My First Vitamix Green Smoothie :-)

Christmas has come early courtesy of my more-than-amazing husband! I seriously can’t even recall how many years it has been that I have wanted a Vitamix blender in my life. My desire (obsession) to have one recently grew along with my intent to prepare even healthier meals. I even went so far as to fall asleep on several nights with a Vitamix brochure I picked up my local Whole Foods last year and this was after having watched at least 3 or 4 videos on YouTube of folks using their Vitamix blenders at home. Crazy! I know. I have no idea what winning the lottery feels like but I can’t imagine it feels any better than the day my Vitamix arrived at my doorstep. It arrived on September 21st, 2012 at 2:14pm weighing in at 10lb 9 ounces and 20.5″ long. I wasted no time when it arrived and blended my first Vitamix green smoothie.

Ingredients were as follows (makes about 16 ounces)

• 1 cup of frozen mango
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup of plain coconut yogurt
• 2 organic kale leaves, thoroughly washed
• 6-8 ounces of filtered water

I literally just dumped all these ingredients in the Vitamix, turned it on and in less than a minute I had prepared what was the smoothest and most delicious green smoothie ever! Yes, I said it! E-V-E-R…EVER!! I’m not sure what planet I was on while drinking this smoothie but it wasn’t earth. God Bless the makers of Vitamix. It absolutely did not disappoint and hasn’t yet. I have used it every single day since then and can’t say enough great things about this kitchen appliance. My deal-finding husband purchased a refurbished one by the way and you would never know the difference (the 64 ounce container, tamper and lid are brand new). My breakfast of choice is a smoothie but now it’s always a GREEN smoothie thanks to the Vitamix.  I made green smoothies with my Ninja even though now that I own a Vitamix it does not compare. The path to a healthier lifestyle absolutely does not require a Vitamix or a Ninja, it just requires doing the best we can with what we have and know in the moment. If you can afford one though and love to make smoothies, soups, purees, nut butters, desserts, dressings etc go with a Vitamix. It doesn’t get any better.

If that wasn’t a darn good commercial for you folks at Vitamix I don’t know what is. You’re welcome 🙂

…and thanks babe! You da best.

~Happy green smoothie making!~

Here’s my baby… Isn’t she a beauty?

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Raw Breakfast Recipe: ‘Oatless’ muesli

When I am on my laptop, anyone that knows me knows I am constantly browsing the web for articles, videos and blogs that relate to living a healthier lifestyle by incorporating nutritious, delicious and lately… raw foods. I do not ascribe to any particular diet and never have. I simply eat what tastes divinely delicious, makes me feel ALIVE and what I truly believe is made with whole and preferably organic foods… most of the time. I’m human ok. Lately that has meant trying to incorporate as many raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds into my daily meals and it is so much fun! The universe must be trying to send me a sign of some sort because in my browsing adventures I have come across lots of muesli recipes. I ate muesli when I was younger every once in a while. It was pretty expensive so it was actually quite the treat to have it in the house. The truth is though that my ‘oatless’ muesli should not even be referred to as muesli because it contains none of the ingredients from Bircher-Benner’s original muesli recipe. Any combination now of oats, nuts, seeds and dried/fresh fruit seems to be referred to as muesli so here’s my ‘oatless’ muesli recipe that I created with the nuts and seeds I had in my kitchen. Please note that all nuts and seeds in this recipe are raw.

• 1/4 cup of organic almonds, roughly chopped in food processor
• 1/4 cup of cashews, roughly chopped in food processor
• 1/4 cup of walnuts, I just crushed them in my hand
• 1tbsp of sunflower seeds
• 1tbsp of pumpkin seeds
• 2 dates, finely diced
• Itbsp of dehydrated, shredded and unsweetened organic coconut flakes

Serve with cold homemade almond (or your favorite) milk and enjoy! This was so good and incredibly filling. I can’t wait to make this again.

Juice Recipe #18: My ‘Everything’ GREEN Juice

So after creating an ‘everything’ juice last week that was really delicious I was obviously inspired to make an ‘everything’ green juice. I had an abundance of green fruits and vegetables in the fridge and got to work as soon as the idea came to me. While the first ‘everything’ juice was AMAZING and so was this one, I don’t think I’ll be doing this too often. I love my kitchen, it is by far my favorite space in my home, but like with anything else I prepare I prefer to be in and out so spending lots of time preparing lots of different fruits and vegetables for juicing is not my cup of tea. I like to keep it simple! (and spend more time drinking/eating my creations). One of the many things I am most grateful for since I started this blog is that it has truly inspired me to get more creative with my juicing and to overall live a healthier life. I hope it does the same for you. Even if you never make your own ‘everything’ green juice, I dare you to find healthier, new and exciting ways to prepare meals/juices for you and your family. You might really love what you come up with 🙂 and your body will thank you for it.

Here are the ingredients for my ‘everything’ green juice, all organic: Cilantro, Bok Choy, Kale, Green apple, Lemon, Kiwi, Romaine Lettuce, Mixed baby greens, Cucumber, Celery, Pear and Broccoli. Yeah, I know… I went way overboard! I had about 60 or so ounces of green juice. This juice is alkalinizing and filled with phytochemicals, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, light energy and minerals. I can’t imagine a more nutritious way to start the day.

~Keep Juicing and Enjoy!~

Juice Recipe #17: My ‘Everything’ Juice

I woke up this past Saturday morning and was doing my usual browsing on YouTube for inspiring juicing videos when I came across a video titled Juice Recipe for Perfect Health and Radiant Beauty. I really enjoy watching the Life Regenerator’s videos on YouTube and was particularly inspired by it. In the video he makes his own ‘everything’ juice because he’s moving (I have got to learn how to add videos to this blog! I’m such a newbie). I enjoy juicing any time of day and any day of the week but my absolute favorite is on a Saturday morning. Interestingly enough, this is how my mother juices ALL the time. She has no rhyme or reason to her juice ‘recipes’. She literally just throws whatever she has in her fridge into her juicer and somehow creates pretty tasty concoctions. I have absolutely never made a juice before with so many ingredients or as I’m calling it… an ‘everything’-I-have-in-my-fridge juice. I had lots of fruits and veggies that were super ripe so this was the perfect excuse to juice and then go grocery shopping!

Here are my ingredients and pictures of the finished product. Of course I had beets so the final product red.

My ingredients included: beets, carrots, broccoli, celery, apples, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon and grapes. I made 72 ounces of juice that I spent the next day and a half drinking. Yum 🙂

         

The best part about my ‘everything’ juice is that it ended up tasting EXACTLY like the tree tomato fruit which I have never seen here in the US but grew up eating and enjoying in Kenya. It tastes sweet, tart and sour all at the same time. Is tart and sour the same thing? LOL! I have no idea. Anyway,  It was a beautiful and nostalgic moment when I tasted my juice. It reminded me of the abundant and wonderful childhood I had as I was always surrounded by the freshest tasting fruits and vegetables. Until the time comes when I can go back ‘home’ and enjoy a tree tomato fruit and more importantly the company of my friends and extended family I will have my ‘everything’ juice. Thank God for my ‘everything’ juice.

~Juice ‘everything’ and enjoy!~

Juice Recipe #16: Tropical Bliss

So, I was sitting at home tonight feeling sad for two reasons. One, I totally forgot my husband had a school-related dinner at an uber-fancy restaurant, he actually took me there for my b-day dinner earlier this year. I was really looking forward to spending some quality time with him tonight. Second, we (my husband and I) haven’t been on a vacation together for… hmmm… can’t remember when we last vacationed so it must be never or a very long time ago. So, I took these two sucky feelings and decided to juice them.

I juice when I’m mad,

I juice when I’m glad,

and I juice when I wanna be on a beach so bad!

That’s about as poetic as I’ve ever been. Anyway, I took to the kitchen with these emotions and created a juice recipe that literally transported me to an island far far away with white sand, clear waters and a bright blue sky.

Here’s the recipe to experience Tropical Bliss wherever you are

• Half a pineapple, peeled (do not core)
• 2 kiwis, peeled
• 1/2 a lime with the peel

~Juice and be transported too…~

Smoothie Recipe #3: Peaches, Blueberries and Banana Protein Smoothie

I was leaving the house yesterday around 12noon and I knew I would get hungry while I was out and about running errands. I did not want to succumb to temptation so I  made a smoothie with a combination of fruits I haven’t used before and I actually was *insert corniness* dancing up and down from how delicious it was. Y’all know what I mean right? That moment when  you taste what you’ve made and you just know you’ve hit the jackpot. Well, that’s exactly what I experienced with this smoothie but I think I’ll be adding some spinach to it next time for an extra nutrient packed smoothie. Here’s the recipe.

• 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 frozen banana
• 3/4 cup of sliced frozen peaches
• 1 scoop of my sunwarrior vanilla raw vegan protein 
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed

~Blend and Enjoy!~

Juice Recipe #15: Body Cleanser by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane

Here is the fourth and final new recipe I made today and I think it’s my favorite out of all four. I really love juices with beets, so that has everything to do with why it’s my favorite today and the rich deep red color is beautiful in this glass. We’re not wine drinkers in my house so I think it’s pretty funny that all our fancy glasses are pretty much used only for my juices. So what fancy meal would you pair this juice with?

Body Cleanser

• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 beet
• 1/2 apple, seeded
• 4 carrots, greens removed

Did I forget to mention that this juice tastes A-M-A-Z-I-N-G?  Don’t take my word for it though, go ahead and make one for yourself but please don’t forget to come back and let me know what you think. Thanks again to Cherie and Maureen!

~Juice and Enjoy!~

Recipe from Juicing for Life by Cherie Calbom, M.S. and Maureen Keane, M.S., C.N.

Juice Recipe #14: Fruit Salad Cocktail by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane

Here’s the third new recipe I made today. It’s all fruit and was insanely sweet so I’m not so sure if I’ll be making it again. I really love all things sweet but this one was actually too sweet for me. If I do make it again, I might use 1/2 a lemon, a whole lemon or even dilute it with water which I’ve never done before with any juice I’ve made. I think it would actually be great as a base for a real cocktail… but let’s not go there!

Fruit Salad Cocktail

• 1 medium-sized bunch of grapes
• 1/2 an apple, seeded
• 1/4 lemon, with or without peel

~Happy Juicing!~

Juice Recipe #13: Evening Regulator by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane

Here’s the second new juice I made today from Juicing for Life by Cherie Calbom, M.S. and Maureen Keane, M.S., C.N.

Evening Regulator

• 2 organic apples, seeded
• 1 organic pear

This recipe is simple and sweet! It’s fantastic over ice. I have actually developed an affinity for my veggie juices so I consider my all-fruit juices a treat and try not to make them too often but when I do boy do I enjoy them. 🙂

~Happy Juicing!~

Juice Recipe #12: Garden Salad Special by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane

The one and only juicing recipe book I own is Juicing For Life By Cherie Calbom, M.S. and Maureen Keane, M.S., C.N. I purchased this book around the same time I bought my juicer in December of 2008. I loved and used this book quite a bit in the beginning of my juicing journey but had since forgotten about it. I dusted it off this morning and decided to find new recipes that I’ve never made before. Before I knew it, my grocery list was pretty long and I was back home clicking away with my camera in awe of both the taste and beauty of the juices. Thanks Cherie! Thanks Maureen! I made 4 new recipes today and will be making more this weekend. Here’s the first…

Garden Salad Special

• 3 broccoli florets
• 1 garlic clove
• 4-5 carrots or 2 tomatoes
• 2 stalks of celery 
• 1/2 green bell pepper

It made about 12 ounces of juice. I made my juice with 5 carrots but will be making it with 2 tomatoes next time to see what that tastes like. I managed to find and use the organic variety of carrots, celery, garlic and bell peppers. Go with organic whenever you can especially with celery and bell peppers. To be honest I probably used way more broccoli than the recipe calls for, 3 broccoli florets sounded way too little and it still tasted great.

~Happy Juicing!~