the green 411

The green love is catching on. 


Turns out there are some tricks and tips that I have picked up along the way that I have not yet shared. I'm so rude. 


FAQ:


1. "My drink tastes 'too green/healthy'"

• Add fruit! The taste of half a banana {frozen or fresh} and/or 3 strawberries can trick your tongue like no other. If you are having your drink after 3 p.m. be wary of how much fruit you put into the drink; sugars {even all natural ones} won't get used up by your body like they do during the first half of the day
• Add ginger! Ahhh the taste of ginger. So fresh and tart. But be careful, it can pack a punch. Use a piece that is about 1 inch long and be sure to wash and peel {with a knife..} it first. 

2. "I feel like I have to chew my drink"

• Spin again! Sometimes I have to blend my drinks for up to two minutes to get it to a thin drinkable consistency that I like. Use the highest blend cycle on your blender- usually named smoothie or liquify. 
• Add water! If you went a bit overboard with your ingredient list,  you may need to give the drink more liquid to help it move and break down. I always start with a veggie or coconut juice/water, but if I find that my drink needs more liquid I simply add 6-8 ounces of plain water. You may notice that your drink doesn't fit in your normal cup anymore, so pour the excess into a reusable bottle and enjoy it later that day!
• Peel it! Until I got used to consistency of a blended fruit juice, I would peel my cucumber and pluck off the stems of the kale or spinach. Blenders tend to not be able to grind down the seeds of blueberries, strawberries and other berries; so if you can't stand that grit- stick with a banana or mango as your fruit option. 

3. "How far in advance can I make my drink?"

• 24-48 hours is what I have heard. I make mine fresh each morning though. Since I add in ground flaxseed, I have to drink my blended juice within about 12 hours or it gets too solid and thick. If you are making batches for a couple of days, try to fill up the containers as full as possible; the less air in the bottle, the better. {so I have heard....}

As a refresher this is my everyday formula for the morning green drink:

• 1 banana {or half}
• 2 stalks of kale, removed from stem OR 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 6 blueberries OR 3 strawberries
• 1/2 peeled cucumber, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into chunks {new addition!}
• 1/2 apple, cut into chunks {new addition!}
• 1 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled {new addition!}
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 heaping scoop of brown rice protein powder
• 6 ounces of one of the following: 100% carrot juice, green machine drink, coconut water, organic apple juice

More tips:

• All of the ingredients can be found at grocery stores like Kroger! 
• Buy organic, when you can, for everything without a peel. 
• Peel, cut and chop the ingredients when you buy them, put them into little baggies or tupperware so you can save time in the mornings. Keep them in the fridge and move to the freezer if they seem to be losing their freshness {bananas, cucumber, celery are frequent offenders}
• Keep ground flaxseed in the refrigerator so it stays fresh longer
• Drink your blended juice through a straw to get it down :) or to keep from ruining outfits..... yeah. 
• You may have noticed that I don't add ice to my drinks, but that doesn't mean you can't. Just be sure to not overfill your blender! The frozen banana and cucumber chunks make the drink plenty cold enough for me. 
• Experiment with new ingredients and combos! 

Seems like a lot, but once you get into the daily groove, it's no thing. 

Now let's be super clear here for a second. I am no expert whatsoever on this whole green juice thing. All I know is they make me feel healthy and its an easy way for me to get my greens. Google around for a bit and you'll find people that swear by these things for their health, beauty, weight loss and fitness goals. 

That's my disclaimer. 

cheers

:) amc