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

Soggy Morning

My friend's sheep enjoy the lush grass!

It is a beautiful morning in Western Montana, to me anyway. We have had days of rain in amounts and patterns that are very rare here. It reminds me alternately of most every day in Southeast Alaska and spring in Alabama. I am totally enjoying it except for the fact that my house is leaky in a few spots. I pray for my friends though because a number of them really thrive on sunshine. I wish I could have this misty cool weather and let my friends have the sunshine they crave.

I suppose I should swim out to the garden and see if there is anything left out there. In general, I would think this weather would be good for the germination and seedlings I have out there, but we have had some hard, pounding rain. I am unsure of what that might have done.

Our river, is climbing its banks from the combination of rain runoff and snow melt from a record year of snow in the high country. The pigs are huddling until midday. They would like some sun to bask in. My baby Guinea fowl are big enough to be turned out with the chickens, but they are prone to chill so I am still keeping them together in a small pen for warmth, though I have taken the heat light down.

Without goats, the grass has definitely gotten away from us! It is beautiful though. In this climate, we are often drying off and the native grasses are already turning brown by now. This year everything is lush and vibrantly green. As I said, I am enjoying it. My neighbor's newly planted alfalfa field is really taking hold in theses conditions as well.

I couldn't see the sun come up this morning, but it is daylight now. I think I will swim out to the garden for a bit. Enjoy your day!

Lawana