Mean Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 3/4 cup frozen green grapes
• 1/2 cup brewed green tea, cooled

• 1 medium ripe kiwi, peeled and chopped
• 1 sprig fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped

Directions

Add the spinach, grapes, tea, kiwi, mint and apples to the bowl of a blender. Blend until smooth, adding water if needed to get the desired consistency. Drink with a straw.

A Smoothie a Day, Keeps the Dr. Away! :)

These wellness experts share how you can drink your way to good health.

Rich in immune-boosting nutrients, a green drink a day may be the secret to keeping the doctor away this winter. "The most powerful way to up our mineral consumption is to consume a plant-based drink every day, by either blending or juicing vegetables and fruit together," says Kimberly Snyder, nutritionist and detox specialist. Green drinks get their vibrant colour from chlorophyll, a nutrient-rich pigment found in all leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, celery and lettuce, that cleans the body of harmful toxins, oxygenates the blood and helps boost energy levels.

We asked four wellness experts to share their green smoothie or juice recipes.

Kimberly Snyder's glowing green smoothie recipe

Kimberly says: "Green drinks make you feel light and energetic and, yes, they improve your appearance and help you drop the kilos!"
Ingredients

1½ cups water
1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped
½ head of large bunch or ¾ of small bunch organic spinach
3–4 stalks organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
Juice of ½ organic lemon

Optional:

1/3 bunch organic coriander (stems okay)
1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems okay)

Directions

Add the water and chopped head of romaine and spinach to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth.

Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple and pear. Add the coriander and parsley if you choose. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

Jessica Ainscough's Wellness Warrior smoothie

Jess says: "This smoothie has so many amazing benefits. It is like a nutritious meal in a glass – and it tastes amazing!"
Ingredients

3 stalks of kale (discard the tough stalk and use the leaves)
3 leaves of Cos lettuce
1 cup coconut water
1 small frozen banana
A small handful of goji berries or blueberries
1 tsp hemp seeds
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp bee pollen
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp spirulina

Directions
Add all ingredients to a blender and whiz until smooth.

Lee Holmes's body+soul green renewal juice

Lee says: "This is one of my favourite enzyme-rich green juices. It's great for providing energy, detoxifying and alkalising your body. And it's quick and easy to make, and you'll probably find all the ingredients in your vegetable crisper."
Ingredients

1 bunch English spinach
1 handful mint
1 handful parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, cut in half lengthways
A few lettuce leaves
4 celery stalks
2–3 cm (3/4–11/4 inch) knob of fresh ginger, peeled
6 ice cubes

Directions
With the motor running, feed all the ingredients except the ice cubes into a juicer one at a time. Pour into a drinking glass, add the ice cubes and sip slowly to enjoy its benefits.

Emma Sutherland's power smoothie

Emma says: "This drink will keep you going for hours and contains good levels of tryptophan, antioxidants, vitamin D, iodine and many essential nutrients for weight loss and detoxification."
Ingredients

1 cup oat milk
1 cup coconut water
1 tsp spirulina
2 tsp flaxseed meal
1 tbsp organic coconut oil
¼ cup frozen berries
1 tsp probiotics
2 tbsp organic natural yoghurt
A pinch if cinnamon —balances blood sugar levels
2 drops stevia for sweetness

Green smoothie or juice shopping list

• Spinach
• Kale
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Cucumber
• Parsley
• Mint
• Lemon

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/food+diet/nutrition/four+green+smoothie+recipes,18221

How Smoothies help you lose weight

Green smoothies help you lose weight for a variety of reasons. First of all, they are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients that you need to lose weight fast, safely and easily without feeling like you are starving or on a liquid diet.

Secondly, they help reduce your craving for sugary junk foods. Your sweet tooth is satisfied by all of the delicious, nutritious fruit you put in there while your calorie intake is kept in check because fruit and vegetables are much lower in calories, fat and sugars than any processed junk food you can splurge on.

Weight Loss Smoothie Tips

1 – Drink A Smoothie For Breakfast. I start my day, every day with a filling green smoothie using fruit, leafy greens, a scoop of protein powder and a tablespoon or two of ground flax and/or sesame seeds. I might add a couple cherry tomatoes or a stalk of celery to the mix and I’m good to go until lunchtime! You will want to make sure you add enough to your green smoothies to reach your calorie-intake goals. This might mean fortifying your shake with higher-calorie fruits like banana and mango or having a second green smoothie mid-morning.

2 – Drink A Smoothie For A Snack. Green smoothies make excellent snacks. Instead of milk and cookies, how about a blueberry-banana or coconut-pineapple shake. You’ll get fewer calories and it will be just as sweet! You’ll also get much more nutrition than milk and cookies could ever provide.

3 – Make Your Smoothie A Meal. Some of our smoothies are lower in calories than others. You can browse our smoothie recipes for healthy shakes that match your target, per-meal calorie intake or increase the calories in your smoothie by adding protein powder, ground nuts, seeds, avocado or additional, high-calorie fruits such as mango, grapes or bananas. With a complete package of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, a rich, creamy green smoothie can make a tasty, satisfying weight loss meal!

4 – Don’t Use Milk or Yogurt In Your Smoothies. Despite what the dairy industry advertises, cows milk is simply not a natural food for adult humans. Studies also suggest that drinking 3 or more glasses of milk each day might actually contribute to obesity, especially among children! Milk and yogurt add unnecessary fat and calories and have other possible negative health consequences that could undermine your health and weight loss goals. If you are concerned about calcium, most of our smoothie recipes contain at least 15% of your daily value of calcium and many contain up to 40%.

5 – Eat More Whole Foods. Eating whole foods means moving away from prepackaged, artificial foods that are loaded with sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, sodium and other preservatives, dyes and artificial flavorings as well as high fat and calorie content. The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is to shift your diet to foods that you buy along the perimeter of the grocery store. Buy the bulk of your foods from the produce section.

6 – Exercise Every Day. It doesn’t take much exercise to lose weight and maintain a lean body. Thirty minutes each day with a mix of light cardio and free weights can go a long way, especially if you add a brisk, 30 minute walk in the evenings or during your lunch break. While green smoothies and a healthy diet can help shed the pounds, exercise helps tone the body and boost your metabolism. I run and do Turbulence Training.

7 – Stop With The Fad Diets, Potions and Pills. There are some crazy fad diets out there and they all simply do not work. What does work is a sensible approach to your diet and lifestyle. Instead of depriving yourself of foods you love, use moderation. Adding green smoothies is a good start. Replace breakfast or lunch with a green smoothie and have a salad with dinner. Over time, you might find yourself gravitating toward healthier food choices like we did. The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to permanently change your lifestyle. That is why temporary fad diets do not work. Once you stop dieting, you put the pounds back on and then some. Green smoothies are not a sacrifice. They are a healthy addition to a meal or even a meal replacement. They are a lifestyle choice that you’ll enjoy every day.

8 – Get A Support System. It is extremely difficult to make a lifestyle change on your own, especially if your spouse or partner isn’t on board with your decision to cut back on fast food, pizza and ice cream. It is important to bring others on board with your weight loss or health goals and hold each other accountable. It can be hard eat a salad when others around you are eating pizza. Try to get your spouse, partner or friend to help you lose weight and make the lifestyle decision together.

9 – Commit To A Change The best way to achieve any goal, such as weight loss or fitness, is to commit yourself to it and have a plan. Our Green Smoothie Health & Weight Loss program and/or our Thriving On Raw Foods program is just such a plan that will show you how to lose weight and take control of your health with green smoothies and whole foods. Both programs provide you with expert knowledge, hundreds of recipes and answers to over 100 questions and so much more.

Read more articles and find recipes for green smoothie weight loss.

http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/ 

Blueberry Smoothies for Colds & Flu

You can’t cure the common cold, but you can shorten the duration of symptoms with vitamin C. Blueberries contain high amounts of vitamin C. Blueberry smoothies provide a good way to boost that nutrient when mixed with other natural fruit juices. Substances in blueberries also have antiviral properties shown to reduce the risk of the flu. Although you should see your doctor if you have the flu or lingering cold, blueberry smoothies may help you feel better while recovering from illness.

Ease Congestion

Drinking plenty of liquids, including water and juice, helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration when you have a cold. Taking vitamin C may not prevent colds, but consuming vitamin C before the onset of cold symptoms may shorten the time you suffer symptoms, according to MayoClinic.com. Blueberries have rich vitamin C content. The berries also contain antioxidants that strengthen the immune system and may help you fight off colds.

Boosting Smoothie Nutrition

Both frozen berries and fresh berries have equal nutrition, according to Nancy Correa-Matos of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of North Florida. However, storage and freezing berries may cause a loss of some nutrients. Correa-Matos recommends boosting vitamin C lost in frozen blueberries by mixing the blueberries with fresh citrus juice in a smoothie. Aside from vitamin C and antioxidants, blueberries also provide you with plenty of vitamin E, dietary fiber, magnesium, calcium, zinc, vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids for heart health. Zinc may have benefits in fighting a cold, MayoClinic.com notes.

Reduce Flu Risk

A substance called quercetin, found in blueberries as well as other fruits and vegetables, may help reduce the likelihood of getting the flu, according to a study published in the August 2008 issue of "AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology." The study analyzed the effects of quercetin feedings on the influenza virus in mice following stressful exercise. Quercetin may work effectively to prevent susceptibility to infection associated with stressful exercise. The researchers note that previous studies on humans show quercetin helps reduce illnesses following exhaustive exercise.

Tasty and Healthy Smoothies

A blueberry smoothie may also help your taste buds during a cold. For a healthy mixture to help ward off symptoms of a cold and provide protection from the flu, add low-fat milk, nonfat plain yogurt, frozen, unsweetened blueberries and a little bit of honey into a blender. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a physician and nutritional researcher, recommends a blueberry and flax smoothie to help boost your immune system. Include fresh or frozen blueberries along with soy milk, flax seeds and dates, mixing them in a blender.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/555575-blueberry-smoothies-for-colds-flu/#ixzz1w6h0z9iX

Happy Shake

 

344 calories, 32 grams sugar, 14.9 grams fat, 54.9 grams carbohydrates, 5.8 grams protein There’s a very good reason why it’s called the Happy Shake! Though this creamy blend tastes like a delicious dessert, it’s chock-full of veggies and fruit (like nutrient-rich spinach and blueberries), as well as super foods (like maca, cacao, and bee pollen). In fact, Stowers describes the shake as “a salad disguised as chocolate soft-serve ice cream.” She adds, “The Happy Shake is a meal replacement. It’s a key place to start when trying to lose excess weight, increase energy levels, and get healthier and happier.”
Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp. coconut oil
3-4 c. spinach
1/2-1 tbsp. raw maca powder
1 tbsp. raw cacao powder
1 tbsp. raw super green powder (i.e. Vita-Mineral Green by Health Force Nutritionals)
1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c frozen banana or cherries
A little raw honey (optional)
Directions:
In your blender or Vita-Mix, start with the base, a 1/2 c. water. Then add a good fat like 1 tbsp. coconut oil or 1 raw egg. If you are using a raw egg, you will need to adjust the amount of water. Add the greens. Use a mild-tasting green like spinach. Next, add 1/2 -1 tbsp. raw maca powder, 1 tbsp. raw cacao powder, and 1 tbsp. super raw green powder. Blend your first four ingredients into a green sludge. Your goal is to get 1 c. of it. Now you can add your 2 c. frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas).
The blending time is short. You want a creamy consistency without overblending, which will give you more of a shake-like drink instead of ice cream. Decorate your shake with raw cacao nibs, or you can top with goji berries or fresh local bee pollen.
Makes 1 serving.



http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/5-raw-food-recipes?page=2

Jillian's Banana Almond Smoothie

This is from Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism Cookbook. If you are using as a snack, it is 2 servings; as a meal it is 1.

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 cup sliced banana
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups ice cubes (about 8 cubes)

Directions

In a blender, place the banana, almond milk, almond butter, flaxseed, and vanilla. Blend until very well combined, 45-60 seconds. Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

This is not a sweet smoothie, so if you like your smoothies sweeter, add some natural sweetener (Truvia, Xylitol, etc).

Number of Servings: 2