Recipe:Smoothies

Hello,

Here are the recipes for the smoothies that we made at the Smoothie Class the other day by my friend Kali. She did such a great job and I have been truly inspired and have made a smoothie every day since then and really feel great! Enjoy! And share your fav smoothie recipe if you have one!

The handout from Kali:

Mix and Match- once you get used to adding vegetables in your smoothies you really can’t go wrong, you just more fruit or sweetener if it’s not coming together.

Add in the following order:
(Contrary to the infomercials out there, you do not need a fancy blender or juicer to make these smoothies, but I have found that putting things in a certain order can help if you have a standard low-end blender like mine (Oster). I have no experience using hand held blenders, let me know if you try it.)

#1.Banana (fresh or frozen)-Essential for getting everything else down! Provides your sweetness and creaminess. Use fresh for normal consistency or frozen to make your smoothie very thick (almost like a sorbet)

#2.Vegetable (fresh and RAW): pick one--

-Baby Spinach: A great place to start. Baby spinach adds very little taste but lots of nutrition. Regular fresh spinach is fine but can add a little more bitter taste especially if its getting old. I haven’t personally used frozen chopped spinach, although some people have made it work (use a lot less since its much more condensed)

-Kale: A real superfood – like Spinach on steroids. The fact that this can even be consumed in its raw, most nutritious state is miraculous – and delicious!

-Carrots: Carrot juice is always sweet and delicious – making it into a smoothie just gives you more fiber and nutrients. You may want to blend it a little longer for texture reasons (otherwise it is like drinking applesauce).

-Beets: Another super super food. No need to cook or peel, just scrub and chunk. I find 1/3 beet adds a good amount of color/nutrition without totally overpowering the fruit. Beautiful red/pink color for your little girls.

#3.Fruit (usually frozen): pick a few

Berries: Any kind and combination. Darker (blueberries, blackberries) are more healthy and hide the green colors. Strawberries and Raspberries are standard, people (kid) pleasing. I most often use the bags of frozen berry blends.

Mango: A very nice addition to any smoothie – right up there with Bananas. Very nice fresh, but frozen is very convenient.

Peaches: Nice undertone, but “peachy” taste is very hard to pull out unless you really pump it up with white grape/peach juice and peach yogurt

Pineapple: Common green smoothie sweetener

Mixes/Melons: I know these can be great, I’m not a huge melon fan so I haven’t played around as much with these.

Crisper drawer produce. Apples – I’ve seen green apples used a lot for fresh/tart additions as well as the juice of limes. I assume you can’t go wrong throwing in grapes or pears although I haven’t tried them.

#4. Liquid

-Orange Juice
-100% Clear Fruit (Apple, White Grape, Peach, etc)
-Water
-Others – I have no experience with grape juice, V8, lemonade, other things you could try.. let me know if you try something else and like it

If things don’t taste right or you want to add additional things consider the following:

-Ice--The more intense the vegetable is (read: Kale and Beets) the more important it is that the smoothie is cold and thinned (not so fibrous) – start with 1-2 ice cubes
-Mix-ins – obviously there are dozens of things you can mix in for added health benefits, these are some I’ve experimented with.
-Parsley – a little sprig can add more fresh green taste.
-Cilantro – some studies suggest it’s a mood elevator (anxiolytic), it has a unique taste which some people love and others despise.
-Flaxseed – Contains high amounts of lignans, Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber to benefit heart, diabetes and anti-cancer (make sure you grind it up or it doesn't do any good!)
-Coconut Oil – A “good cholesterol” fat used as an energy boost in energy bars, Asian cooking
-Yogurt- adds creaminess, and plain adds tartness

Sweeteners
-Honey – 1 tsp goes a long way
-Agave Nectar – low glycemic index (although high in fructose) an alternative to honey – a little sweeter and dissolves quickly in liquids
-Sweetened yogurts

Tried and True combinations

Kali’s all-time favorite:
Flaxseed, 1 Banana, 1 handful of baby spinach, 1 handful of frozen berry blend, 2-3 peaches, 2-3 mango pieces, Orange Juice.

Traditional Green Smoothie:
2 Bananas, ice, Kale, 2-3 pieces pineapple or mango, water

Carrot Juice:
Banana (optional), Handful of baby Carrots, Frozen Strawberries, Apple or white grape juice

Beautiful Beet:
Banana, ice, 1/3 raw beet, 1 handful frozen berry blend, apple or white grape juice

Refreshing Cilantro:
Banana, Pink Grapefruit, Spinach, Cucumber, Lime, Cinnamon, Agave

HFPE Idea-Eating Healthy, Produce buying and storage, smoothies Plus a recipe for Roasted Broccoli

We just had an HFPE on making smoothies and bread sticks. I have been so inspired by the smoothie class that I have had a smoothie every day since and plan on continuing that forever! Its a burst of healthy goodness that makes you feel good and tastes great!

One of the things I have been doing lately is buying a lot of fresh produce. However, it is hard to know how to store all this stuff! Some things need refrigeration and some do not. I think this could easily be put into an HFPE night about healthy eating. I think you could do 3 classes and have one on storing and buying fresh produce (including which things are best bought frozen), one on cooking with fresh produce (like how to roast pr steam vegetables), and one on making smoothies. I also think it would be good to have a class on budget grocery store buying or how to use coupons effectively because, let's face it, its more expensive to eat healthier....but its worth it!

Here is a great listing of where to store things, how long to store things, and if you can freeze them. I found this very helpful as I started purchasing all this good healthy stuff and my fridge is busting at the seams! http://www.pastrywiz.com/storage/produce.htm

And Martha Stewart recommends the following when it comes to storage:
The fresh taste and nutritional value of summer produce will last longer with these storage tips.

In the Bag
Most refrigerated vegetables do best in a perforated resealable plastic bag (make 6 to 8 holes in a 1-gallon bag). The bag holds in moisture; the holes help release compounds that produce spoilage while letting in oxygen so the vegetables can "breathe." If vegetables were sprayed with water at the market, lining the plastic bag with paper towels will help absorb excess moisture. Wait until just before using to wash vegetables.

Room Temperature
Keep avocados, eggplants, and tomatoes at room temperature. Once fully ripe, use within a day or two.
Avocados
Eggplants
Tomatoes

In the Crisper
This is the coldest and moistest section of the refrigerator and the best place to store the produce below. Place in a perforated resealable plastic bag.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn (with husk)
Green beans
Radishes
Scallions

On the Top Shelf of the Refrigerator
The vegetables listed below keep best in the warmest part of the refrigerator -- the top shelves near the front. Place them in a perforated resealable plastic bag.
Cucumbers
Peppers
Summer squashes


For the how to cook with produce class, I would do my roasted broccoli recipe...I swear its the best way to eat broccoli! The same method can be done for sweet potatoes, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, or onions.

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

Broccoli (its shrinks down, so get more than you think you will need)

1-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (Olive oil is best but vegetable oil works fine too) Just enough to make it appear shiny but not heavily coated.

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Take Broccoli and cut it in to small florets. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (you don't have to line the pan with foil, I just do it to save on clean up) and spread broccoli out on cookie sheet. Lightly pour or spray olive oil over the broccoli and toss to coat the pieces so they are shiny. Spread out on pan in one layer and salt and pepper to taste. Put in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the ends look brown and toasty, then turn over add salt and pepper to taste, and roast for 5-10 minutes more. This has become one of our favorite vegetables and we eat it like its popcorn! You can also do the same technique with sweet potatoes, tomato slices, onions, carrots, green peppers , cauliflower, and potatoes.

I like to make this when I am already going to be cooking something else in the oven, like roasting chicken breasts. I will just take chicken and toss in olive oil, add salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash and roast for about 40 minutes until done. When there is about 30 minutes left, I just add the broccoli on a cookie sheet on the other shelf in the oven so that everything is done about the same time.

Recipe: Green Smoothie or a Shrek Smoothie

My friend Jenn makes a green smoothie that is yummy and is packed full of nutritional value. Here is the link that she has it posted at on Lugubrious Delights! She calls them Shrek Smoothies and her kids ove them!
http://recipestop.blogspot.com/2008/10/shrek-shakes-aka-green-smoothie.html

Recipe:La Madeleine`s Strawberries Romanoff

Have you been to La Madeleine's? Its a yummy place and my little sister LOVES their Strawberries Romanov, she gets it almost every time we go and savors ever minute of it. We found the recipe and low and behold it has brandy in it! Who would have thought? But, I am sure you could substitute the brandy with an extract or just leave it out. I also use this as a topping on German Puffy Pancakes (without the brandy)...I will have to post that recipe too this week! This says it will serve 2 but I bet Lindsey would argue that it will only serve her!

Ingredients:


1 cup strawberries, hulled and rinsed
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon brandy



Directions:
Just before serving, rinse berries and trim stems with a paring knife. Mix remaining ingredients and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.

Put berries in stemmed wine glass and top with sauce.

Random Thoughts-Fruits and Veggies

We have always been told to eat our vegetables...but we need to make sure we are doing that on a regular basis. I was in a nutrition class the other day and the teacher told us that you need to eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal and snack. Starchy vegetables are good but green ones are better! And I hate to break it to you that French Fries really don't count unless they are homemade and baked!

He said that if you maintain your same eating habits as you do now and just add fruits and veggies to every meal and snack, that you will lose weight. Fruits and Veggies are made up of something like 1000 nutrients that your body uses and science has only been able to identify 100 of those nutrients, so the other 900 or so help us in ways we do not know! So eat your fruits and veggies and cut down on the processed foods and sugary sweets! Your body will thank you for it!

And as far as pasta goes...try the whole wheat variety...I have found that for most things, there is not much of a difference. I especially like it in penne.

I have been doing my best to eat more natural foods (less processed) and to et healthier and I have to admit that I have more energy and feel better! Maybe these people do know what they are talking about!

Happy Eating!

Heather