Smoothie Love

For all the friends and family members that have asked about the smoothies that I make, this post is for you. I have been drinking these smoothies almost every day since introduced to them over 5 months ago and LOVE them. I crave them in the mornings, I love the taste, but what I love the most is that the ingredients of the smoothie, along with eating healthy foods, have played a huge role in helping me manage my IBS symptoms. I use the word "manage" because the symptoms still pop up here and there but have decreased significantly. What used to be a daily battle has become something that I deal with only occasionally, drastically improving my quality of life.


Green Superfood Berry Smoothie
(This is the way that I make mine but know others that add ingredients or leave out some ingredients based on taste and desired effects.)

1 Banana
1 Scoop Vanilla Egg White Protein (I use the Jay Robb brand)
1 Scoop Green Superfood (I use Garden of Life Raw, Organic Superfood)
4 Large, Frozen, Organic Strawberries
5-6 Frozen, Organic Raspberries
A handful of Frozen, Organic Blueberries
1/2 Cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
Cinnamon to taste
Raw, local honey to taste

A couple of notes
1) I recommend using only a half scoop of the green superfood for the first couple of weeks until you get used to the flavor and then slowly adding more. Once you start to love it, you will want to add more and more!
2) It is best to use organic berries because berries hold a lot of pesticides and you want to eliminate your exposure.
3) My preference is the vanilla almond milk but you can use plain or even use Coconut Milk.
4) I highly recommend adding the Cinnamon. It has great health benefits - Studies have shown that it is Anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial, it has a regulatory effect on blood sugar and can possibly lower cholesterol.
3) If you are going to reap the benefits of drinking green smoothies on a regular basis, I suggest investing in a good blender. You want something that will last. We currently have the Kitchen Aid 5-speed Model: KSB755CA

Happy Blending!

Do you have a healthy smoothie recipe to share?

Organic or conventional fruit & veggies - how to decide

One of the things that I hear most often from people about organic food is that it is too expensive. Ideally we want to buy everything organic to limit our exposure to chemicals. However, I am realistic and like everyone else, I have to work within a budget to buy food. So I want to get a good deal on fruits and vegetables but I also want my family to be healthy. Therefore I refer to the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen guidelines. These very helpful lists tell you which fruits and vegetables hold the most pesticides and should be bought organic and which ones hold the least pesticides and can be bought conventionally. Anything not mentioned is somewhere in between and your best bet would be to go organic.

According to the Environmental Working Group, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating only the cleanest.

Dirty Dozen (+1)  Buy organic, whenever possible to eliminate exposure to chemicals

1) Celery
2) Peaches 

3) Strawberries

4) Apples

5) Blueberries

6) Nectarines

7) Bell Peppers

8) Spinach

8) Kale

9) Cherries

10) Potatoes

11) Grapes

12) Tomatoes

13) Pears

Clean Fifteen - These are the least likely to be contaminated with pesticides

1) Onions

2) Avocados

3) Sweet Corn

4) Pineapple
5) Mangoes
6) Sweet Peas
7) Asparagus
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Cantaloupe
12) Watermelon
13) Grapefruit
14) Sweet Potatoes
15) Honeydew Melon

Happy Shopping!

The Old Saying Is Correct

I would like to dedicate my first post to the fruit it is named after - the apple. The old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is definitely still true today. Apples contain antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber that all help you in preventing disease. Apples have been shown to provide digestion regulation, blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular benefits and can help to prevent asthma and cancer, especially lung cancer.

Apples are best eaten whole - eat everything but the core. The best nutrients are found in the peel. Personally, I am obsessed with apple slices and almond butter. I eat this snack almost every day. I have found that my favorite almond butter is one that is freshly ground with nothing else added. We shop at one of the newer HEB stores and they have a station already set up for you to grind your own almonds. Yummy!

Let me say again that apples are best eaten whole. So many parents with good intentions, (and I was one of them at one time), have believed the marketing that fruit juice is just as nutritious as the actual fruit. Fruit juices are highly processed, refined and devoid of nutrients. It's like Marvin Gaye said "ain't nothing like the real thing baby"

Of course apples are just one of the many fruits and vegetables that should be a part of your diet but the little round, red fruit is a great place to start!

What's your favorite way to eat apples?