hi
I have just read Victoria's book Green for Life and enjoyed it very much. However I found her recipes for green smoothies a little surprising.

I haven't started to make smoothies yet because I cannot justify buying a blender just yet (but I will soon I hope) but I always assumed from everyone's posts that they were STUFFED full of greens hence their incredible health benefits.

Here are two of Victoria's recipes:

Blueberry Pudding - 1 stalk of celery, 2cups blueberries, 1 banana, 2 cups water - yield 1 quart of smoothie

Sweet and Sour - 6-8 leaves of red leaf, 4 apricots, 1 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries, 2 cups water - yield 1 quart of smoothie.

These sound delicious and obviously there are many more recipes but I was surprised that there weren't more 'greens' in them. They seem to be predominately fruit based.

It must have been these types of smoothie that she did her Roseburg Study with achieving health benefits for all concerned.

How do people manage to eat 1 1b(or more) of greens a day?

Please don't shoot me down in flames if this is a silly question - just musing

Here's a suggestion: take the green smoothie, and use it for a sauce to dip your greens into. For example, take a romaine leaf, roll it into a cigar, and dip it into the smoothie. You can do this with other lettuces also.

Or make a big salad of greens, and use the smoothie as a salad dressing.

I almost never make sweet green smoothies. Instead, I make savory ones and pack the blender full of kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, collards, herbs, tomato, avocado, sprouts, garlic, lemon or lime juice, etc. etc. etc. Even though I have a BlendTec I make my smoothies in stages, and I am quite sure I pack a pound of greens into each smoothie. I also eat lots of salads, use greens as wraps, etc.

flipperjan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...but I was surprised that there
> weren't more 'greens' in them. They seem to be
> predominately fruit based.
I had the same opinion when I read her
book. I like a ratio of 2:1 (Greens to Fruit).....WY

I like my GS very green and cool so here's how I make em: FIRST) put just enough clean water in the blender to cover the blades SECOND) start the VM and drop several ice cubes in through the top THIRD) push an entire bunch of spinach or romaine in through the top FOURTH) push some more ice cubes in through the top FIFTH) let the blender run for a couple of minutes to get the greens broken down into very small pieces to help in digestion SIXTH) drink the smoooooooothie fresh and cool.

When I started on raw, I found great inspiration in Boutenko's book. I was also a bit concerned with the recipes at first, but ended up using them as a rough template for my own experimentation. The more you make green smoothies, the more you'll figure out what's right for you. Try throwing two cups of water into a blender carafe with 2-3 good handfuls of a nutrient rich green and some nice fruit. Fill it up, blend it, and if possible drink it down while it's fresh. If it feels good, keep it up. Unless your digestive system doesn't like dealing with multiple foods, you really can't go wrong.

EZ.....That is a very green Green Smoothie you make. I like
to add a little fruit.
I make mine as follows: 1) Cover the bottom of the blender with Dulse.
2) Add Sea Lettuce to the half-way mark. 3) Cover with fresh
pre-packaged Mixed Greens. 4) Cover with water for a minute,
then drain completely (to eliminate eccess salt). 5) Add Apricots
and Fig which have been pre-soaked in the frig. 6) Add Celery, Tomato,
Sweet mini-Pepper, 1/3 Carrot. 7) Blend until smooth. 8) Enjoy.
9) Works for me twice a day......WY

i like to use romaine leaves as a taco shell. i`ll make a mango salsa and load the romaine up and eat it like that. YUM. as far as the green smoothies go, i add probably on average 3 different types of greens and 2 different fruits.
patty

I love 2 cups water, 2 cups mixed organic greens, and 2 cups fruit... sometimes mangoes, berries, or bananas are my favorites. Also, if I need it to last me a little longer I throw in 1tbsp flax seed oil or hemp seed oil.

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

Thanks - what lovely ideas. Now I just need a blender!!

That threw me off too. That's why I just experiment now - but I try to match sweet fruits with sweet/sub-acid fruits only. Pineapple and other citrusy acid things don't mix well (in digestion or by taste really, in my opinion) But you know, if you can digest it, then go for it, who cares - it will all be better for you then just plain north american food. I did this with my smoothies (I had two yesterday, it's kind of my transitioning tool - they were both about 2 cups each)

1: A big handful of baby spinach and a medium-large banana with half of a date (I also used vega, a supplement by brendan brazier)

2: (this one was a quart about but I made it for myself and my sister) About half of a head of red leaf lettuce (I used the rest of a left over head, so it was a full head minus 8 leaves); a handful or two of pitted cherries, some strawberries, two to three dates, one medium banana, and two kiwis. It was definitely an interesting flavor, and I definitely screwed around with it off and on, but it tasted good (It wasn't green though, it was quite dark purple - probably because cherries will make anything red haha)

It's really whatever your tastebuds like at first. Add more greens if you can, less fruit if you want more green flavor - crave your smoothieee.

Happy smoothie making, and let us know if you've made a winner

I love the Green Smoothies. I have a kale and banana...or whatever other fruit is around smoothie every day. I feel so much happier in life.

rawlibrarian's reply was:

<<almost never make sweet green smoothies. Instead, I make savory ones and pack the blender full of kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, collards, herbs, tomato, avocado, sprouts, garlic, lemon or lime juice, etc. etc. etc. Even though I have a BlendTec I make my smoothies in stages, and I am quite sure I pack a pound of greens into each smoothie>>

that's more like it

I do green smoothies. My mole fell off. I osted photos on my blog, so did my roomates. we did it for a week and I am still doing it.

Now I have 50% 50% and Ilike it green. Its not food for me, its like power, liquid gold.

I thought you were a fruitarian, suvine.
I have read the green book and was surprised the recipes did not have more greens. My favorite smoothie is 3 cups of spinach with strawberries and bananas. I have been putting a little spirulina in the smoothie and have been actually craving the stuff now. Sometimes I will use some of the nettles and mix that with spinach.

Re: getting a blender. I got my vita-mix on a payment plan program - think I paid it in installments over 4 or 5 payments. Just wanted you to know that, in case that's an option for you. I use it all the time, it was the best investment. I don't work for them, lol! chk out the vita-mix site, they might still offer this option.

Fruitarians eat greens!