yes, it’s been mostly whole-plant-based. Yes, I’ve been eating lots of veggies and drinking smoothies, but nowhere nearly as much as before.
And I started putting on weight.
And no matter what I tried, I couldn’t start to lose it.
Until I discovered a solution that made losing weight almost effortless.
Check out my Body Reset program in which I share how to CONTROL YOUR HUNGER, RESET YOUR APPETITE and finally LOSE THAT EXTRA WEIGHT.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
Kale —and other lelafy greens— are true superfoods. They deliver a bonanza of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They are loaded with calcium, essential for strong bones and healthy. They provide stress-fighting B vitamins and help our eyes with vitamin A. They even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
But when was the last time you had a bunch of kale?
The fact is kale (and other greens) is often neglected when it comes choosing your ingredients. It’s certainly not most people’s first choice when it comes to preparing salads or vegetable side-dishes.
Especially in winter, when there are fewer in-season vegetable choices — kale and other dark, leafy greens that thrive in cooler weather are a great addition to the menu. Plus, they are great for boosting immunity – so a kale smoothie recipe may be just what the doctor ordered ;-).
When cooked, greens provide more than nine times the recommended amount of vitamin K, which helps our blood clot.
I read once that it was common for our ancient ancestors to eat up to six pounds of leaves per day. You can just picture them wandering from one place to the next, just picking and chewing leaves as all they long they went. That’s a huge amount of greens by anyone’s standards today.
Can you picture yourself devouring a grocery bag full of greens each and every day?
The USDA recommends we eat a minimum of 3 cups of dark leafy greens a week, and very few of us even eat that per week or even month.
How would you feel if you could get those three cups in one large glass?
kale smoothie recipes
Health Benefits of Kale
Kale is really the Queen of Greens. Many health experts consider kale as one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
Kale belongs to the Brassica family (Brassica oleracea). This family also includes broccoli, bok choy, kohlrabi, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage and collard greens. All these greens are well known for their sulfur-containing phytonutrients, which are claimed to help with cancer prevention.
They are also rich sources of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese, and is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B6, and potassium. The health benefits are so numerous, it will be hard to list them all here!
So why not add it to your family’s diet with these easy recipes!
Kale Smoothie Recipes
I use kale A LOT in green smoothies. My son loves kale smoothies too!
I find it really mild tasting (unlike lettuce, Swiss chard, or dandelion greens, for example), so you usually don’t even know it’s there. The fruits really help to mask the strong flavor of the greens.
For most greens, you don’t need a high-speed blender to make a good green smoothie, though the process will be quicker and the result creamier if you do. Kale, however, can be really tough on your blender, so it’s best to use a high power blender, like Vitamix or Blendtec.
Tip:If you don’t own a power blender, try removing the rough stems first, and then just blending the leaves with water for a few minutes first, before adding the rest of the ingredients.
A banana, an avocado, or a small handful of nuts is very helpful to good texture, and a few dried dates will bump up the sweetness in a relatively nutritious way. But beyond that, it’s fun to vary the other ingredients. Try mango, banana, lime, and cilantro, for example—or whatever your palate desires.
Kale Smoothie Recipes You and Your Family Will Love!
Ingredients
Kale Banana Smoothie
2 cups sliced banana
2 cups freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice
2 cups tightly packed dinosaur or curly leaf kale
1/4 cup lightly packed parsley
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
Strawberry Kale Banana Smoothie
3 kale leaves
1 large ripe banana
1 ripe pear
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
Kale Blueberry Smoothie
1 medium to large ripe banana, peeled
2 kale leaves, washed
1 celery stalk
1 apple
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
a splash agave nectar or a packet of stevia (optional) as a sweetener
Instructions
Blend all ingredients on high speed until creamy. If you like, you may also add a piece of avocado, to add more healthy fats and more creaminess to your smoothie. Add more banana (can be frozen) for a more sweet, thicker smoothie. Enjoy!
If you have tried to make kale juice before and it tasted horrible, you may have given up. Plus, some juicers are just not made to juice something like kale.
Do not give up! With the right kale juice recipe, you will love drinking this green!
Just remember that dark greens have strong taste that is not palatable on its own. Always mix green juice them with other sweet tasting veggies and fruits.
You’ll need a lot of kale to make juice. A 1.5 pound bunch of kale yields about 1 cup of vivid green juice using a juicer. You will get more from the kale if you roll the leaves into balls and juice them together with the carrots and apples.
Place all ingredients in a juice extractor or Vita-Mix, juice/blend and enjoy! Serves 4. For babies 12 months and older: dilute by 50% with water and serve!
Green Kale Lemonade
Green lemonade contains a big bunch of kale in it along with apples, celery, ginger, and an organic lemon. It tastes amazing.
1 bunch of kale
2 stalks of celery
1 inch piece of ginger
2 apples
1 lemon with the ends cut off.
Wash all your goodies thoroughly and pass through the juicer. Ginger adds heat to this tart kale lemonade.
Miracle Tonic Kale Juice
This variation has some carrots and cucumber added to the mix.
4 Medium carrots
2 Stalks celery
1 Big or 2 small red apples (pitted)
4 Kale leaves
2 inch length of cucumber (peeled)
Run ingredients through your juicer. Yield about 2 servings.
Tip 1: If you feel like having a special treat, you can add some watermelon or cantaloupe chunks if available. This may push the juice quantity up to 3 small servings.
Tip 2: You can add some ginger for extra bite if you wish. Lemon also goes well with this combination.
Mint adds an interesting touch to this kale juice.
1 1/2 pounds kale
4 peeled parsnips
4 large (or up to 8 small) green apples
1 lime (more or less to taste)
12 ounces mint leaves (about 2 large bunches)
yield: makes about 1 pint of juice, serving two.
Juice and enjoy!
Mixed Greens Juice Recipe
2 limes, zest removed
½ bunch Swiss chard
½ bunch kale
½ bunch dandelion
½ cucumber
2 Granny Smith apples
Juice and enjoy!
Kale Mary
Here is a good one – a Bloody Mary inspired non-alcoholic kale drink.
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes (they taste better than out-of-season regular tomatoes)
about 1/2 pound kale
4 ribs celery
2 lemons
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Dash hot sauce
Garnish: celery rib
Mix horseradish and soy sauce in a glass. Add tomato juice and stir well until horseradish is well distributed. Add kale juice, celery juice, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Stir well. Serve with celery rib garnish, over ice if desired. Serve immediately. Makes about 1 cup juice (Recipe via Seriouseats).
Enjoy with some crunchy kale chips!
Kale Chips: Low in Calories, Guilt-Free Chips
Here is a recipe for a healthy alternative to potato chips. These crispy little bites of raw kale nutrition are a big hit with young kids (and adults).
1 bunch of curly kale, washed well and cut into pieces
1 lemon, juiced
a splash of olive oil
a splash of agave or maple syrup
seasoning to taste: salt, pepper, etc.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Wash 1 bunch of curly kale and cut into chip pieces.
Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil.
Add some seasoning to taste: salt, pepper, etc.
Add the juice of 1 lemon.
After you’ve massaged your kale with oil and seasoning for a few minutes, take about 1 tablespoon of agave and slowly drizzle it over the kale.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Be amazed!
Notes
Keep in mind that the kale will shrink, so you may try make more than you think you need. If your oven can be set on a low temperature, around 100°F, you can also try to make raw kale chips in the oven. Otherwise you’ll need a dehydrator to make raw kale chips. If using dehydrator, let dehydrate 12 plus hours, until kale is crunchy!
For a much more detailed raw kale crisps recipe, visit this website.
Kale Chips: healthy alternative to potato chips! via http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemypit/3425805140/sizes/z/in/photostream/
How To Choose Kale
The deeper the color of the leaves, the higher the nutrient content will be. Make sure that the kale looks fresh and not wilted. Avoid leaves with a lot of yellow or decay. Smaller, tender leaves are best. Pay attention to the stems as well. Make sure that they have a healthy appearance and trim off any thick stems and small blemishes before juicing or cooking.
You can choose either the dark green curly kale or a purple variety. Alternatively you can opt for ornamental kale, which has a less potent flavor. Dinosaur kale is a slightly sweeter choice.
The bitter taste of kale becomes more pronounced the longer it is stored, so it’s best to use it when still fresh. Kale keeps quite well in the fridge, provided that you store it unwashed. As with most of your leafy greens, it is a good idea to wrap the leaves in a paper towel, before placing it in a plastic bag to keep them fresh.
It’s best to buy organic kale grown to avoid toxic, systemic pesticides that are difficult to wash off. Unfortunately, when grown with petrochemical pest controls, kale is number 12 in the Dirty Dozen, tying with collar greens and slightly less than lettuce. Chemical pesticides are toxins, and eating lots of them can be toxic to the central nervous system –including the brain and spinal column, others may disrupt the endocrine function in the body which secrets hormones directly into the blood stream; they may increase the risk of cancers and other diseases.
Make sure you thoroughly wash your greens. Some of the leaves come from right on top of the ground and are usually covered in grit and sand.
Kale can be used in salads and in place of lettuce on sandwiches. However, for these purposes, use only very young, small, tender leaves. Kale is also delicious when steamed with diced onions, and garlic, a little bit of salt and pepper.
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
The Making of Kale Smoothie: Inside of my Vitamix
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
Even though I’ve known about the nutritional benefits of sprouting for quite some time, I’ve only recently started experimenting with growing my own sprouts and adding them to green smoothie recipes and other dishes. So, from now on, I’m determined to not just include more sprouts in my diet, but to learn how to grow them, and start a mini-sprout garden in my kitchen.
Really, when you think about it, it’s probably the most local, freshest, most nutritious food that you can get, especially in the winter. And even in other times of the year – not everyone has a garden – but you can have sprouts growing in your kitchen all year long.
Plus, sprouts are considered a SUPER FOOD – they are probably the most nutrient dense of all foods, while being incredibly affordable and easy to grow.
Sprouts can provide you with a steady year-round source of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, chlorophyll and protein, as well as a high concentration of health and youth-supporting enzymes.
To boot, they are low calorie and contain little or no fat. The fat they do contain is the healthy fat that your body needs. As some of the most nutritious foods that exist, they make a great addition to any healthy eating plan.
You can have them fresh all year round, even when fresh vegetables are hard to find. It’s easier than planting a garden outside and they’re ready much quicker. And the best part is that you can grow fresh sprouts right in the comfort of your own kitchen. It takes less than 2 minutes a day and they are ready in 3 to 7 days, depending on the variety. You can sprout seeds, beans, grains and nuts. Some of the most popular varieties are alfalfa, broccoli, red clover, radish, mung beans, lentils, garbanzo beans and peas.
So What Are the Health Benefits of Sprouts?
The essential requirement for health and healthy weight loss is a diet that is high in nutrients and low in calories.
Doctor Fuhrman calls it a Nutritarian diet. (You shouldn’t really be thinking of it as a diet in a sense that you do it for a few weeks and then go back to your old ways. It should become your lifestyle.)
Problem is many of the foods we buy at the supermarkets today are not as fresh and nutrient rich as we believe. Many items have to travel across the country (or across the world) to get to where we live. They have to be treated with various life-extending substances and procedures.
And buying supplements can get very costly.
Obviously the best solution would be to grow your own food, but that’s not for everyone…
Sprouting is something that anyone can do that is easy to do and will provide tremendous benefits to your health, helping you lose weight, reverse disease, increase energy, or whatever your goal.
Apparently, sprouting magnifies the nutritional value of the seed and makes the nutrition more bio-available to the body. It boosts the B-vitamin content, triples the amount of vitamin A and increases vitamin C by a factor of 5 to 6 times. Starches are converted to simple sugars, making sprouts very easily digestible.
Have you heard about the Hippocrates diet? In the renowned Hippocrates Institute, where they regularly cure terminally ill people using only nutrition and other lifestyle modifications, sprouts are one of the key ingredients on their menu.
Sprout Smoothie Recipe
Sprouts are really versatile. You can use them in smoothies, blended soups and salads, as well as regular salads, on sandwiches, stir fried with vegetables, or enjoy these nutrient-packed delicacies as a snack all by themselves or added as a garnish to a main dish.
To make a smoothie, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sprouts to any smoothie recipe. Don’t put too many sprouts in your smoothie, and it will take on an overwhelmingly grassy flavor. Used in moderation, however, and sprouts are an absolute delight.
You can grown them yourself (see the instructions below), or simply buy them in a grocery store (that’s what I did for this recipe). If you don’t like the effort that growing your own sprouts takes, many health stores and farmers market have sprouts – but the selection may not be impressive and it will cost much more than if you grown them yourself.
Green Smoothie with Sprouts
Ingredients
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup pineapple, frozen
1/2 banana, frozen
1 cup water
1/4″ – 1/2″ fresh ginger, minced
1/16 teaspoon of Stevia (or agave nectar)
1-2 ice cubes, to thicken
Instructions
Blend ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth and creamy. Thin with water or thicken with ice if desired. Enjoy!
How to Grow Your Own Sprouts
Sprouts are easy to grow and take a minimum of effort. You probably already have everything you need to start your own kitchen garden. Once you’ve gone through the process once or twice, it will become easy.
To grow sprouts in jars on your kitchen sink, you will need:
a wide-mouth jar
screen or netting
a rubber band
a bowl to drain the jar
fresh water
sprouting seeds
Choose organic sprouting seeds whenever possible. The problem is that seeds that are not specifically sprouting seeds and not organic may be chemically treated with pesticides.
You’ll find lots of sprouting supplies and books on Amazon.
Two ounces of seeds will yield 1-2 pounds of sprouts, and 8 ounces of beans will yield 1 pound of sprouts.
Your sprouts will grow best when the temperature is between 65F and 75F (18C and 25C).
Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of seeds or 3 to 4 tablespoons of beans in a wide mouth jar.
Cover with netting or cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
Rinse a couple times, then fill the jar 3/4 full with pure water, room temperature, and soak 6-8 hours or overnight.
Drain soak water. Rinse 2 or 3 times in cool water.
Invert jar and prop at angle in sink or bowl to drain.
Rinse 2 or 3 times twice a day in cool water.
Place sprouting jar in bright light, but not direct sunlight, last sprouting day to allow chlorophyll to form.
Sprouts will grow three to seven days. Seed sprouts, like alfalfa or red clover are 1″ (2.5 cm) to 2″ (5 cm) long when ready. Bean sprouts, like lentils or peas are 1/4″ (.5 cm) to 1/2″ (1 cm) long when ready. These are more tender when small. Mung beans are 1″ (2.5 cm) to 2″ (5 cm) long when ready. They are best grown in the dark to prevent bitterness. They should be rinsed 3-4 times a day. Taste the sprouts as they are growing to see when you like them best.
Drain well. Cover the jar with a lid, or transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate to store.
Soaking times and amounts of seeds for sprouting in a quart jar:
Alfalfa seeds: 4 to 8 hours
Clover seeds: 4 to 8 hours
Broccoli seeds: 8 to 12 hours
Whole lentils: 8 to 12 hours, then eat
Fenugreek seeds: 4 to 8 hours
Radish seeds: 4 to 8 hours
Raw hulled sunflower seeds: 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Chia seeds: 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Sesame seeds: 6 to 8 hours, then eat
Wheat berries: 8 to 12 hours
Rye berries: 8 to 12 hours
More Great Ways to User Sprouts
Once you get your sprout garden going, you can use the sprouts in a variety of ways, not just in smoothies.
Add to tossed salads
Use in coleslaw (cabbage, clover, radish)
Add to potato salad (mung bean, lentil)
Use in wraps and roll-ups (alfalfa, sunflower, radish)
Stir-fry with other vegetables (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean, lentil)
Replace celery in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)
Grind up and use in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)
Stir into soups or stews when serving (mung bean, lentil)
Mix into pancake or waffle batter (buckwheat)
Eat them fresh and uncooked in a sprout salad (salad mixes)
Combine in rice dishes (fenugreek, lentil, mung bean)
Add to vegetable sushi (radish, sunflower)
Saute with onions (mung bean, clover, radish)
Puree with peas or beans (mung bean, lentil)
Add to baked beans (lentil)
Steam and serve with butter (mung bean, lentil)
Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce (alfalfa, clover, radish)
P.S. There have been some articles in the press about sprouts not being a safe food to eat. Read my article about the safety of sprouts.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
All around, the news these days is bad. But I don’t need to tell you that. You’re a grown-up. You know as well as I the state of the world right now.
What you may not know is how to pull yourself out of this mess and take control of your own future, beginning with your own health.
How can you make sure you and your family stay healthy, no matter what the rest of the world decides to do?
It comes down to these simple steps that I’d like to invite you to take starting today.
When is the right time for you to take control of your health?
Right now.
Eating more fruits, vegetables, and greens is like hitting a reset button. It’s a chance to start over after weeks of indulging in holiday fare. But sometimes we need an extra nudge to add the good stuff back in — and it had better be tasty, or the habit won’t stick past Groundhog Day.
That’s why green smoothies and juices are so popular — they are delicious and will surely make you feel better if you just stick with them.
The magic of juices and smoothies, of course, is that a single glass can pack several fruits, veggies and greens — and all of their vitamins and minerals — into one meal or snack. That makes it easier to increase the fruits and vegetables we eat, which is just what the doctor ordered for many of us.
A lot of people say they don’t want to drink something green because they think it’s going to be nasty. But in smoothies greens nicely balance with the sweetness of the fruits, while giving you lots of the nutrients you need in the cold season.
So, I don’t know about you, but I’m starting this new year with a resolution to keep drinking green smoothies, and clean my diet even further.
After spending the Christmas skiing (and not drinking green smoothies for entire week), I came back with a bit of a cold (mostly runny nose), which has not happened to me in two years. (Before I started on green smoothies, I used to get sick 3-4 times per year, especially in the winter season, and the colds would last for 2-3 weeks).
Skiing Jay Peak Vermont
I definitely don’t like getting sick, so here is what I made this morning:
Green Smoothie in my Vitamix: kale, parsley, mixed fruits and blueberries, bananas.
As you see this made a whole Vitamix pitcher (so maybe you’ll need to add a bit more or less to make your blender full). If your blender is small, just make your smoothie in batches.
As you see this made a whole Vitamix pitcher, so maybe you’ll need to add a bit more or less to make your blender full.
Full pitcher
Anyway, I’m making excellent use of my husband’s beer glasses – they are almost as tall as the Vitamix container, LOL…
I’m making excellent use of beer glasses – they are almost as tall as the Vitamix container, LOL
So what are you waiting for? I figure you should go for it, sooner rather than later.
It’s time to stop thinking about it…time to stop dreaming about it…time to make it happen.
Plus, you’ll be doing some good things for the planet too, if you start eating more unprocessed plant foods.
So, it’s not just about your personal health, but about the health of the earth, too.
BTW, if you still need to know why you should be drinking your greens, read this post:
Pomegranate has always been high on my too-much-trouble-to-even-bother ingredient list. I always considered it as a fruit that’s just too much work to eat because it’s such a pain to de-seed, so I didn’t have it very often.
In my pre-vegan days, it was up right there with crab legs. Now that I’m vegan (it took me 46 years to get there), and I’m experimenting with various new and old ingredients that I haven’t used very often – like pomegranate.
So, finally, I decided to tackle this pomegranate situation. I bought a big pomegranate lately and it’s been sitting on my counter-top for over a week, so I knew it was time to try it. And surely enough, after just a tiny bit of research, I discovered that a whole pomegranate (minus the skin) can be blended up into a creamy froth, with no bitter flavor from the pith, using my Vitamix, so there you go!
The Powerful Health Benefits of the Pomegranate
The effort needed to extract pomegranate seeds and blend them into the smoothies or make them into juice is definitely worth it. This fantastic little fruit recently made its way into the news after some spectacular clinical studies. Here’s what you need to know:
Compounds found only in pomegranates called punicalagins are shown to benefit the heart and blood vessels. Punicalagins are the major component responsible for pomegranate’s antioxidant and health benefits. They not only lower cholesterol, but also lower blood pressure and increase the speed at which heart blockages (atherosclerosis) melt away.
Recent medical research studied heart patients with severe carotid artery blockages. They were given an ounce of pomegranate juice each day for a year. Not only did study participants’ blood pressure lower by over 12 percent, but there was a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque. Just as astounding, participants who did not take the pomegranate juice saw their atherosclerotic plaque increase by 9 percent.
In other studies, potent antioxidant compounds found in pomegranates have shown to reduce platelet aggregation and naturally lower blood pressure, factors that prevent both heart attacks and strokes.
Not only are pomegranates good for your heart and blood vessels but they have been shown to inhibit breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, leukemia and to prevent vascular changes that promote tumor growth in lab animals. Several in vitro studies have shown this remarkable anti-cancer effect. Additional studies and clinical trials currently taking place are hopeful to reveal this fascinating effect on humans. (read more on Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s website).
Health Benefits of the Pomegranate
Most powerful anti-oxidant of all fruits
Potent anti-cancer and immune supporting effects
Inhibits abnormal platelet aggregation that could cause heart attacks, strokes and embolic disease
Lowers cholesterol and other cardiac risk factors
Lowers blood pressure
Shown to promote reversal of atherosclerotic plaque in human studies
May have benefits to relieve or protect against depression and osteoporosis (read more on Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s website)
Pomegranate Smoothie Recipes (No Juicing Required)
I experimented a little with various ingredient combinations, and here is what I discovered:
Even a high-powered blender will not be able to break up the seeds completely, so be ready for some crunchy unblended seeds in this smoothie. Kinda like a raspberry smoothie may have. Personally, I don’t mind them at all – but if you are super-sensitive you have been warned! In my opinion, even if it’s a little chunky, it’s still delicious, so just get over it!
If you want to get rid of chunky seeds, you can juice the pomegranate first using a manual method; or blend the seeds and strain them with a cloth.
Green smoothie with lots of spinach and other greens was delicious, but when I tried the pomegranate-strawberry-banana-almond-milk combination, it was beyond yummy!
For all you health nuts (and that includes me), pomegranates are a great source of vitamin C, B5, potassium, fiber and antioxidants. Studies suggest that regular consumption of pomegranates or its juice may reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce high blood pressure and inhibit viral infections.
You can make this smoothie with or without the greens. I’ve provided a few different variations in the recipe below.
Blend all ingredients together. This is delicious & very healthy! Serve. Sip. Smile.
Notes
A high-powered blender will be able to break up the seeds almost completely, but even if it's a little chunky, it's still delicious!
Be ready for some crunchy unblended seed-inner-parts in this smoothie. Kinda like a raspberry smoothie may have. Personally, I don't mind them at all - but if you are seed sensitive you have been warned!
Pomegranate is really photogenic, so I took this opportunity to do a little photo shoot with my fancy Cannon 5D Mark III camera.
This pomegranate has been sitting in my kitchen for a bit too long, so it was time to make it into a smoothie. I made this smoothie with kale and dandelion, but spinach, parsley and other greens would work perfectly too.
I first cut it in half, but you don’t have to do it. It was more for the photo shoot, than a practical consideration.
Another pretty picture.
The seeds were coming out really easily, but I decided not to bother, and use the whole inside of the fruit.
The Pretty Pink Smoothie was a clear winner. It was beyond yummy!
Strawberry-Pomegranate Skinny Shake
Last but not least, here is a pomegranate strawberry smoothie recipe that I found on Dr. Fuhrman’s blog.
It’s a nutrient-packed “Skinny Shake“. Dr. Fuhrman came up with this recipe in preparation for his appearance on The Dr. Oz Show. He was asked to share a recipe for a healthful drink that would support weight loss efforts and promote detoxification – something satisfying and delicious while low in calories. He chose a simple blended frozen drink of whole strawberries and pomegranate juice with ice plus a squeeze of lemon for a tangy flavor.
Why strawberries and pomegranate juice? He did not make those choices arbitrarily – these are powerful foods with several human studies to substantiate their profound benefits. The “Skinny Shake” has much more to offer than taste and satisfaction with minimal calories. Looking at these effects all together, it is astounding what these foods can do for our health.
Dr. Fuhrman’s Skinny Shake Recipe
Ingredients:
4 ounces pomegranate juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup of ice Squeeze of lemon
Directions: Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Enjoy!
For all my blending recipes I use Vitamix. If you don’t already own a VitaMix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about VitaMix you can go directly to the VitaMix website. You may also want to read my post about the Best Blender.
I LOVE my VitaMix and highly recommend investing in one if you are ready to make serious changes to your diet. I have had mine for almost 5 years and use it daily!
If you decide to purchase Vitamix – be sure to use Promotional Code 06-004554 to get free shipping.
Pomegranate Smoothie in Vitamix
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have a favorite recipe, why not submit it here in the comment section of this smoothie recipes blog for others to enjoy too!
I also welcome any comments, questions and suggestions. Thanks!
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