Monthly Archives: July 2015

My #Smoothie Journey: Making the #Vegetarian Choice #recipe #kale #cherries #coconut

IMG_0287Making the choice to replace a meal with a smoothie back in April has really helped my health in one simple way:  I stopped catching every virus that came my way. When I had time for self reflection at the end of June, I decided I wanted to take my food journey a step farther. I gave up meat at the end of that month and now I’m coming up to my one-month anniversary as a vegan-leaning vegetarian!

This has prompted some additional changes in my body. I’m still not catching crud, plus I’ve lost a bit of weight (not much, but not trying) and I’m not desperate for an extra hit of caffeine every afternoon. I’m eating SOOOO much healthier, and I’ve learned to love food and cooking again. It’s been a lot of work but also a lot of fun. My grocery store routine has expanded dramatically. My husband says he’s lost weight too. Even though he hasn’t embraced these changes, he eats what I cook a fair amount so he’s stuck with what I’m doing.

Here’s a new recipe we both like. His had sausage on top. Mine didn’t.

Cherry Kale

  • 1 bunch kale, hard stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup sweet red cherries, halved and pits removed
  • 1 handful dried coconut flakes
  • 1 tbl olive oil
  • pepper
  • African smoke seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic, basil)

Makes 3-4 servings

Add olive oil to frying pan and heat. Add kale. After it reduces slightly, add cherries and cook until warm. Make space in the pan and add coconut. Keep cooking until toasted, about one minute. Add seasonings to taste.

Serve 1/3-1/4 of recipe over one cup portion of cooked short grain brown rice, which adds a delicious chewy texture that pairs perfectly with the coconut.

 

My #Smoothie Journey: What to do with root vegetable greens #vegetarian #recipe

IMG_0238Did you know that some root vegetables have greens that you can eat? I’ve tried beet and radish greens so far. Here is a recipe that was successful for me. I created this one, but the Blender Girl Smoothies cookbook has other, fancier ones. Happy drinking!

Beet Green Smoothie

serves 2

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tbl chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup finely torn beet greens
  • 1 cup pineapple
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Blend this one a little longer than you usually do. The greens are hard to break down. The results are delicious!