Archives for posts with tag: smoothie

A Heat-Beating Treat

December 31, 2009 //
2

While the folks back home in New England are buried under masses of snow, here in Melbourne we’ve had three high-30 degree days in a row. To keep cool and nourished, I’m drinking this:

Come here glass of yumminess, I'm going to drink you...

It’s a banana-date-almond frostilicious glass of cold creamy joy. Takes about 1 minute to make, so it’s perfect for a hot day when even moving is an effort. You could also add any superfood powders that you like for an extra boost.

Banana-Date-Almond Frostilicious

Serves 1

1 frozen banana

4-5 dates, pitted

small handful of almonds

water

Chop the frozen banana into a few pieces. Toss it in the blender with the pitted dates, almonds, and enough water to cover. Blend until smooth.

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Categories Recipes

Oreo Milkshake

June 24, 2008 //
1

Just in case my oreo pie recipe didn’t clue you in, I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret. I love oreos. In my pre-raw days, I used to indulge in a box of these seemingly innocent little biscuits more often than I’d like to admit. I say seemingly innocent because in advertisements, they are always being eaten by sweet little children, joyfully dunking their sandwich cookies in tall glasses of creamy milk.

Now I know that the biscuits are made of white flour and a dozen other nasty ingredients that I’m not keen to ingest, and I don’t even want to contemplate how they make that cream. But the flavor and texture combination is just so good! Hence, my desire to recreate the oreo experience in a healthy, natural form. Or shall I say forms. Because an oreo pie is great for a special occasion, but it’s not something I’m going to whip up for my inner child for an after school (or work) snack.

And so, the oreo milkshake was born. It can be made in under 15 minutes – perfect for an indulgent afternoon snack. The hardest part is opening the young coconut, but once you’ve done it a few times it will only take you a few minutes. If you want to try this recipe and it’s your first coconut, I suggest reading up on how to open a young coconut.

Furthermore, this delicious milkshake is full of nutritional goodness and will leave you positively bursting with energy. Coconut water is among the most hydrating substances on earth, so it will really give your body a boost that you will feel instantly. Raw cacao is full of antioxidants, magnesium, and natural mood elevators (think dopamine, seratonin, anandamine, phenylethylamine, and MAO inhibitors). Yes, there’s a reason human beings love eating chocolate: it makes us feel bliss and well-being. I eat it at least once a day, but in its natural, more potent and less adulterated form. The milkshake also contains vanilla bean, which is also associated with feelings of well-being, gogi berries which are high in antioxidants, agave nectar which contains many trace minerals and is a low-GI sweetener, and coconut oil, a great healing oil that is good for the skin and associated with weight loss. Talk about a super snack!

Oreo cookies and a glass of milk have nothing on this milkshake.

Oreo Milkshake
(serves 2)
1 young coconut
1/2 vanilla bean
2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
2 Tbsp gogi berries
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar, or to taste

Open the coconut and pour the liquid into a powerful blender. Scrape the soft coconut flesh out with a spoon and add to the blender. Add the 1/2 vanilla bean, cacao powder, gogi berries, coconut oil and agave nectar. Blend on high until all the ingredients are fully combined.

Garnish with dried shredded coconut and cacao nibs, if desired. Drink, enjoy, and feel the energy!

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Categories Recipes, Superfoods

On Top of the World!

May 26, 2008 //
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I’ve been detoxing for the past week. Meaning I’ve given up alcohol, coffee, and cooked foods entirely for 30 days, as well as taking a natural liver cleansing pill. Man, do I feel great! The first few days were difficult, to say the least. I developed a headcold, felt tired and irritable, and generally hated the world and everyone in it. But once I got past that hurdle, say about day 5, I started to feel really amazing. Really calm, clear, energetic and positive.

Today is the end of day 8, and it just keeps getting better. I’d say that the world is conspiring in my favor, but the truth is more complex. The fact is, I am conspiring in my own favor. I’ve been doing such nice things for myself! I took myself camping on Saturday night, went for a lovely solitary walk at dawn on Sunday morning, attended an inspirational raw food workshop on Sunday afternoon (more to come on that), spent the day pampering myself today, made myself some beautiful raw chocolate delight this afternoon, and participated in an outstanding David Roche yoga class tonight.

On top of that, I’ve been really digging into the Green Smoothie Challenge. I’ve been experimenting with greater quantities of green smoothies, simpler smoothies (more fruit and greens, less additionals), and savory green smoothies/soups. This has been fantastic on top of the rest of my totally raw detox diet.

I’ve been doing some reading on food photography, so keep tuned in and I’ll provide you with some more fun raw recipes and, hopefully, increasingly more drool-worthy photos. For now, here are a few more green smoothie recipes that I love:

Savory Green Smoothie Soup
5 stalks of spinach
1/2 bunch dill
1/4 avocado
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 large lemon
1 cup water (for soup) or 2 cups water (for smoothie)

Blend! I prefer to make this thick, with only 1 cup of water, and to eat it with a spoon as a soup. It makes a quite filling evening meal for me. You could make it thinner and drink it from a glass like a normal smoothie if that appeals to you more.

Caramel Green Smoothie
1 pear
2 apples (sweet varieties)
2 kiwis
1/2 head romaine/cos
a few sprigs coriander
2 Tbsp mesquite powder
1-2 tsp honey
2 cups water

Blend! If you’re not familiar with mesquite, it is a beautiful powder made of ground up seed pods of the mesquite tree, and is a traditional Native American food. It has a caramel-molasses flavor – sweet, but low GI, so good for balancing blood sugar. Combined with the greens and fruit here, it should keep you going for hours! Add the honey to taste, depending how much of a sweet tooth you have (if you’re like me, you will want the full 2 tsp, as I can’t get enough honey – luckily we have many varieties of locally-produced raw honey here in SA).

Raw Chocolate Delight
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp raw, cold-pressed coconut oil
1 tsp raw, cold-pressed honey

I like to make this in winter, when my coconut oil is solid at room temperature. Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, and mash it around with a spoon until it comes together into a paste. Eat, enjoy the rich dark chocolate flavor and frosting texture, and in about 10 minutes, you will feel total bliss and lots of energy that should keep going for at least an hour. A great energy boost, smoother than coffee, and a real treat for chocoholics. Not to mention that raw cacao is packed with nutrition, as is coconut oil. Pretty amazing that something can taste so satisfying, make you feel so wonderful, and be so healthy.

 

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Categories Recipes

The Green Smoothie Challenge

May 21, 2008 //
0

I am a Green Goddess.

That’s right, I eat my greens and I love ‘em. Can’t get enough. And the beautiful thing is, most of the time my greens don’t taste like, well, greens. That’s the beauty of green smoothies.

The concept of the green smoothie is simple: 40% greens, 60% fruit, water, blended. The idea was pioneered by Victoria Boutenko, a darling of the raw foods movement who possesses profound insight into health, nutrition, and well-being. She claims that human beings do not eat enough greens (we don’t), and that green smoothies are a more palatable way to consume them (they are). Furthermore, she champions the green smoothie over the green juice because the smoothie allows us to consume all that lovely insoluble fiber that keeps our digestive system moving.

I’ve been drinking green smoothies for a while now, but today is a very special time in the life of green goddesses (and gods) everywhere because it heralds the start of the Green Smoothie Challenge. This is a project that encourages people to drink a green smoothie every day for 2 weeks and track their progress. Anyone can take part, no matter where you live, and be part of this virtual community of green smoothie drinkers (read: veggie freaks). Even if you’re not raw, I highly recommend trying these drinks out, as they give you a real energy boost and make you feel amazingly alive. As my friend Brad said recently, it’s like consuming a little bit of the garden. You feel more connected to the earth.

I don’t have any photos to post, mostly because on work days I like to add a heaped teaspoon of raw cacao powder to my GS’s so they end up coming out a rather unattractive shade of brown. But they taste yummy, and I drink them out of what used to be my special coffee mug but is now my special smoothie mug, so I can’t really see the color anyhow.

My verdict is that, in contradiction to Kermit the Frog’s sentiments, it IS easy being green. Here’s a few recipes to try – they make great breakfasts or afternoon snacks.

Jayson’s Favorite Fruity Brekkie Smoothie
1 ripe banana
1/2 fresh mango
1/4 cup fresh pineapple
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp raw almond butter
1 cup greens
1 cup filtered water

Blend and drink up!

Ultimate Get-Me-Through-Dinner-Shift Chocolaty Smoothie
2 bananas
1 cup greens
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp honey
1 cup water

Blend and drink up!

Vanilla Pear Smoothie
2-3 ripe pears
1 cup greens
dash of vanilla extract, or section of vanilla bean seeds
1-2 sweet Cali dates
1 cup water

Blend and drink up!

The best thing about green smoothies is that there are no rules. Just toss whatever fresh fruit and whatever sort of leavy greens you have on hand into a blender with water and go.

Okay – get blending!

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Categories Recipes