Citrus Smoothies

Again, I have a smoothie most mornings, just haven't been posting. Lately, my FB have commented or asked about my SOTD post...time to blog.
We have a lot of fresh citrus fruit at our house. My sons school sells citrus by the case as a fundraiser.  Good fruit, don't want it to go to waste, good vitamin C, gonna put it in a smoothies.
I have found, I don't like the whole citrus in the blender, even with my vita mix. On a side note, did you know that the pith of citrus fruit (the white "skin") has many health benefits. Maybe, I need to suck it up (no pun intended)!  Anyway, so far I have been juicing my oranges.  I would probably continue to juice the grapefruits, the pith on them is very bitter.

Citrus Smoothie

1/2 banana

juice of 1 tangelo

juice of 1/2 grapefruit

1/4 c frozen blueberries

1/4 cup silken tofu

large handful of spinach

 1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

1 T Raw Honey

1 T chia seeds

I also love that my 18month old will come over to me and suck down a bunch of my smoothie! Good nutrition for her.

Yesterday's smoothie was another citrus smoothie.

1/2 banana

juice of 1 tangelo

juice of 1 grapefruit

skinned kiwi (did you know you CAN eat the skin of a kiwi? Not for me, but you can!)

handful of kale

1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

2T hemp seed

1 T bee pollen

2 oz aloe vera juice, not aloe vera gel!

 

 

Okay, aloe vera juice. Something new to try in my smoothie. I bought a bottle, will use the bottle, will not replace the bottle! I can smell it in the drink, even though I can't really taste it. The smell alone is enough to put me off. Besides that, the research I have done doesn't prove any health benefits. CAREFUL: it can be a laxative. Just so you know I DON'T speak from experience. 

Blueberry Citrus and Tropical Carrot Ginger Smoothies

A brief update on my double smoothie diet. So far so good! I have had 2 smoothies everyday, except last Saturday, for a week now! Doing fairly well with not getting hungry too! I have to admit I snack some, but I am really trying to keep them healthy ie. Kale Chips.  I haven't made it to the gym yet, but I will excuse that with the fact that it is still Christmas vacation from school, therefore I have 3 kids at home PLUS hubs is still working OT.  Hopefully gym time will start soon!

Today's smoothies: Blueberry Citrus and Tropical Carrot Ginger

Blueberry Citrus

1 Banana

1 Fresh grapefruit juice

1 Fresh Orange juice

1/4 -1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 T honey

1 T wheat germ

2 T hemp seed

1 T ground flax seed

1/2 T barley grass powder

3 T uncooked oatmeal

water to make 4 cups

The grapefruit lends a little bit of a bitter taste to this smoothie, the honey corrects that some. Add more honey for a sweeter smoothie.

For lunch:

Tropical Carrot Ginger

1 large raw carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

1/4 C frozen pineapple

1/2 C frozen mango

1 ginger ice cube

1 T honey

2 stalks of fresh kale (take the leaves off the stalk and discard the stalk)

1 c water

This made a bit over 2 cups of smoothie.

In addition, I have been curious about the calorie count to some of my smoothies.  I found a site that lets you add food and track your calorie count for the day. Of course, I  don't know the accuracy of this site, but it gives an estimate. I am finding that most of my smoothies are about 500 calories. Not sure if that is good or bad. However, I think the ingredients in my smoothies are all HEALTHY calories. Things like honey and the greek yogurt tend to up the calorie count too, but I still don't feel bad about them. I use raw honey in my smoothies, there is a lot of health benefits that come with that. Same goes for the greek yogurt. PLUS I am useing these smoothies as a meal replacement.   In comparison: an everything bagel with 2 T cream cheese, coffee with cream and sugar is about 450 calories. There, I justified what I do, right?

Barley Grass Smoothie

I laugh at myself when silly things get me excited! My order of powdered barley grass came this morning, in time for a smoothie!! I really enjoy expierimenting with new ingredients.  So today's smoothie has barley grass in it. For some info on barley grass, click.

3/4 cup coconut water

2 T flax ground flax

2 T hemp seed

1 T bee pollen

1 T Goji berries

1 T wheat germ

1 T barley grass powder

1 banana

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup blackberry pomegranate juice

1 cup frozon blueberries

Blend.
The results: the kids are taking sips of my smoothie right along with me. Must be good!

Antioxidant Boost

Wow! Almost a whole month since I posted something. I have been Blending...some. I don't think anything really interesting though. Just basic smoothies. Lately, my creative juices are not going into my smoothies. Today I am creative. 
Last grocery store trip, pomegranates were on sale for $0.99! I bought 2. I juiced one up today, added some blueberries and was wondering what else would go. I thought of my Greek yogurt. A lot of yogurt is used in the middle east right? So the flavor combo should work.

Antioxidant Boost

1 juice pomegranate (or 1 c pom juice)

1 banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 c Greek yogurt

1 T Bee Pollen

Enough water to make 4 cups blended!

Yum! As usual the Greek yogurt makes it creamy. The combo works. Maybe this will help me kick the almost-getting-sick I am feeling lately.

Back to Blended

I can have bananas in the house again, the fruit flies are gone. The weather changed (6 inches of snow yesterday!) and the flies are dead.  I have started to blend again.  I missed my daily smoothie. In replacement I found myself back at my old breakfast, tea and some type of bread / pastry/ doughnut etc.  I am behind on a couple smoothies so I have 3 to post today.
The first smoothie I made was basic:

Green Blueberry Smoothie

1 banana

handful of mixed greens

1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

2 T hemp seed

1 cup frozen blueberries 

almond milk to make 4 cups

The second smoothie is:

 Carrot Mango Ginger Smoothie

1 banana

handful of greens

4 cubes of frozen pureed carrot (I made this for baby food and threw it in on a whim, now I will need to make more!)

1 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup Honey Green yogurt

3 shakes of powdered ginger

3 shakes cinnamon

1 cup water

Almond milk to make 4 cups

This was a really yummy smoothie. I will definitely be making this again! Probably add some of my grains next time.

Today's Smoothie is:

Green Apple Crisp Smoothie

1 banana

handful of greens

3/4 cup applesauce

2 T honey

1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

2 T hemp seed

2 T raw quick oatmeal 

random shake of powdered ginger, cinnamon, all spice, cloves (heavier on the ginger and cinnamon)

1 cup water

almond milk to make 4 cups

If you noticed I am adding water, I am trying to cut back on calories (and cost) of the almond milk. I keep adding some almond milk to get the calcium.

Mostly Green, Blue Smoothie

Yesterday was another busy day. I converted two bags of apples into 35 pints of applesauce. The apples were so sweet that for 7 pints I only needed 1 cup of sugar.  Lots of work, but so worth the good food set up for winter!

Today's smoothie is a green smoothie.  A good way to get veggies into a diet.  Drinking smoothies has really made me look at food differently. Don't judge the taste of something solely on the look including the color. Today's smoothie is a funky greenish color, but it tastes delicious!

Mostly Green, Blue Smoothie

1 large handful of spinach

1 banana

1 ripe plum, pitted and skin off

1 cup blueberries

1 T wheat germ

1 T ground flax seed

1 T raw hemp seed

2 T raw quick oats

enough almond milk to make 4 cups

Blend and enjoy.

I have found for a mid line blender, I get the best blend of the greens if I blend the banana, with the greens, and a splash of milk.  If I add the spinach last I have ended up with chunks of spinach that I didn't like chewing. I should note that a high end blender purees everything and does yield a smoother textured smoothie. I don't mind my mid line blender or the texture I get.

Antioxidant booster Smoothie

Not really sure what to name this smoothie, but all the main ingredients are high in antioxidants.   I rediscovered my goji berry and bee pollen in my fridge yesterday. That inspired me to think ahead to create today's smoothie. Goji berries are an Asian food high in antioxidants to learn more about Goji berries and health benefits here.
I have dried Goji berries and I like to soak them for a smoothie. I blended them dried once, and it was okay, but I hand flecks of hard bits in my smoothie. I soak my Goji berries in a small dish of water overnight and add the water and berries to the smoothie in the morning.
The bee pollen you can learn more about here.

Antioxidant Booster Smoothie

1 T goji berries soaked overnight (use the liquid as well)

1/2 T bee pollen

1 T Wheat Germ

1 T ground flax seed

2 T quick oatmeal

1 T honey

1 banana

1 C blueberries (mine are frozen but fresh work)

1 6 oz blueberry yogurt cup

3/4 c Green tea (I used an Acai berry melon blend)

Soy milk to make the 4 cup mark

Blend and enjoy. Every now and again a sip will yield a bit of bee pollen that packs a extra honey flavored kick. YUM.