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What books are you reading?

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40hz:
@Deozan - what's a green smoothie?  :huh:

ewemoa:
Visual Example of Green Smoothie In This Image

The ones I had were often darker :)

Deozaan:
@Deozan - what's a green smoothie?  :huh:
-40hz (June 01, 2010, 10:00 PM)
--- End quote ---

Basically, it's a bunch of fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens (and sometimes other healthy things, like some seeds, nuts, oils and natural sweeteners like honey, agave, or stevia) blended together into a liquid drink, with the consistency of a smoothie. As ewemoa said, they don't always come out green, it really depends on the ingredients you put in. But the idea behind it (I'm guessing) is you can get a really good tasting smoothie that's full of things you might otherwise not care for. Like I said, it's about 15 servings of fruits & veggies in one smoothie, which beats the Food Pyramid's recommendation of 9 per day.

Here's an example green smoothie recipe from the book:
SpoilerTip: For beginners and those trying to convert children, consider using LESS greens and MORE fruit (especially berries and bananas) in the beginning, gradually working up to a 50/50 ratio as described here. Use just the mild flavors in this transition phase, like spinach, kale, collards, and chard. With kids, consider using only spinach the first few days, then gradually sneak in the other mild but excellent greens (chard, collards, and kale). Add other savory or bitter greens only when your family are “experts” in green smoothies! Add a bit more water if you feel the smoothie is too thick.


* 1. Put 2 C filtered water in the high-power blender.
* 2. Optionally, add:

* ¾-1 tsp. stevia (herbal sweetener) or 1/3 C agave syrup (low glycemic index)
* ¼ whole lemon, including peel (anti-skin cancer, high in flavanoids)
* 2-3 Tbsp. fresh, refrigerated flaxseed oil (Omega-3-rich oil)
* 3. Gradually add the following greens until briefly puréed and the mixture comes up to the 5-cup line (or less, if you are “converting”), and then purée the mixture for 90 seconds until very smooth.

* ¾-1 lb. raw, washed greens:

* spinach, chard, kale, collards (your mainstays)
* turnip, mustard, dandelion greens, arugula (use more sparingly, as they are spicy or bitter)
* lettuces and beet greens (also good—use freely)
* avocado or cabbage or 1-2 stalks celery (try, to see if you enjoy their inclusion)
* edible weeds from unsprayed fields (For the adventurous! Purslane has a mild flavor and vines are along the ground everywhere. Use stronger flavors of lambsquarter leaves [not the woody stems], morning glory, and thistle sparingly.)
* 4. Gradually add the following fruit until the container is very full, then blend for 90 seconds or until smooth:

* 1-2 bananas (for a creamy texture and sweetness)
* 1-2 C frozen mixed berries (tastes wonderful and makes the smoothie purple rather than green)
* any other fruit to taste: our favorites are pears and peaches, but can also use apples, oranges, apricots,
* cantaloupe (with seeds—very high in antioxidants!), mango, pineapple, anything!
Makes approx. 8 C of 100% raw smoothie.

The more frozen fruit, the tastier your smoothie will be—and your high-power blender can handle it! You can
save your smoothie in the fridge for up to two days—just shake well before drinking.

EDIT: The one above is probably a recipe for those who have been drinking them for a while. Maybe this one would be better to start with:

Anyone will enjoy this easy first-timer’s concoction, including children and those with finicky tastes!

* 1¾ C water
* 1 Tbsp. honey or agave
* 1 10-oz. bag spinach
* 1 banana (preferably frozen in chunks)
* 2 C frozen mixed berries
* 1 peach, pear, apple, or orange
* Blend all until very smooth. Pour in glasses and enjoy, or refrigerate for up to 48 hours, shaking well before serving. Makes about 3 pints.
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Deozaan:
We received the blender this morning and made our first smoothie. This is what went into it:

What books are you reading?

Looks like some Zuchini, Collard Greens, Chard, Frozen Mixed berries (Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries), a Pear, and some water.

The blender has a smoothie setting, and it only took 12 seconds to blend! YES! Our old blender wouldn't blend and we'd have to try to tamp it down and it still wouldn't work and it would take sometimes 10-15 minutes just to get a smoothie made because it wasn't powerful enough to blend the ingredients.

It tasted slightly bitter which made us realize that we forgot to put honey in it. So we put in about a tablespoon or two of honey, a small handful of flax seeds, and a few frozen mango chunks.

This is what it looked like (some had already been poured out):

What books are you reading?

It's not green at all! Kind of a dark reddish/orange-ish/brownish color with a pleasant taste. Looks like the average color of the berries mixed together.

EDIT: Corrected ingredient list.

Darwin:


Currently reading Greg Bear's "Blood Music". I'm on a sci-fi/fantasy kick of late. Recently, I've read all of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels, Greg Bear's The Infinity Concerto and The Serpent Mage (together known as Songs of Earth and Power), and Jack L. Chaulker's Changewinds series.

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