Grapefruit Glow!

Get your Grapefruit Glow with this Gorgeous Green Smoothie!

I love grapefruit, and have been getting it into my morning green smoothie quite regularly. It’s beneficial for weight loss, cleansing & detoxification (specifically liver), Hep. C, boosting energy, and more! (there’s always more, right?)

I like to shave the outer colored rind of the grapefruit (and save it for other dishes), leaving the white pith intact. The pith has shown to benefit connective tissue and build bone, as well as make the vitamin C more digestible and usable.

Here’s my latest favorite grapefruit green smoothie (makes enough for 4 large glasses full, which you can share or drink throughout the morning like I do):

Into the blender (Vita-Mix works best) put:

• 1 whole pink grapefruit (pith intact*)
• handful dandelion greens (or other greens)
• Fresh fennel fronds (those feathery things on the fennel bulb
• 1 head Romaine
• fresh ginger to taste
• Liquid stevia to taste (a little goes a LOOOONG way. I like vanilla crème stevia)
• 2 tsp. raw coconut oil
• roughly 12 ounces of pure water (more or less depending on the thickness you like)

Optionals: cucumber, banana, avocado, cinnamon . . . keep it simple, but explore as you get the basics down.

Blend everything on high speed and enjoy – Yummmm!

Getting that grapefruit glow is delicious.

Mango-Berry Sorbet - Yuummm!

This is a Mother’s Day post, but there’s no reason you can’t make this one any day!

This makes  super easy tasty sweet treat that will leave you feeling light and energized. And with only 3 minutes of prep time you’ll have lots of time to spend with loved ones.

 Serve with fresh berries, cacao nibs, goji berries,

dried coconut flakes, fresh mint leaves . . . explore!

You can experiment with different flavors too – such 

as banana-strawberry.

2 cups frozen mango

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 tbsp. raw honey (if desired)

1/4 cup coconut or almond milk

Put all the ingredients in the Vita-Mix and blend, using the tamper to

feed the fruit to the blades if needed, just until smooth, creamy and thick.

Do not over blend or you will start to have slush. : )

Serve right away or store in the freezer in an airtight container.

Get free shipping ($25 value) for a Vita-Mix when you use this link.

Sweet and creamy

This is actually a recipe I whip up quite a bit for a quick, healthy and indulgent afternoon treat (or breakfast). It has no sugar, dairy and is totally raw! I even discovered that it was great with a secret ingredient: celery. The celery is loaded with enzymes and mineral salts. It also adds a little extra thickening to the pudding and you don’t taste it at all.

Enjoy!

1 cup young Thai coconut meat

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 scoop high quality protein powder (I like Dream Protein – use Vanilla or Chocolate according to your mood)

1 slice whole organic lemon, washed (peel and all)

1/4 cup  almond milk or coconut water (just enough to blend it, not too much to make it too thin)

Optional spices: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, orange peel

For a mocha flavor, I like to add a teaspoon of Teechino

Put it all in the Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. You can garnish with shredded coconut, goji berries, fresh berries, cacao nibs, etc.

There are many ways to vary this recipe, have some fun!

• 1 cup chopped fresh dandelion greens
• 1-2 cups Romaine lettuce or red leaf lettuce
• 3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries (or raspberries)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1-2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 scoop Dream Protein (vanilla or chocolate)
• meat of one young coconut (optional, but yummy!) or meat of 1/2 avocado
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil
• squeeze of lemon or orange (about a tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 teaspoon raw cacao nibs or powder
• 1/2 teaspoon raw mesquite pod powder (also optional, but amazing!)
• pinch of cloves, dash cinnamon, pinch ginger
• If needed, stevia to taste (the Dream Protein is pretty sweet with stevia already)
• 1/2 cup water, coconut water or unsweetened almond milk (or to taste)
• You can also add a tablespoon or two of goji berries – Yummm!

Blend it all in a Vita-Mix until smooth, and enjoy the luscious goodness and smooth energy!

This is one example of a smoothie that rocked my world, but you may find yourself building a different variation.

Follow the recipe or play a little bit.

The worst that can happen is that you won’t like it, and you can make another, right?

So, I start with berries – high in antioxidants, deep color means deep feelings : ), all those little seeds are good for the reproductive organs, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and they taste sooo good!

Next, I choose some greens. I know, you are rolling your eyes at this point. Please trust me on this. A handful or two of spinach, beet greens (very sweet!) or romaine will not actually give a whole lot of flavor, but it will offer a huge dose of nutrition – magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin C, antioxidants, help boost feel good hormones, balance blood sugar. Just try it! If this really seems torturous, at least try a good quality green superfood like blue green algae.

Okay, now for healthy fats. My favorite is a teaspoon or two of coconut oil and a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds (which also add fiber). If you like something to make your smoothie thick and creamy try avocado.

Then I go for the flavor boosters/balancers – a squeeze of lemon enhances sweetness, while balancing out any potential “green” flavor, cinnamon enhances sweetness and stabilizes blood sugar, stevia adds extra sweetness when needed.

Extras - goji berries add essential aminos and gentle sweetness; good quality protein powder adds . . . yup, protein; ginger adds a little spice; bee pollen adds some supernutrition and plant protein; maca powder for hormones, energy, protein, minerals and helps add some sass; raw cacao to give a healthy superfood energy boost!

Liquid - My favorite is chilled homemade herbal teas, but for most people unsweetened almond or hemp milk works very  well. Another tasty  and healthful option is young coconut water.

My favorite smoothie:

Blueberries, Raspberries, beet greens, romaine or celery, coconut oil, flax and chia seeds, squeeze of lemon, dash of stevia, goji berries, scoop protein powder, pinch salt (yes, salt), dash cinnamon, maca powder, tea (just enough to get the blender going).

I pile it all into my Vita-Mix and blend on high about 1 minute.

Mmmmm, self love in a smoothie. : )

Let me know what you think by leaving your comment below!

Easy and really delicious, don’t let the murky color scare you away. Everyone who has tried this has really loved it!

1 cup raw spinach

2-3 leaves Romaine lettuce

2 bananas

¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1-2 cups water or almond milk (depending on how thick you like it)

Blend everything preferably in a Vita-Mix blender on high speed until smooth (about 60-90 seconds). The great thing about the high-speed blender is that it will pulverize the berry seeds, which contain a very high concentration of the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Sip slowly and enjoy the energy!

For raw cacao and maca click here.

2 Medium size ripe avocados or 3 cups soft meat of young Thai coconuts
Liquid stevia to taste (start with 4 or 5 drops)

Agave nectar to taste (start with 1-2 tbsp. or used soaked dates, or maple syrup
which is not raw)
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil

1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon of dried or fresh orange zest
1/4 cup carob powder
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder (or to taste)

Optional, but really nice: 2 teaspoons maca powder

Additional water, unsweetened almond milk or coconut water -enough so blender will run smoothly

About one cup fresh berries of choice. Raspberries are especially nice with this.

Put all ingredients into a high-speed blender (I recommend the Vita-Mix) and blend until smooth.

Transfer to individual ramkins or small bowls and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve garnished with fresh berries.

Delightfully Chocolatey Dip/Pudding

This was a real hit at our last Devana Spring Cleanse ’09 meeting. It was decided that it would be a great healthy treat for kids as well. Yummm!

2 cups young thai coconut meat

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup raw cacao powder or organic cocoa powder

1/4 cup (or to taste) organic raw agave nectar

about 2-4 Tablespoons almond milk (depends on desired consistency)

A wonderful addition: 2-3 drops Young Living orange essential oil

http://vibrant-health.younglivingworld.com

You can make this in the Vita-Mix or a food processor. Place all ingredients except essential oil in blender or processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the essential oil.

Serve with berries or however you like!

Making Your Own Almond/Nut Milk

This is a delicious way to make a non-dairy milk. It is really quite simple, it just looks complex because of my added variations. There is nothing quite like homemade.

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight (8-12 hours in filtered water) and drained
3 cups liquid of choice (see below)

Put the almonds, dried fruit if using (see below), spices or flavorings (see below) and liquid into your blender (high-speed works best)  and puree until smooth. Strain the mix through a piece of cheesecloth or nylon stocking. You will have to squeeze a lot to get all the liquid out. You may want to make your own nut milk bag using a nylon small-holed mesh fabric. Make a 4”x6” rectangle. The bag is easy to wash by hand or in a washing machine for reuse.
The milk will stay good for about 5 days. To extend the shelf life a bit, you may add a drop or two of lemon, orange, grapefruit or nutmeg Young Living essential oil (Young Living oils are suitable for ingestion. See http://vibrant-health.younglivingworld.com). Alternately you may add a drop or two of colloidal silver (tasteless).
The Pulp:
Save the pulp and add it to cereal, humus or you may dehydrate in a dehydrator or in a gas oven on the lowest setting. When totally dehydrated it should be dry and flaky. Sprinkle it on desserts or use as a “flour”.

Sweetener and liquid options:
♥ Soak ¼ cup raisins in 1 cup filtered water about 8 hours. Drain and save the soak water. When blending your milk, use the soak water along with additional water.
♥ Use just filtered water and add stevia or agave nectar to taste.
♥ Use the water from a young coconut for your liquid.

Spices and Flavorings:
♥ Cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom (together or alone)
♥ Vanilla
♥ Vanilla and cinnamon
♥ For Chai flavor: 1 t garam masala, 1 t dried ginger, 1 t cinnamon, ½ t cardamom, vanilla
♥ For Chocolate Mint: 1 T fresh minced mint or 1 drop peppermint YL essential oil, 1 T carob or cocoa powder, vanilla
♥ For Chocolate: try pecans instead of almonds and add 1 T carob or cocoa powder and vanilla
♥ You may also add a pinch of salt to any chocolate or chai mix.
♥ Strawberry almond milk: 1-2 cups fresh strawberries to taste, stevia to taste, and vanilla

]]> http://blendedbliss.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/cleanse-recipes/feed/ 2 devana 2006-04-27_strawberries http://blendedbliss.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/scrumptious-spring-tonic/ http://blendedbliss.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/scrumptious-spring-tonic/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:14:45 +0000 Ana http://blendedbliss.wordpress.com/?p=20 ]]> This creamy sweet smoothie belies it’s healthful roots. The highly nutritious (yet bitter) liver tonic dandelion greens get masked by the coconut and strawberries. Dandelion greens are one of the most nutrient dense foods available and a very effective diuretic. Strawberries are an excellent spring tonic, used to break down excess toxins in the liver. Both strawberries and dandelion have natural antiviral properties and mild sedative effects, making this a great immune boost and anti-stress drink.

Add meat and water of one young coconut, 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries and one handful chopped young dandelion greens to a high-speed blender (like the Vita-Mix). Puree until smooth. Enjoy immediately.

You can add a scoop of Greens First for a little extra boost. : )

If you find you need more sweetness, add some stevia before or after blending.

Recent travels to Costa Rica have inspired some new additions to the smoothie repertoire. Read on, blend and delight!

Pura Vida Blended Bliss

While staying at a yoga resort appropriately named Pura Vida, I found myself ordering this delicious concoction over and over.

1/2 cup fresh or frozen papaya (peeled and cubed)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple (peeled and cubed)

1/2 ripe avocado (scooped from the peel)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I like Dream Protein. Click here for a free sample)

1 scoop green food powder (I like Greens First. Click here for a free sample)

optional: 1 handful spinach

Blend until smooth, preferably in a high-speed blender (my favorite is the Vita-Mix!).

For free shipping and special offers on the Vita-Mix click here.

Nosara Pina Delight

This delightful concoction is based on a lovely blend I enjoyed at the Zen Cafe in Playa Guiones. Refreshing and uplifting and loaded with enzymes!

1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple, peeled and cubed

1/2 inch piece ginger root

1/2 medium cucumber, washed and skin left on if organic

1/2 cup water or coconut water (more or less to achieve desired consistency)

sprig of mint

Blend the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Garnish with mint.

Great blended with ice for a summer cooler.