Healthy (and Delicious) Smoothies
I’m hooked and in love…...with smoothies! Why you might ask? Smoothies are the ultimate way to jam-pack as much nutrition as possible into one drink. It can be the perfect quick and healthy meal that is full of vitamins and minerals when using a combination of whole foods such as vegetables and fruit. For me, I love adding different leafy greens and fiber-rich fruit. With kids, if they are not keen on vegetables, it’s super easy to sneak handfuls of spinach into these smoothies without them even detecting it since it has such a mild flavor yet is a nutritional powerhouse. I just recently purchased a Nutribullet and absolutely love the convenience of it. It blends a smoothie in seconds and is super easy to clean. Another great option is a Vitamix blender which is multi-functional and can be used for many different things.
Medical Medium: Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie
Photo: MedicalMedium.com
Several years ago when I was diagnosed with shingles, my friend Eydie @gardenofeydie reached out to me with a smoothie recipe from Medical Medium. She told me that the recipe was full of ingredients that would help me with healing and getting the virus out of my body, and to this day, I’m convinced that it did play a big part (thank you, Eydie!) Recently, I purchased several of his books and have found them quite interesting and full of all different kinds of information related to health and nutrition. To find out more, go to The Medical Medium’s website and check it out.
This smoothie from Medical Medium is satisfying, delicious and contains many healing ingredients! Medical Medium says that we are all exposed to heavy toxic metals in some way, shape or form which affects our organs and can cause or contribute to countless health symptoms and conditions. If we get a virus, the heavy metals feed on it and make it manifest.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of frozen wild blueberries (I buy organic frozen wild blueberries at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s)
1 cup cilantro
1 tsp spirulina
1 Tbsp Atlantic dulse
2 bananas
1 orange
1 cup water (optional)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
1 cup spinach leaves, or however much you like
Juice of ½ lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the bananas, blueberries, cilantro, barley grass juice powder, spirulina, and dulse with the juice of one orange in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Add spinach and lemon if desired.
Add up to 1 cup of water if a thinner consistency is desired.
Serve and enjoy!
Our society often turns to our medicine cabinet to heal the things that ail us. And while I am not debating the efficacy of pharmaceutical solutions, I am suggesting that we often overlook some of the things that are found in nature with hundreds of thousands of years of proven reliability to help us. What I really like about the Medical Medium is that in addition to providing recipes to assist you in curing certain ailments, he also explains WHY each ingredient is included and what healing properties it contains. I think it’s important to educate ourselves on what we put into our bodies. You know the old expression, “You are what you eat”. I truly believe that! I have included below the exact description of the main ingredients and what purpose they serve directly from the Medical Medium’s website:
Wild blueberries: Draw heavy metals out of your brain tissue, healing and repairing any gaps created by oxidation when the heavy metals are removed. The potent antioxidants in wild blueberries help reverse any oxidative damage left behind by the heavy metal removal.
Barley grass juice extract powder: Has the ability to draw heavy metals out of your spleen, intestinal tract, pancreas, thyroid, and reproductive system. Barley grass juice extract prepares mercury for complete absorption by spirulina.
Spirulina: Draws out heavy metals from your brain, central nervous system, and liver, and soaks up heavy metals extracted by barley grass juice extract powder.
Cilantro: Goes deep into hard-to-reach places, extracting metals from yesteryear.
Atlantic dulse: Binds to mercury, lead, aluminum, copper, cadmium, and nickel. Atlantic dulse goes into deep, hidden places of the digestive tract and gut, seeking out mercury, binding to it, and never releasing it until it leaves the body. Atlantic dulse also serves as an emergency backup, helping ensure that all the heavy metals that make it as far as the colon actually leave the body.
Photo: Kimberly Snyder - mysolluna.com
Kimberly is a highly sought-after nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution. Her glowing green smoothie recipe contains a special ratio that combines the ingredients, 70% mineral-rich dark leafy greens, 30%vitamin-packed high-fiber whole fruit, and detoxifying fresh lemon juice in the most beneficial way for the best nutrition and results. The GGS is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, high-quality amino acids (which build protein), and countless other phytonutrients that work together to prevent and repair damage in your body and boost rejuvenation, with the intent to look and feel your best!
INGREDIENTS:
7 cups chopped spinach (about a medium bunch)
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about 1 small head)
2 cups cold filtered water
1-½ cups chopped celery (about 2 medium stalks)
1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium pear, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium banana, peeled and cut in thirds
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup minced fresh cilantro (stems are okay) (optional)
½ cup minced fresh parsley (stems are okay) (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Fill the blender with 2 cups of water.
Blend the spinach and romaine until smooth.
Add the celery, apple, pear, and herbs (if using) and blend again until smooth.
Finally, add the lemon juice and banana, and do your last blend.
Serves 4
Photo: ToneItUp.com
The Tone It Up girls (Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn) have been educating and inspiring women about fitness and healthy eating for over a decade now. They are known far and wide for their various workout routines and their nutritional meal plans. On their website and social media channels they sometimes share some of their recipes for free. I highly recommend checking them out! If you’re looking for a great post-workout smoothie, look no further! Using their Tone It Up vegan protein powder helps your body recover and build lean, strong muscle. It also creates hormones that regulate sleep and satiety, keeps your hair fab, and so much more! This is a great smoothie because it gives people choices to cater to their taste buds. Choosing from the categories below, choose your favorite items or the items you have in your home, blend, and enjoy!!
GET YOUR BASE GOING:
1 scoop Perfect Fit Protein
1 cup liquid (almond milk, coconut water, coconut milk, cashew milk, hazelnut milk, hemp milk, coffee or water)
If using espresso, use 1 - 2 shots + 1 cup liquid!
FRUITS:
½ frozen banana, pre-sliced + up to 1-½ cups frozen fruit
Example - raspberries (high in fiber!), mango, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, acai (half-packed) pitaya (half-packed)
GREENS & VEGGIES:
As many as you like!
We usually add about 1 cup if we add it in ;)
Example - spinach, kale, parsley, cucumber
NUT BUTTER:
One of the following for additional protein and healthy fats!
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp cashew butter
FLAVORINGS:
For an extra boost, add one of the following!
1 - 2 tsp diced fresh ginger
1 - 2 tsp diced fresh turmeric
1 - 2 drops extracts (mint, vanilla, almond, peppermint, lemon)
½ cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
BOOSTERS:
For added nutrient value, add 1-2 of the following!
½ ts powdered spirulina or chlorella
1 tsp maca
2 tsp hemp seed
1 tsp chia seed
1 tsp flax seed
TOPPINGS:
Choose 1-2 toppings!
1 Tbsp cacao nibs
1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp chia seeds
¼ cup favorite fruit
1 tsp bee pollen
Photo: Goop.com
One of my favorite things about smoothies is that they are a great way to incorporate superfoods into your daily diet. Would I normally have a natural way to add chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds into my diet? That would be a no. However, a smoothie like this one is a great way to get them all in a smoothie that tastes like a dessert.
INGREDIENTS:
⅓ cup frozen cherries
⅓ cup frozen cauliflower florets
1 date, pitted
1 teaspoon hemp seeds
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon flax seeds
2 teaspoons raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 pinch Himalayan sea salt
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until smooth, adding more water if needed to reach your desired consistency.
As I said earlier, I highly recommend checking out the Medical Medium’s website to look into certain foods and herbs that you can take (In addition to whatever else you’re doing) to help your body heal from a variety of ailments. However, even if you’re just looking for a convenient way to consume more veggies or nutrients, there is a smoothie out there for you!
Happy Blending!
xx Barbara