It's starting to get warm again here in Texas. It's that time of the year when I stop wanting my hot coffee and start wanting something cool and refreshing.
I happen to love fruit smoothies, but when you buy them at somewhere like Jamba Juice, there is a lot of sugar and not a lot of nutritional value in there. Don't believe me? Here's a list of the ingredients in some of their basic smoothies.
http://www.jambajuice.com/menu-and-nutrition/menu/smoothies/classic-smoothies
Sherbert? Dairy base? 300 calories for a small smoothie?
The vegetable smoothie has been catching on, and I was reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. But I tried it, and I am here to tell you, it can be done. And it can be done well.
Yes, you do have to start with a green, leafy base. For my first foray, I used spinach. Don't be stingy with it! I included three large handfuls of fresh, organic, raw spinach. That dark green color? That means it is chock full of nutrients.
Then, add a cup of orange juice. Avoid sugary orange juice drinks that have a lot of sugar. In fact, go for a juice that has only one ingredient: oranges. I like a full pulp version that was fresh squeezed that day. It's available in my local grocery store. Is it more expensive than Tropicana? Yes. It is fresh, preservative free, and ten times more delicious? Yes, yes, and yes.
Now toss in five sliced up strawberries. You guessed it... organic.
Blend for a bit. Pro tip, you will break your blender if you start blending with the tough stuff like ice.
After you've smoothed our your mixture - mine was a pinky green color - toss in a stalk or two of chopped up organic celery. The flavor of celery brings a really lovely fresh taste to the smoothie. It also has a lot of fiber to encourage digestive health!
Blend again, and then pop it in a cup and enjoy! A smoothie like this packs a major punch when it comes to the daily quota of veggies. The more celery and spinach you toss in there, the better! It's low calorie, nutrient dense, and oh so delicious.
How delicious, you ask? So delicious that I already can't wait to try a new combo for breakfast tomorrow!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
I can't do that Paleo thing.
Recently, I have been hearing a lot about how great this diet is, or how great that diet is. All these conflicting opinions and strict rules make me just want to give up and eat some ice cream. Take Paleo, for example.
Paleo, also called the "Caveman Diet," mandates that its adherents eat lots of meat and vegetables, while cutting out all dairy and gluten. It also recommends that you limit fruits to cut down on sugar. I tried to stick to it for a week, and by the middle of the week I drove to my local Co-Op and bought some Greek yogurt and two wedges of cheese. That first bite of dairy tasted like home, and I knew Paleo wasn't for me. People who can stick to that full time are robots, and probably soulless.
The logic behind Paleo is that most humans are lactose intolerant. Well, most humans may be, but I am not. I am a Norwegian who grew up in the Netherlands. Dairy is not just a component of my people's diets, it is a cultural icon.
But something about the Paleo diet stuck with me. Namely, it was the sheer amount of vegetables I was forced to eat to feel full without carbohydrates or dairy. I did some research into the benefits of eating a high volume of vegetables, and it left me - pardon the pun - hungry for more.
I will admit, I am not a green-and-leafy girl. I'm also not a fan of diets. But if there's one thing I can't resist, it's a challenge. And to me, cheese worshipper, a plant based diet is a serious challenge.
So, here are the guidelines.
Mountains of vegetables. Lots of fruit. Some dairy and meat. Limited gluten. Low sugar.
When possible, organic & local.
And of course, most of all... tasty.
Let me stress: this is not a diet. It's not about sticking to strict rules. It's not about seeing how few calories I can consume or how much weight I lose. It's about putting as much good stuff into my body as possible... stuff like spinach and strawberries.
Paleo, also called the "Caveman Diet," mandates that its adherents eat lots of meat and vegetables, while cutting out all dairy and gluten. It also recommends that you limit fruits to cut down on sugar. I tried to stick to it for a week, and by the middle of the week I drove to my local Co-Op and bought some Greek yogurt and two wedges of cheese. That first bite of dairy tasted like home, and I knew Paleo wasn't for me. People who can stick to that full time are robots, and probably soulless.
The logic behind Paleo is that most humans are lactose intolerant. Well, most humans may be, but I am not. I am a Norwegian who grew up in the Netherlands. Dairy is not just a component of my people's diets, it is a cultural icon.
But something about the Paleo diet stuck with me. Namely, it was the sheer amount of vegetables I was forced to eat to feel full without carbohydrates or dairy. I did some research into the benefits of eating a high volume of vegetables, and it left me - pardon the pun - hungry for more.
I will admit, I am not a green-and-leafy girl. I'm also not a fan of diets. But if there's one thing I can't resist, it's a challenge. And to me, cheese worshipper, a plant based diet is a serious challenge.
So, here are the guidelines.
Mountains of vegetables. Lots of fruit. Some dairy and meat. Limited gluten. Low sugar.
When possible, organic & local.
And of course, most of all... tasty.
Let me stress: this is not a diet. It's not about sticking to strict rules. It's not about seeing how few calories I can consume or how much weight I lose. It's about putting as much good stuff into my body as possible... stuff like spinach and strawberries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)