Friday, April 25, 2008

GREEN SMOOTHIES ARE CHANGING MY LIFE AND ROCKING MY WORLD
OK, that is a pretty strong statement.

But not too far from the truth.

When I started drinking green smoothies every morning, about six weeks ago, I was very skeptical. I mean, how revolutionary could they be? And they couldn't taste good, right? And how could someone write a whole book about them? When Sara was here, I agree to try them. A couple of bananas, seven or so strawberries, a spoonful of honey, some water, a handful of spinach. I was amazed at how good they were. How filling. How you could hardly tell the spinach was there. I have been drinking them almost every day for breakfast since then and have slowly been adding more greens.
I immediately started eating better. When I started my day in such a healthy way, it was easier to make good decisions for the rest of the day. I lost 5% of my body weight in the first 3 weeks, after 7 months of being at a complete plateau (even after adding in running 5K, 3x a week).

Then, I fell off the bandwagon for about 10 days, right around my birthday. And I fell hard. I immediately felt the effects. My face broke out, my clothes got tighter, and I was tired. Very, very tired. Going to bed around 11 every night, and dragging out of the bed next morning at 8:30 or 9. Not good.

This past Sunday, I decided I'd had enough. This week, I have been in smoothie overdrive. OH. MY. GOODNESS. They are soooo good. I crave them. I have been adding more and more greens each day. Yesterday morning I had a smoothie with honey, water, bananas, spinach, kale, avocado, ground flax seeds, and blackberries. I had steamed veggies and rice for lunch. For dinner, because they just taste so darn good and I wanted one so, so bad, I had another smoothie. Kale, spinach, wheatgrass, honey, water, bananas, and strawberries. I didn't love the taste of the wheatgrass, but seriously, after drinking that thing, I felt like I could leap a tall building in a single bound (isn't that how it goes?). I was BUZZING with energy.
That may not sound like much food, but I just can't tell you how satisfying and filling one of these smoothies are. Yesterday I...

Got up around 5 am, did a load of laundry, washed dishes, fed and dressed three children

Organized two closets and both freezers

Spent the day in Savannah, shopping for a summer dress

Came home, went straight to soccer practice

Cooked dinner. Bathed the baby. Did more dishes and laundry. Picked up the house.

After the kids were in bed, went to Charlotte's and helped her rearrange/move furniture.

Came home, stayed up doing nothing in particular until 1 am.

Woke up at 5 am, without an alarm, ready to meet the day!

Oh, and did I mention that my 2 year old vegetable hater LOVES them? And the 10 month old? The 5 year old likes the taste but says "Mom, salads are supposed to be on a plate, not in a straw". And since he will eat them on a plate, I am OK with that.

When the smoothies are bright green, we call them Shrek smoothies, or sometimes, The Incredible Hulk Smoothies. The boys take a sip, then require me to feel their biceps. :)
If the green color is a hang up for you, I recommend making a blackberry smoothie. It will be a beautiful deep purple. Or, just drink it in a dark glass so you don't see the color!

I make a blender full (sometimes two) in the morning, and pour them into mason jars and put them in the fridge. Then, whenever hunger hits, I can just grab one out of the fridge. So convenient!

Oh, and just as an aside, as of this morning, my weight is in the 150's again for the first time in THREE YEARS. You can't see me (and you should be thankful for that), but I am in my kitchen this morning doing a big time happy dance.

Seriously, try the smoothie.

If you need more than just my recommendation, read what these people have to say.


*Image from lazysupper on flickr.com

25 comments:

  1. hey! I've been drinking them. I actually crave them as well. It's amazing how so much spinach and kale can be blended down into only a few ounces. Mine get really thick and sludge like....how do you make them more of a liquid?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:04 PM

    Are you ordering the wheatgrass juice from the site you linked to? Have you tried adding spirulina?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just grew my own from a bag of wheatgrass seeds I got at the Discount Food store. Took about a week to sprout them enough to cut. I haven't tried spirulina yet.
    Too make it more liquidy, just add water until it is the consistency you like. I add 4+ cups of water to mine usually.

    ReplyDelete
  4. spirulina ...LOL.. just say seaweed.

    and seriously ... thanks for the help on the library. its done and very cute and serviceable. Also. I am intensely glad that we can't see you do the happy dance b/c of the preview I saw last night you would give Elaine Benes a run for her money.

    ReplyDelete
  5. as you know, i tried them for a while and can't deny that i did seem to have a little more energy and it did motivate me to eat better throughout my day. you have almost convinced me to start back up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xi4O1yi6b0

    lol!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous4:43 PM

    So, did you find a cute summer dress? I don't think they make cute summer dresses in my size. They're more like burlap sacks. I bet you found a super cute one!! I am still doing the smoothies for breakfast and lunch. I haven't added any thing new - still bananas, strawberries, honey, and kale like we made. I am so glad they are working for you. Your enthusiasm will help me stay on the band wagon! I DO have more energy - even Brian noticed. But, I don't think I have lost any weight.
    Stuck in the plus sizes,
    Christy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:58 PM

    Alright already! I'll start green smoothies. I must ask, though. I have sugar issues or something. I say "or something" b/c every time my glucose has been tested, it's been fine. But I get all shaky and weak (and mean) when I need to eat, and I have been known to pass out. So.. to taste good, will the g.s. have too much sugar (although natural) and not enough protein? Or should I puree a steak in there, too? (just kidding) Seriously, y'all answer me here or at jkagreen@hotmail.com.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Veggies have protein. You might want to add some avocado though...the fat should help keep you full and keep you feeling stabilized. You can definitely leave out the honey if you like. I made mine this morning without honey and it is still really good. I bet that these would help you with your blood sugar issue. I can get that woozy feeling too, especially late afternoon when I am hungry and tired. Another reason I like to keep a couple extra in the fridge to grab.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:57 PM

    Katherine,

    You probably need to eat mini meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar level constant. Sip on a smoothie all through the day. That's what I do and it really helps. Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hear ya! I love green smoothies and have seen them be quite life enhancing (and changing for many!).

    I'm crazy for cinnamon lately and love adding it to my smoothies, especially when I have apples in them! YUMMY!!!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous7:32 AM

    I am really interested in this wheat grass thing - i have been growing rye grass - hmm...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yay for green smoothie love! I'm am SO PROUD of you and HAPPY that you are sticking with it. Wow. And now you're inspiring others...so cool. A few thoughts:

    *Try taking out the honey and adding stevia instead (no calories and low glycemic index). I use the powdered kind in the little packets...usually 1/2 packet per smoothie.

    *Greens will naturally help sugar cravings/spikes.

    *If your goal is to lose weight, I would avoid adding too much avocado into the smoothie. Maybe 1/4 avocado per day.

    *And yes, greens have protein! It's more "usable" protein oz. for oz. than meat. Our bodies were programmed to digest proteins from plants, not other animals, so it just works better.

    *I've been adding spirulina and ground flax seeds to mine every day and I love it. I've been experimenting with maca too. It's quite un-tasty though. :)I would recommend chocolate smoothies for the maca.

    Keep spreadin' the love girly! Miss you! xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:31 AM

    OH MY GOODNESS! This could have been me writing except that my boys are 6, 4 and 2. They do the exact same things and I can SO relate to this post about smoothies... I have had the same experience with them. Lost almost 20 pounds and am also finally in the 150's after so long! I am SO adding you to my favorites list! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous1:28 PM

    You know, if I didn't drink green drinks myself, it would be hard to believe what people say about them, but everything you've written is true of me (and my family), too. The drinks are delicious and addicting (we crave them).

    (I posted on green drinks not long ago myself.) :-)

    We feel clearer in the head, more energetic, less hungry, stronger (which is different than energetic). We sleep better, have clearer skin, and on and on...

    I bought Green for Life when it first came out. It's a really great book!

    I'm enjoying your blog,
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  16. .... I just saw Ironman...AND guess what?! he was drinking a green smoothie in the movie! If it works for Tony Stark and the Hollywood masses then why not me?!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, you're pretty persuasive about your newfound love!

    Tell me, do you have a fancy blender like Vitamix? Or can your everyday high wattage blender take the workload?

    ReplyDelete
  18. We will have to try these!!
    blessings,
    kari & kijsa

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm sold - I'm off to read more so I'll know what to do. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is my first time here and I am intrigued by this green smoothie idea. Thanks for the links. I already grow wheatgrass for my cat to eat. Now I have another use for it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Would you say there's a lot more fruit in your smoothies than greens? We have been making fruit smoothies with just frozen fruit and water for years, but I have just tried making them green lately. The kids aren't too excited about it! I bought kale today and put more in there than I have been of spinach, and it was not nearly as tasty. I tasted a piece before I put it in, and it almost tasted like cabbage. Is there anything else besides spinach that doesn't have an overwhelming taste? And where/in what form do you buy spinach? I've been buying it in bags or plastic boxes at the grocery store, and it's pretty expensive to just be eating handfuls of it all day long. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great post! (In fact I found your blog doing a "Green Smoothie" search) We just started making green smoothies 4 days ago & I am already sooooooo impressed! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous10:42 AM

    I'm rather enjoying the green smoothie myself. I'm still a newbie but having recently switched to whole foods to see if it has a positive effect on my son's behaviour, I've been buying (and using!) much more produce. I had one just last night that was made up of freshly juiced oranges, zucchini, half an apple, and kale and then blended with plain yogurt, ground flax seed, frozen fruit (mango, peach, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry), half an avocado, and a scoop of peach protein powder. I know the powder is probably taboo (especially in the "whole foods" category)... Very awesome flavour and you're right, I've never tasted the greens in any of the ones I've made.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I can relate to almost everything you are saying including calling the green smoothie 'Shrek' or 'Hulk'. We do the same thing at our house. My husband calls peas, 'Hulk balls' to try to get our four year old to eat them. Anything red is called 'Spiderman'...
    I will HAVE to try the green power smoothie!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. So, are you still doing the green smoothie daily? I'll admit I've fallen off the daily (even weekly) wagon. Maybe once every 3 weeks. I miss them... I need to get back to doing them at least every other day because you are absolutely right, I feel better when I've had my smoothie! :)

    Nathan and Witt like them, too, with a straw. Will won't touch it. LOL! What about your boys?

    Thanks for playing along in my birthday carnival!! My bday is the 28th. Hope you have a great bday yourself!! Any fun plans?

    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete