Yes, that’s me, gazing at my green smoothie with reverence and blind devotion.

Perhaps even a bit of a platonic crush. 

Because anything that makes someone feel that good from the inside out deserves praise, and lots of it. 

As we wrap up week three of the Run to the Finish Green Smoothie Challenge, we welcomed 2 more friends to our green team, which means our posse of smoothie drinkers is now up to twenty.  One is an old friend from grade school, and one, a new friend and fellow blogger, Denise, who you can find at accordingtodenise.com 

Our daily roll call on Facebook continues.  It is a recipe swap, a pep rally, and a happy hour, all wrapped up into one.  The happy hour drink is a green smoothie, of course.

Facebook discussion highlights from the week:

1) The ongoing debate over adding avocado to the smoothie.  Do it! Do it! Do it!

2) The subtle flavor differences between adding sunflower butter versus almond butter.  Sun butter seems to be the winner!

Takeaways from the week:

1) The biggest challenge for my smoothie drinkers continues to be preparation time.  One of the greatest all time takeaways from our Facebook discussions is to prepare in advance.  Wash, cut and bag  your fruits and veggies ahead of time to facilitate the daily smoothie making process.     

2) Accountability goes a long way.  Several friends who came into the challenge did so, knowing that there was a better chance they would stick with this if they had to be accountable to a group of peers.

3)  The same goes for support.  Some people drifted away from the challenge for a few days and then came back because the group as a whole, remained strong and consistent.    

Several of you stepped out of your comfort zone to join me in this challenge.  For some it was a tiny leap.  You have had green smoothies before, but not every day, and needed the external encouragement to keep at it.   For some, sipping liquified spinach through a straw was a huge leap.  This challenge is living proof that there is never a downside to stepping out of your comfort zone, especially when the motivating factor is to improve your health.  I am inspired and humbled by everyone who stepped out of their comfort zone to participate in this challenge with me.   

Below are five smoothie suggestions to help you through the final week of the challenge.  Although I hope your smoothie drinking continues well beyond these next 8 days.

Namaste, Divas!

© 2012 Ilene Evans

Smoothie suggestions shared on the Facebook threads:

Start each smoothie with 2 cups of green and about a cup of water or other liquid as mentioned below:

1)  Frozen banana, sunflower butter, cultured coconut milk, almond milk

2) Coconut milk, ice, banana, blueberries

3) Banana, berries, flaxseed, sunflower butter,

4) Mango, frozen strawberries, vanilla protein power

5) Almond butter, avocado slice, cocoa power, honey  

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