It's sooooo easy being green!

Early on into my switch to a vegan diet, I started having smoothies. One of my nieces had given me a blender (she got several extras for her wedding) and I used and abused that puppy into near oblivion trying to concoct the perfect fruit smoothie. I was using all frozen fruits, bananas, berries and a bit of water, but soon switched to almond milk after watching a video of Chef A.J. and Julieanna Hever. For more info on the Chef and the Dietician videos, click here (these two women rock the kazbah). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JMjQKt0_90 (In this episode, they show you how to make almond and other milks).

(And, in case you want to hear The Clash rock the casbah, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wHLoErB8Po)

I began experimenting and at the same time was researching ph and was discovering just how acidic our bodies become on the standard American diet (SAD). {I think that acronym is positively perfect as it is truly sad that Americans are as unhealthy as we are, given all of our resources}. I began to put serious effort into adding more greens to my diet.

The daily smoothie is a perfect and easy place to sneak in a few greens and over a period of time, I began adding more and more greens to my smoothies, starting with raw spinach and eventually working up to a healthy helping of the true superfood: kale!

My niece's blender could not keep up, so I gave that one away and abandoned all financial self-restraint and bought Viv, my Vitamix. I will have to do a separate post on Viv....she is my new BFF and a huge asset to anyone who wants to pursue a plant-based diet. (For more info on Vitamix blenders, click here: https://secure.vitamix.com/acb/stores/4/Vitamix-5200-with-48-oz-Container-and-bonus-101-Blender-Drinks-book-by-Kim-Haasarud-P2333C108.aspx).



Since then, vegan life has been much easier and I now think it was ridiculous to question spending that amount of money on my health! Funny how we will put so many things in front of our health, when that is truly our greatest asset.

These days, I've settled into a pattern for my smoothies. I start with water and throw in some almonds and let them soak for a few minutes (sometimes, will soak them over night, toss the soak water and add new). To this I add some ground flax seed or chia and blend briefly. I put in about one and a half frozen bananas (I love getting them at the local IGA for a ridiculously low price because they are 'over-ripe'---the cashier always asks if I am making banana bread). To this I add frozen fruit de jour....most of the time I favor berries, but Trader Joe's has decent prices on frozen mango and sometimes I will go for a combination of mango and strawberries...serious yum. I usually toss in a few dates as well. I let Viv blend that up for me and then I stuff in what is getting to be more and more greenery: BIG handful of raw spinach and same of kale. It comes out something like this:







This is also a great way to use up things in the frig that are threatening to become science experiments if left on their own....I love not being wasteful....I think the saved money from NOT throwing away food will easily pay for Viv....and of course, continued good health.....priceless.
Sue, truly green, in Ohio