A quick tip.

We make smoothies alot around here, and I tend to be a little picky about how mine turns out. I like my smoothies to be thick and creamy! Every so often, I do a freezing day. I cut up fruit that I use in my smoothies and freeze them. Bananas, mangoes, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, etc. It makes it so easy to grab a baggie of frozen fruit and toss it directly into the blender. If I had a vitamix, I would probably not cut my bananas up so small. My little banana slicer (the yellow piece of equipment in the picture) makes it extremely easy though.

Throw them into the freezer and they make a perfectly thick and frozen smoothie!

Cilantro anyone?

Delicious!

Getting the fresh pineapple was the most time consuming part of this whole shake!

You can see the flecks of cilantro, which I do not think would be there had I used a Vita-mix. The grapefruit did not completely blend with my blender either.

When I saw this recipe I knew it was going to be good after trying Sarma's Pineapple-Cucumber Gazpacho. Unfortunately, I do not have a Vita-mix so I used my Ninja. It does an average job, but I'm sure the texture would've been MUCH smoother with a Vita-mix. Someday maybe! (sigh)




Sarma's Cilantro Shake Ingredients

• Pink Grapefruit
• Cucumber
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Pineapple
• Agave Nectar or stevia
• Vanilla Extract
• BIG pinch of Cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Directions
In a blender, (Vitamix if you have one) throw a pink peeled grapefruit, peeled cucumber, lots and lots and lots of cilantro - like half a bunch, a lime, some pineapple, agave nectar or stevia, vanilla extract,  BIG pinch of cinnamon, and pinch of salt.

More Love for Cilantro
Free radicals are everywhere - in the water we drink, food we eat, and in the air we breathe. The main defense to free radicals (coming from pollution, x-rays, radiation, chemicals, heavy metals) are antioxidants.  Cilantro leaves are rich in calcium, iron, carotenes, and vitamin C, which it happens are great antioxidants.  A Japanese investigator, Yoshiaki Omura, has made the revolutionary discovery that cilantro can mobilize mercury and other toxic metals from the central nervous system if large enough amounts are consumed daily. Reuters reports that cilantro contains a chemical which has been found to kill the Salmonella bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

The heavy metal detox capabilities of cilantro should also make it of great use in the treatment of depression, Alzheimer's disease, lack of concentration and other related disorders.  In other words, this herb can apparently help to keep you happy, focused, and sane!  Just eat it, don't smoke it.

The main defense to free radicals (coming from pollution, x-rays, radiation, chemicals, heavy metals) are antioxidants.  Cilantro is an antioxidant with detox capabilities for treating depression, Alzheimer's disease, lack of concentration and other related disorders.Sarma shows us how to eat a bunch of cilantro in a tasty and very appetizing treat.

Not So Green Sorbet!

If you can get your kid to eat spinach and spring mix, let me know how you accomplish that! Our son does a really great job eating what we provide for him, but leafy greens isn't one of those things. What 16 month old does though? Leafy greens are one of those foods that younger kids just can't understand how to chew:)

In order to make sure he gets the leafy greens, I made him a "not so green" healthy sorbet for his snack today, and it was a huge hit! If it melts enough it will be a "not so green" smoothie!

Not So Green Sorbet!


1/3 cup frozen blueberries
 5-6  frozen strawberries
1 large handful of mixed greens or spinach (kale would also be a good leafy green option)
1/3 cup frozen broccoli
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup almond milk (can add extra if too thick)
1/2 tbs agave nectar or to taste

Make sure to use frozen broccoli and not cooked so it retains all of it's healthy benefits. If you prefer a smoothie over sorbet, you don't need to use all frozen ingredients.

Baby Talk.

 Since green isn't all that pretty, I removed half of the smoothie and then added the green powder to the rest and layered. 

This morning Gabe and I had a mini play date with my friend Laura and her two daughters. Laura and I were discussing our interests and updating each other on what's been going on since we saw each other last, which has only been about a week:)  She was sharing with me all of her new ideas that she posts on her blog, B and B's Nest. It's a wonderful blog about renovating, redecorating, and fun little projects that Laura does in her not-so-spare time! She would love for you stop by and take a look!

Since we have kids, "baby talk" always comes up! We were discussing how to get our children to eat veggies when it isn't their favorite thing to eat. Since smoothies and shakes are so easy and quick, I was telling her how I often put healthy supplements in our smoothies! We are big "superfood" fans around this house. Yes, Eric too!  Here are just a few that I tend to put in smoothies to help amp up the nutritional value: Goji berries, Spirulina, Maca, cacao nibs, Bee pollen. Visit David Wolfe's SUNFOOD website for superfoods. He also has a very informative book, Superfoods, that gives you all you ever wanted to know about the top superfoods. I own it and read through it often. I also keep frozen wheat grass, Chia, and flax oil for smoothies too. My Raw organic green superfood you see below is taken daily by all of us here. It's from Garden of Life. In addition to using these "superfoods" in your smoothies for kids, you can always add a  small handful of spinach, mixed greens, peas, green beans, beets, and the list goes on and on! It's healthier to add the raw veggies in a smoothie instead of cooking all of the good vitamins and minerals out of them. If you have a picky eater, they will most likely consume the healthy part since it's disguised in fruit of your choice! Gabe hasn't turned down one healthy smoothie that I've made yet!

1/3 c frozen banana, 1/3 c frozen mango, 1/4 c frozen or fresh pineapple. Then add the serving amount of your green supplements!

He likes it:)

 Garden of Life has become one of my favorite brands of raw supplements. I came across it one day while browsing through one of the aisles at Whole Foods. They also carry raw enzymes, raw protein, raw kids vitamins, and even raw prenatal vitamins to name a few!

Evergreen WheatGrass is the brand that I buy. Check out their website for more information.

A quick tip for a "frostier" smoothie:  I like to buy organic frozen berries for my smoothies. I freeze my own bananas, mangos, pineapple etc. I add some homemade almond milk and occasionally a touch of orange juice (or fresh squeezed OJ if I want 100% raw) to help thin it out to the perfect consistency!

Mango Shake

This recipe comes from "RAW FOOD REAL WORLD" by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis.

Mangos are full of vitamin A and one of the richest sources of carotenoids, which help ward off colds and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.* Mangos anyone?

MANGO SHAKE

3 cups diced mango
2 cups coconut water
3 Tbs. agave nectar or 2 packets stevia
2 tsp. vanilla extract
squeeze of lime juice
pinch of sea salt

Puree all ingredients until smooth.

You can buy coconut water to save a little time. I love to buy fresh ones myself.  Water should come out clear. There's an art to opening these bad boys too! Good luck. It took me a while.

 Coconut water is full of electrolytes and great for hydration. A great alternative to sugary electrolyte waters. It can cause diarrhea, but mostly if consumed in excess. It's also great for urinary infections and helps dissolve kidney stones! Oh yeah, and it kills intestinal worms:)

I love this "unprofessional" picture because it reminds me that I have a son:) BTW, he loves coconut water. Sometimes I poke a hole in the top and let him drink straight from the coconut!

Without child items in background! This coconut gave me exactly 2 cups of water. 

The meat should also be white. As you can see, this coconut didn't' have a very thick meat lining. You can always freeze it and use it in other recipes or dry it. 

Just spoon it out.

I learned how to properly cut mangos when I was in Honduras.  Hold mango upright and cut just to the edge of center . This will allow you to miss the seed. 

Turn it and cut down the other side.

I then cut the edges off the seed.

Slice through mango but not all the way through the skin.

Turn it inward and cut the slices off.

I drank mine out of the coconut for fun:) Delicious!

Everything you wanted to know about coconut water right here! I'm a firm believer in prevention of ailments and diseases first, but treating with natural remedies (foods and herbs) is one of my favorite things~