Pineapple
fuji apple, sliced, peel still on
asian pear, sliced, peel still on
frozen strawberries
frozen blueberries
two large handfuls of kale
1/4 lemon, peel still on
I usually have to blend the unfrozen stuff first (minus the kale) then blend in the strawberries, then the kale, then the blueberries. The blueberries are mainly to hide the color from my kids. lol
i guess you could literally just warm slightly though as with any raw uncooking, heat at a certain temp will start to affect the nutrients in the raw stuffs.
i tend to juice the kale if i use it, in with maybe 2 green apples, a stick of celery or some cue and some root ginger - i find the apples and ginger mask up the strong taste of the kale - i don't taste the lettuce in juices. spinach is good in them too and herbs especially parsley.
with smoothies, i tend not to use kale or spinach as i don't have a vitamix which is the superduper whizzer/blender, i use a hand blender and it doesn't break the kale down enough for me. i use lettuce in the fruit smoothies.
yes, juicers do break the items right down so it is instantly absorbed. maybe it is just a matter of getting the combination of items right aphrodite for your cold juice? i think they're so refreshing with a lovely green colour (or brown if you start adding carrots to it)
some of my tips;
- just start with a leaf or two of kale or a small handful of spinach so the juice is not too strong (using the apples and ginger or lemon will take away the strong green taste) and build up slowly or it can taste really strong or upset your tummy.
- dark green romaine lettuce leaves have more nutrients in them than other lettuce so use those preferably
- i dont use more than 3 or 4 items in a juice or smoothie
- dilute the made juice down a little with water
my fav green juice is; spinach, green apples, ginger & celery
fave smoothie; banana, mango/nectarine/apricot, handful of frozen red fruits, romain lettuce leaves (is a lovely ruby/purple colour), with a dash of oil (flax/hemp or olive) and dash of agave nectar
I thought you couldn't taste the kale at all until I ran out and made just plain fruit smoothies for my kids and they asked me what was wrong with it. LOL
I also use spinach, collard greens, romaine lettuce or bok choy depending on what I have handy.
I make a quart of smoothie at least 1 out 2 days. I always feel better on the days I have my smoothie. Whenever I feel low on energy I just go the fridge and have a small cup.
Today:
2 apples, 1/2 c. blueberries, some collard greens and kale. I added a tsp of spirulina and a Tbsp of ground flax seeds.
I love green smoothies and fresh Raw smoothies in general!
Today I had Romaine, Basil, Cilantro, Spinach and Mango. YUM!!!!! Energy and digestion are simply at peak performance with fresh smoothies. I drink them all the time. I even take them in a mason jar to the movie theater so I have something super tasty during the movie ssshhh...don't tell the movie police
I make a quart of smoothie at least 1 out 2 days. I always feel better on the days I have my smoothie. Whenever I feel low on energy I just go the fridge and have a small cup.
Today:
2 apples, 1/2 c. blueberries, some collard greens and kale. I added a tsp of spirulina and a Tbsp of ground flax seeds.
Best Wishes,
Robert
robert, do you use a vitamix or counter blender? i was just thinking about the apples, my blender wouldn't mix them up smooth. or do you mean juicing?
robert, do you use a vitamix or counter blender? i was just thinking about the apples, my blender wouldn't mix them up smooth. or do you mean juicing?
Hi Cedarblue,
I use a high end Kitchenaide blender and though it's no vitamix or k-tec it does a good job. I do dice the apples into 1/2 inch cubes and I run the blender on liquefy for about 2-3 minutes. I had more trouble with the kale in the beginning until I learned to put it and the collards in with cold water and run it for a few minutes before I adding fruit.
I was reading a comparison between high end blenders such as the vitamix and k-tec because I am thinking about buying one of them. The new k-tec 3+ horsepower runs at an amazing 45,000 rpm. I think vitamix runs at about 28,000. The reviewer commented on the sharpness of the blades. The person doing the comparison talked about blades not being sharp and just beating the ingredients. The blades are not sharp at all on my blender so I am thinking about sharpening them. I don't know if there is any reason why I shouldn't do this.
Lime green smoothie. Sounds delicious. I have to try one. I did use my food processor once to make a smoothie and it worked very well. I don't know why I don't use it more.
if you want to get some intravenous green stuff, stuff them in there - or just add 3 or 4 small laves of romaine lettuce as a try?? go on stickydate - try it!
i don't agree nervine, i think that theres no doubt you CAN taste the green leaves sometimes but if you like eating raw spinach, chard etc anyway, it's a flavour that can be adjusted to - like getting used to the taste of soy milk after dairy milk really. sometimes a matter of sticking with it if you really want to up the amount of greens in your daily diet.
i really recommend the romaine leave though, practially tasteless but good for you.
start small with the amount of green stuff and build up as your taste buds adjust. or use stronger tasting fruits to mask the flavour say grapefruit, strawberries, blackcurrants etc.
you could just pop one in and maybe two next time...
...or not!! it's up to you LOL
yesterday;
1/2 grapefruit
chard & spinach from garden
kiwi fruit
2 bananas
m drinking this one atm: 3 bananas, handful of lettuce, 1/3rd of a cucumber, handful of frozen zuchini and 3 tbps of cacao and some water. I don't taste any of the veggies! Maybe its cuz im so used to drinking it hehe
i started off with just a few leaves of spinach, say 4 or 5, then increased to a handful slowly. romaine lettuce is a good one to start with, much less taste, if any, than spinach but still a leafy green.
imo the scale of greens in terms of best nutritional value;
kale / wheatgrass / spinach
chard
romaine
other greens; dandelions, young sprouts etc
play around but start with a small amount and use fruit, also dates, agave syrup, carob powder to taste if you like.
read back through the thread furrytips for more ideas of combinations. good luck
soon i think i'm going to try a more savoury smoothie than sweet, i'll feed back.
unless you are using fresh dates i recommend soaking the dates overnight to whizz up smoother and not too much carob powder, it can be strong and overpower everything else.
oranges, mango, red berries & pineapple can provide good 'green flavour smothering' qualitites too!
oh i love to juice! here are some of my favorites...
a few stocks of celery
2 apples
2 pears
one or two bunches of grapes
this drink is very energizing, a great way to start the day
lots of carrots (i never really measure)
one or two apples (depending on how many carrots)
this sounds gross but its amazing! carrot juice is sooo good for you and the apples make it taste sweeter for those who don't like straight carrot juice
lots of carrots
about half as much celery
a couple slices of jicama (also called a mexican potato)
about half a cucumber
a couple bunches of spinach or romaine
a large apple or two small ones
this drink is amazing. you get all your basic nutrients and it tastes good because of the apple.
Ok, so I would like to know if I need a large food processor or will a juicer and hand blender do?
I already make a juice every arvo with spinach, beetroot, carrot, ginger & a green apple. If I wanted to add banana, would I use the hand blender with some water and then add it to the juice?!
Food processor is great for pates and making things that you don't want to have a "whipped" texture (a blender tends to whip a lot of air into your food). But, you can get by with a blender for a lot of things. If you get the fp, get something that is 10cup or bigger. 7 cup is just never enough really.
Juice...if you add banana, yes, do it in the blender with some water and then pour it into the juice.
Thank you, very keen to start making these green smoothies
I've started growing herbs on my balcony (I live in an apartment) perhaps I could start some lettuces as well. I look forward to living in a house with a garden again in the near future
Made my first GS yesterday The hand blender worked really well, I used it to blend 2 small bananas and a kiwi fruit then I jucied 4 big leaves of spinach and some ginger and added it to the bananakiwi mix - YUM! Great lime green colour too
Green Smoothies & Juices
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I have to ask can you taste the kale/lettuce in these smoothies? (honestly)
fatfree
Re: Green Smoothies & Juices
I'm with you!
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