Oh, that sophomore slump. Broken blenders, emergency kale runs in the middle of the night, and smoothie challenge participants suffering from lost momentum. We are at day 15, exactly that middle point of the Amanda Brooks Run to the Finish Green Smoothie Challenge, and as much as I love my green smoothies, have woken up to a green smoothie every morning for a period of time that spans beyond this challenge, I've had a few moments where it wasn't easy being green.
It has not been easy for my blender, either, which took its last breath on Thursday morning, from what I can only describe as green smoothie overexposure.
My blender has been replaced. Is this one tough enough to hack it? Only time will tell.
The good news is that my merry band of green smoothie drinkers has ballooned to 18 participants! We roll call every morning on my personal Facebook page (because my Blog page would not let me tag the participants by name. Oh, Facebook…why do you have to complicate things so…). Anyone is welcome to join in our daily forum. I'm serious! Hop on over to my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ilene.k.evans
The smoothie roll call is always a public post.
The buzz talk among my smoothie drinking friends is prep and cleanup time, which has been a bit of a de-motivating factor for some. When she posted this on Facebook, my other smoothie drinking friends jumped into the discussion quickly to offer suggestions. People advised she save time, by prepping or chopping fruits and veggies in advance, and placing pre-measured ingredients in baggies to help her prepare a day or two in advance. They advised she mix up the ingredients a little bit, using fruits, yogurt, and natural sweeteners, to turn the smoothie into more of a "treat." A few hours later, my friend reported in that she was back on the smoothie bandwagon. Hurray for team work!
I love the community that this smoothie challenge has built. It is a testament to the fact that we can do anything when we have support. From drinking an odd looking concoction made from two cups of raw kale or spinach, to running a marathon, sometimes all we need to hear is "you can do it," to make it to the finish line.
Over the past two weeks, my friends have thrown out may great ideas for smoothie add-in's. Don't hesitate to experiment with different ingredients. All of the smoothie recipes I use began with trial and error. Take your spinach or kale, and a liquid, either water, juice, milk, etc. add a few of the 50 items listed below. There is no wrong way to do it!
Namaste, Divas!
© 2012 Ilene Evans
Fruit
1. Lime
2. Lemon
3. Pineapple
4. Mango
5. Strawberries
6. Banana
7. Apple
8. Blueberry
9. Avocado
10. Raspberry
11. Kiwi
12. Clementine
13. Pomegranate
Veggies
14. Red pepper
15. Carrots
16. Broccoli
17. Cucumber
18. Celery
Liquids
19. Almond Milk
20. Coconut Milk
21. Soy Milk
22. Rice Milk
23. Coconut Water
24. Orange Juice
25. Sparkling Water
Protein
26. Greek Yogurt
27. Almond butter
28. Silken Tofu
29. Soy yogurt
30. Almonds/Almond Butter
31. Rice Protein Powder
32. Soy Protein Powder
33. Whey Protein Powder
Sweeteners
34. Rice Syrup
35. Pureed Dates
36. Honey
37. Maple Syrup
38. Agave nectar
39. Stevia
Seeds
40. Ground Flax Seeds
41. Chia Seeds
42. Sunflower seeds
43. Pumpkin Seeds
Random Good Stuff
44. Cacao nibs
45.Wheat Grass
46. Spirulina
47. Goji berries
48. Coconut flour – as a thickener
49. 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
50. Ginger root
I think that having the vitamix has been huge cause it really does make clean up like a nano second. i remember my other blenders took a lot longer
I have to agree, I love my Vitamix. Don’t think that I would be still doing this challenge if I didn’t have it. Love your list of ingredients. So super helpful. And I love that you are totally the green smoothie queen and getting folks to join in!!
And OMG I didn’t even notice that your hands were bound in that picture!! haha LOVE IT!
Oh. how I covet the Vitamix! It’s definitely time to make the investment.
Seriously the best investment in my health I have made
Between you and Amanda, I’m pretty much sold on the Vitamix. I owe the ingredient list to my smoothie cohorts! They have been very loyal in sharing their special ingredients in the Facebook posts – things I never would have thought of!
I have had a blast getting people to jump on board with me – and seeing their positive reactions. What a gift! THIS is EXACTLY why I wanted to start blogging!
Oh, and the photo – 🙂
you’re now making me curious about the green smoothies. i’ve never thought of mixing spinach for a smoothie before but i suppose with the right combinations, i might end up with something that can be a favourite for a long time.
The smoothies are the best!
2 cups of any green, spinach, kale, etc., a cup of water or other liquid, about 6 ice cubes and pick whatever else you fancy! I love apples, bananas, avocado, almond butter. Today I did a tbsp of unsweetened cocoa with some honey in mine and a quarter of an avocado. It was delish!
If you try one, let me know how it goes!
Juicing is great. A nice way to get the nutrients from the fruit and vegetables. But if you were to juice alone you wouldn’t get the fiber. Suppliment with vitamins.
This is pretty cool! I also have group of friends on Facebook who discuss things about different ways to make super green smoothies. Each one shares their own stories, recipes and opinion about it. I learned so many things from them, especially the different recipes on making super green smoothies. I also learned the different health benefits that it can give to our body.