I Have Been Infected!

        I think I have caught a very contagious virus from my friends, and I can't seem to escape! Now, before you get worried (I know y'all love me;)), I must tell you that this is not life-threatening, or really dangerous at all. On the contrary, it is actually improving my health. I have been infected with what I am calling the 'Green Smoothie Virus', and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. It all started with this post by my dear friend Aspen, then this post by her friend Kayla, and now I am obliged to do one as well. You know how when certain people are sick they feel the need to tell everyone about it? Well, I am suddenly one of those people. I made my first green smoothie soon after reading Aspen's post to see what all the fuss was about, and was hooked. Really. My family has gotten used to me sitting down with a glass jar full of a green liquid for lunch every day, and I am loving it. You can really put anything you want into these smoothies - within reason of course - there is no going wrong. You'll see that no one's recipe is the same, yet they are all amazingly healthy. As you can read in Aspen's post, these smoothies will help you clear your body of toxins, bringing clear skin, eyes, silky hair, healthy weight loss, and tons of energy! So here's how I make mine. Please note, I don't measure any of this, just dump it in.

        First, I go out to the garden and pick some greens; several different lettuces from the garden, spinach, wild miner's lettuce, and sometimes some wild chickweed. 

        Then, I bring it inside, and wash all of the leaves lightly. I stick maybe a quarter of them into my smoothie jar; all that will fit before they are ground up, and pour in about 2/3 of a cup of juice. You can use whatever juice you want, really, but I have been using a peach/apple blend, 100% juice of course. I put the rest of the greens in as they fit, and blend it up with a stick blender. You can also use a regular blender.

        Once all of the greens are ground up, I add in a scoop of coconut oil; I suppose it is close to 1.5 tablespoons. 

        Because I don't have a whole lot of fresh fruit right now -  organic berries are hard to find at a reasonable price around here - I put in a few pieces of frozen mango.

        I cut up an apple and put about 2/3 of it in...

        ...  And add a raw egg, shell and all for extra protein and calcium. Don't do this if you buy your eggs at the store; only if you get them from your own (or your friend's) chickens.

        Blend these all up as you go. As you can see if you read the posts I linked to up at the top, you can add chia seeds, aloe juice, lemon juice, and any fruit you please. I just drink mine right out of the quart jar I blend it up in with a straw. Now, usually, I can't drink this much stuff all at one time. My mom and my brother make milkshakes that are close to 3 cups, and I can't drink more than half of that when I make them. These green smoothies, however, are different. Look at these two; it's like 2 1/4 - 2 3/4 cups!

        I cannot say enough good things about these green smoothies! They are absolutely amazing, and a great tasting way to get extra greens to make you healthier! This is one obsession that I don't feel guilty about. Thanks Aspen for posting about this and planning my lunches for the next month (or two or three or ten)! Does anyone else make green smoothies? I'd love to hear!

Blessings,

Reyna