Juices & Smoothies

Bust out the juicer that is collecting dust and the blender for a green juice smoothie recipe.

First thing you have to do is get your juicer & blender out and ready or if you are one of the "lucky ones" with a VitaMix get her ready to go. For those with a VitaMix you do not have to make the green juice separately because your mighty machine with take everything in its' whole foods form and liquefy it. The choice is yours VitaMixers but for the rest of us we need to make a green juice and add some other ingredients to it in our blenders to get a nice, thick smoothie.

Green Juice (add veggies to your taste the amounts I give are my taste)

1 bunch of kale with stems
1 small bunch of baby broccoli with stems
1 cucumber
1 fist full of parsley
1 med. green apple
1 fist full of dandelion greens
5-6 stalks of celery


Juice these ingredients and transfer the juice to a blender. Add 2 very ripe, small avocado, about 1 cup of ice and 1 cup or so of blueberries or strawberries. Blend on high until thick and do a taste test. Add a few squeezes of lime to taste. I like the bitter green taste so you will need to taste for sweetness and add more berries if necessary for you. Enjoy!

Avocados are awesome in smoothies. When you drink this you can feel good in knowing that you are drinking liquid gold for your body. This smoothie contains ingredients that fight inflammation, cancer and support the liver.
It really is easy to make this and the best thing we can do is play around in the kitchen or experiment. A few squeezes of lemon or lime can cut something that is too salty or bitter. A little more avocado will add thickness and, in my opinion, cuts the strong taste of dark leafy greens. Adjust the apple and berries for sweetness as needed. Make enough for the whole family and let the kiddos help. Store extra in the refrigerator for later or breakfast the next day.
FYI....Green juice makes a nice addition to soups, etc.. Since it is enzymatically alive it is a good idea to make your soup and add the green juice last so it only heats for a few minutes on low.

One more tastey juice suggestion for carrot juice is to add a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Now you have a powerful antiinflammatory juice that tastes similar to pumpkin pie. I picked up that tip from The book Raw Foods Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet.