Back to Basics...

Sorry Tim, but I have to admit, nothing beats a mason jar to carry around my green smoothie in my books :)

I have even made it an adventure to find unique and antique mason jars. I remember years ago, my mother buying me one for my birthday because it had my year of birth on it. Haven’t gotten out to quite as many antique or flea markets as I would like to, but the nicer weather is coming :)

I’ve met a woman in the area that makes and sells raw food, and her website inspired my cupboards as well (although I have to admit, mine are still a work in progress). You should check out the photos! Now if I could only find someone to put up the old rustic shelves for me I’d be all set!!!

I had a panic day the other morning; upon waking, I noticed that there were no bananas for my green smoothie! Guess I’ve inspired a few smoothie makers in my household. Uh oh, what was I going to do? I am becoming accustom to my breakie of choice. I guess maybe I am an extremist, I packed up my blender and off I went to work, stopping only long enough to pick up pineapple, bananas and spinach at the grocery store. I must admit that I forgot a mason jar at home to keep at the office, and contemplated going back just for one (strike two for extremist, or maybe that is just anal) :)

So, the day was saved, I now am the proud owner of two blenders; one at home and one at the office. The girls at work are getting quite used to me carrying around mason jars, so the addition of a blender full of green goop to the office kitchen really wasn’t much of a surprise. Just call me Vicky ;)
:)

If Mr. Horton only knew....

If Mr. Horton only knew that his insulated mug was being used for a cup full of goodness I wonder what he would think?

I know that in the times of the great hockey legend, a green smoothie had never been heard of. Mr. Horton will forever go down in history as a coffee, timbit and donut guy, at least by my generation. The former generation of Canadians will no doubt remember him for his hockey career, but unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for me, I'm not quite that old :)

My day usually begins with a mason jar full of greens or a coffee from Tim Hortons; unfortunately lately it has been the java in my mug. I remember when I first introduced green smoothies many years ago, the immediate results I noticed were incredible. I'm not sure if this is because my diet was lacking at the time, or maybe it is because I continually include greens in my diet now, but just like everything else, your body becomes accustom to what it puts in (good or bad) and we don't feel the results/consequences of our actions as well.

One thing I have always been grateful for, is that I can take or leave coffee. I do enjoy it, but when I stop drinking coffee, I don't get any of the usual side effects of the withdrawal. Maybe this is because I am replacing my morning drink with a green smoothie instead.

Today I am embarking on a green smoothie mission. I have to admit I love my green smoothies. I am not much of a reader, but if you have not yet read Green for Life I strongly suggest that you do. It just may change your attitude on your morning beverage. My mission is to start every morning with a green smoothie, and bring as many people along for the ride as I can :)


Today's smoothie is simple, a couple of bananas, some strawberries and a few dates in a blender, and then add the spinach.

I honestly believe that nothing can replace the ease and benefits of a green smoothie in the morning. Come join me on my adventure.... try and replace your morning coffee with a green smoothie, I would love to know how you do. Maybe even Mr. Horton would approve of the switch, although I'm sure the franchise would beg to differ :)

My Lightbulb Smoothie Moment

This has been my breakfast all week, my green chocolate-mint smoothie.

I had my own little light bulb moment yesterday. It happened when I read Angela Stokes blog (I had just recently subscribed to it, so it just appeared in my inbox!).

I took a look at her daily intake of food/juice/etc. I have been noticing a lot lately, with my own diet, that if I do not make an effort to include the greens (smoothies or juice), I don’t feel as well as I could (less energy, etc.).

I have to admit, it takes a lot to eat all the greens that you need in a day, and I do find that I often "grab and go", like the banana, strawberries and nuts, making the "green" intake somewhat more of a challenge. I think that has always been my challenge with the raw food.

If I look at the daily intake of raw food, for this highly successful raw foodist, I notice that a lot of her green intake is done via juices. After reading "Green for Life", I know that it is hard for our bodies to process and break down the greens that we eat without proper chewing, and that green juices and green smoothies are the best way for our bodies to absorb these nutrients.

But for some reason, it took reading the blog, and reading the daily intake for the light bulb to go off.

So, more green smoothies and green juice, here we come..... Sometimes it takes me awhile!

Thanks to Rosie for referring to me in her blog!!! I'm glad you are feeling better, and would love to compare notes when the pollen flies!

More Snow and More Greens in the Forecast!

We have been hit with snow storm after snow storm this past week. Last friday we got over a foot of snow; together with school closures for lots of happy kids! This week, wednesday and thursday brought school closures again due to ice and snow storms. My children had school yesterday, but a downed powerline caused the schools to close early due to lack of power.

Its hard to tell by the photo, but this tree is actually covered in a thin layer of ice. After an ice-storm, when the sun shines, it is one of the prettiest sights ever. The whole world looks like glass. I have tried to take pictures of this, but it never turns out as beautiful as the actual sight.

Therefore, this week I have been neglectful of a few things; namely my blog and the mountain climb. I am hoping to get back on track, weather permitting, very soon.

Another thing that I have noticed lately, is that my body is on more of a fruit kick than a veggie kick. After reading "Green for Life" I know that lack of greens in a diet is often where raw foodists and vegans/vegetarians often fail. Therefore, I do listen to my body and eat what I crave, but when my green intake is down, I supplement with my "Raw Greens". I also purchased some for the kids, cause we all know that (most) kids don't eat enough greens!

And guess what, they are even made in my home town, Ancaster, Ontario.

Also, I have committed to March 1, 2008 to start (or at least attempt) a juice feast. It is Global Juice Feast day and there will be a lot of people starting (and I'm sure attempting) a juice feast at that time. Tigerlily and I will be among them. So, between now and then, I have some more research to do, I have to purchase a good juicer, and I have to get prepared (stock up on lots and lots and lots of fruits and veggies)! I am looking forward to it.

Busy weekend in store... lots to do when you are buying and selling your home.

Mothers of Green Smoothie Drinkers Unite....

There seems to be a "green smoothie" movement out there. Not entirely sure if it has been there for awhile and I am just catching on to it, or whether it is a new idea among the "raw bloggers". Regardless of what it is, green smoothies seem to be getting attention.

The idea of blending your greens is a good way to release all of the nutrients that they contain. According to "Green for Life" the cellular makeup of the leaves makes it very difficult for our bodies to get to the nutrients unless they are chewed up really well. Every time I hear or read that, it reminds me of my grandmother and my dad (apple doesn't fall far from the tree) tellling me to chew each bite 40 times. Not sure about you, but I can't do that! My jaw actually starts to hurt. So, it makes sense to release all of the nutrients in the greens by blending them.

I remember when the "health stores" started coming out with "greens". Never bought any myself, but it is my understanding that it is some kind of putrid powder, that you mix into a big glass of water and have to choke down. I don't understand that entirely, why would anyone want to do that instead of enjoying a refreshing, easy to make, good for you, etc. etc. smoothie? That I guess is my question of the day.

I do have to say, that feeding children greens via a smoothie is a lot less stressful than telling them that they can't leave the table until all their veggies are gone. If you can get them past the colour of the drink, they enjoy it! Think I have just solved the veggie dilema for mothers everywhere! Now, if I could just contact all of them and sign them up for the "Mothers of Green Smoothie Drinkers". hmm, could be on to something here!

Okay, kidding and thoughts aside, I have to share my dinner last night (well, not literally, of course). I must confess that I am running out of ideas for getting excited over a bowl of salad, or one single fruit. I actually think my body is needing a change in the fruit department because it isn't as appealing as it once was. This recipe made me feel like I was eating "real food" which is what I needed at the time.

My "Real Food" Recipe

½ cucumber, diced into small pieces
3 tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1 green onion, sliced
2 cobs of corn (minus the cob)
Basil

Place all in a bowl, top with fresh basil, and enjoy - This one is a keeper in my books, nothing tastes better than raw corn on a cold winter day!