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. 

Immune Boost

Little girl is sick. Puke on the carpet sick.  Since I know today will mean I have my hands in puke (glamorous job that it is) I thought I best boost my immune system. I still have 2 more kids that could potential catch this bug.  Today's smoothie is full of immune boosting benefits and tastes so yum!

 

Immune Boost

1 banana (always a banana!)
1 packed cup of spinach leaves

2 cups orange juice

1/2  cup Greek yogurt

1 T bee pollen

1 T Goji berries

2 T raw honey

handful of frozen strawberries

almond milk to make 4 cups

Except for the banana, everything above is full of immune boosting properties.  Here's hoping it works!

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.

Stawberry Sunrise

Yum! Today was a great smoothie! 

Strawberry Sunrise

2.5 cups Pineapple Orange Juice

handful frozen strawberries

1 cube ginger 

1 T goji berries

5 dried apricots (heat up in 1/2 cup oj to soften)

1 T bee pollen

1/2 C greek yogurt

2 T hemp seed

2 T raw oatmeal

Almond milk to make 4 cups

Blend and enjoy this smoothie. 

I need to make note of my 1 cube of ginger.  I purchase a ginger root from the grocery store. At home I peel it, blend in with a bit of water and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Pop them out of the tray and store them in a zip bag. The keep for a long time and are handy to have to throw in smoothies, curries, or anything else that calls for fresh ginger.  

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.