I wanted to share something with you that’s made a huge difference in my life recently. I believe that we should all eat as much raw, natural organic food as possible. One problem with this is that with our busy schedules, it’s sometimes pretty hard to do this. Also, not everyone likes the taste of raw veggies.
For the last year, I’ve been drinking Green Shakes several times a day. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve notice my energy level going through the roof. Other benefits I’ve noticed are better sleep, less hunger, and less craving of junk foods and sweets.
I’ve been experimenting with different recipes, and would like to share my current favorite with you. Please feel free to experiment, and also to comment below, giving your results and your favorite green recipes.
EQUIPMENT:
- BlendTech Blender – Yes, I know these are expensive, but I think well worth the money. I have close to 600 cycles on this blender and it’s still running like new. (check out the great videos on www.willitblend.com to see it in action.) The VitaMix is also a good choice. It’s a matter of preference. If you don’t want to spend the money, you can use a regular blender, but these tend to burn out pretty quickly and don’t have anywhere near the power.
- A Tablespoon
- A colander or strainer (not necessary, but useful)
INGREDIENTS: (all organic if possible)
- Medium sized banana
- 1.5 cups of filtered water
- .5 cup of berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries etc.)
- One serving of Whey Protein powder (I use about 30g, but you can adjust as needed. If you have allergies, Rice Protein powder makes a good substitute)
- 2 tbs. whole flax seed (the blender will grind it, but you can use pre-ground as well)
- 1 tbs. Maca powder
- 1 tbs. whole Chia seeds
- a handful of raw almonds
- a handful of ice (you can also freeze the berries instead)
- 1 scoop of Green Vibrance powder (this stuff is great! Can also be used by itself)
- 1 tbs. flax seed oil (I use Barleans)
- Leafy greens (such as chard, kale etc.)
- Options: a piece of raw ginger root and 1 tbs. of pure cocoa powder
Put all the ingredients into the blender, then fill the remaining space with the leafy greens. You can mix and experiment with different types of greens, adding in celery, broccoli, spinach etc. It sounds like it would taste really back, but I think you’ll be surprised at how good it tastes.
Then all you do is turn the blender on for 10 to 20 seconds. Experiment with different settings (or programs if you’re using the BlendTec. I have the older Champ model Blendtec and use program #3) and adjust to your preferred texture. I like it a bit chunky, but other people like their shakes completely smooth.
I also prefer to leave out the chia seeds until after the shake is blended, then add them in after and blend for another 2 seconds because I like the texture of the chia seeds.
I suggest you try this out for at least a week, replacing one to three regular meals with the Green Shake. They become very addicting once you get used to them.
(photo by: lowjumpingfrog )
