Green Smoothies!

For the first time in my adult life, I am beginning to live without food cravings. I have changed a few things in my life. I only have sweets (other than raw fruit) if I am a guest in another person's home and they serve dessert. I am drinking half the number of my weight in ounces of water each day.. For example, a 100 pound person would drink 50 ounces of water. I am also incorporating much more raw food into my diet.

I am adding finely diced or blended raw greens to many foods. If I am having a salad already, I blend my dressing with a double handful of cilantro, spinach or good green lettuce. Thus, my dressing becomes a good source of nutrition in itself! I basically eat raw for every meal except dinner. Our dinners are simple and usually include legumes and brown rice as well as salsa or a blended raw green dressing. It is easy to make a wonderful topping for almost anything by blending a few tablespoons of your favorite salsa with a packed cup or two of fresh, greens. Tweak the amounts to your liking. Make only as much as you will use at a meal. Don't try to save it for later.

One of the most exciting things I do is to have a green smoothie or two every day. I use my little Magic Bullet blender for all of this. It makes a good serving of smoothie, cleans up in seconds and is easily stowed out of sight. No, This is not a paid endorsement, but I do love my M.B. Anyway, for a green smoothie to be at its best, the greens need to be not only raw, but live. If you can pick them from your own garden, windowsill or sprouter just as you use them, this is best.

This morning, my breakfast consisted of 2 cups of mixed greens out of my pastor's garden, (Thanks Pastor!). I blended these to a slurry with  just enough water to make the blender work. When the greens were blended, I added a whole banana, cut up and a teaspoon of hemp oil. I alternate oils, using hemp oil, olive oil and flaxseed oil. I only use oil in one smoothie per day.

As soon as the smoothie is blended, I drink it down. The micronized particles of greens and fruit are extremely vulnerable to oxidation. Think the browning of a sliced apple to the 10th power. This is not good and defeats the purpose of the smoothie. Therefore do not make more than you will drink in 5 minutes. Your digestive process will stop the process of oxidation. The refrigerator will not.

I hope you will try green smoothies. If you don't like your first combination, try another. Any fruit or mixture of fruits with any live greens. I promise, you will not regret adding this to your nutrition and fitness routine.

Lawana

Here Comes the Sun!

                                                                                
After a very late night last night waiting up on young people to come in, the sun was already over the mountains when I woke up! I was surprised to see the time on the clock, but thrilled to see the sun shining. Last night we had wrapped up in our winter coats and planted some more lettuce and beets. All the while, we were laughing about needing coats on June 3rd. Gardening in zone 5 is always an adventure. If you don't know your garden zone, check here http://plantguide.lowes.com/ColdHardinessMap.aspx

This year we overplanted so that we will garden very intensively. I have only planted things thus far that I can use the thinnings as micro greens and salad herbs. I plan to top dress with good compost and fish emulsion. I  am praying for a greenhouse next year and perhaps another raised bed or two. For now, though, I am trying to use what I have to capacity.

I know this has been a challenging year,  in the U.S. and worldwide, for gardeners. Where we only have the tiniest cold tolerant plants thus far because of the wet cold, some folks are dealing with extreme heat and drought.. It is all about adjusting to your zone and even subzone and trying to work around the surprises each year brings. Garden ON! Whatever you can grow, grow it. Whether it is mung bean sprouts in a jar, kefir, or wheat grass. Whether we live in the countryside or in the city, all of us can grow something that can contribute clean, safe, nutrition to our diets for little expense. Plant cilantro or basil in a flower pot in the hourse. If you have a patch that isn't planted, see what you can do with it, I have friends in the south who have built a shade out of an old wrought iron table covered with netting and they are having success with table greens that would normally have bolted by now.

I think I will go look at my garden.

L.