Refreshing Spring
Happy First day of Spring!
The most Beautiful time of the year have finally began. I love how everything is coming back to life in Spring and all kind of colours start popin out. People have bigger Smiles and Sun starts to Shine brighter.
It feels so great when weather is getting warmer day by day and the these very first moment laying down on the green grass.
Spring is perfect time to also wake up your body and get a good Energy boost from home made Smoothie. Get out your blenders and forget about the Smoothie bars. Most of the commercial smoothie places fill your smoothie with syrups and dont use natural ingredients(even if they say it in their ads). So like this your healthy smoothie(what you this is healthy) end up like a candy what dosnt have any necessary ingredients.
First of all Real Smoothies are Delicious, Refreshing and such a good source for your body to get all kind of needed Vitamins. Smoothie can be really helpful for the ones who want to lose weight. Replace healthy Smoothie with your meal. Also Smoothies are good for breakfast and energy kick after the workout.
For making Smoothie you dont need to be a chef, but you can get really creative and include only the things you like or your body needs.
In this post I want to share some of my favorite Smoothie and Juice recipes!
Over view of Veggies what are great for Smoothies and Juices
spinach – rich in vitamins and minerals, spinach will help mellow out stronger flavors and bind them together
broccoli and brussel sprouts – not popular vegetables, but highly nutritious, juicing is an easy way to slip broccoli and brussel sprouts into the diet
bell peppers in every color – bell peppers contain more Vitamin C than citrus fruits, and are also rich in antioxidants
beets and beet greens – very strongly flavored, beets should only be used in blends, not used as pure beet juice
turnips and turnip greens
Kale, collards, and mustard greens – dark leafy greens are a good source of calcium and iron
carrots (and tops) – carrots contain many vitamins and minerals, are rich in beta carotene, and full of antioxidants. Although most of us automatically chop off the green tops, they also make an excellent addition to your juice
celery – celery is an excellent source of magnesium, and is a mild diuretic. To avoid clogging the juicer with the long fibrous strings, cut it into short sections for juicing
cabbage – cabbage juice oxidizes quickly, beginning to lose vitamins and minerals as soon as it’s juiced, so it should be added last, and the juice should be used immediately
asparagus – rich in asparagine, an amino acid that is destroyed by cooking, asparagus is also a mild diuretic
fennel – similar in nutritional content to celery, fennel adds a sweet, licorice flavor to blends and helps to sweeten the breath
parsley – provides high levels of chlorophyll, as well as reducing the strong odor and flavor of garlic. Parsley should be juiced with other vegetables, since the dense pulp can clog the juicer by itself.
cucumbers – cucumbers are high in potassium and other minerals, and are an excellent addition to a juice blend
lettuces like romaine or leaf lettuce (iceberg lettuce is very low in nutrients, and should be avoided.)
garlic – with more health benefits than can be listed here, a clove of garlic is an excellent addition to your juice
onions – with multiple health benefits similar to garlic, adding a slice of onion or a whole green onion is a wonderful way to perk up the flavor of juice blends.
ginger – strongly flavored, with anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties, ginger will add a bit of spice and heat to juice blends. Start with small pieces until you’ve determined how much works for you.
hot peppers – capsaicin (the component of peppers that makes them hot) has been shown to have many health benefits, and juicing is a way to get capsaicin into your diet even if you don’t like hot foods. In small amounts, (remove the seeds for less spiciness) you can add the benefits of capsaicin without adding too much “heat.”
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Green Smoothie
* 1 ripe banana *1.5 cups of frozen fruits *1 large handful baby spinach *cup water or almond milk
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Blue Green Ginger Smoothie
*1 cup wild blueberries *1 banana *3/4 cup ice cubes *2 large chard leaves *1 small apple *1 Tbsp raw ginger *2 celery stalks *1 small carrot
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Green Smoothie
* fresh spinach leaves *a frozen banana *almond milk *1 tsp. vanilla *1 stevia leaf *1/4 tsp cinnamon
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Green Smoothie nr2
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Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
*pumpkin(raw/boiled/canned) *vanilla soy milk *crushed ice *1 tsp honey *1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
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Carrot Smoothie
*carrot, chopped * low-calorie yogurt or soy yogurt/milk *1/4 peeled fresh lime *ice cubes *2 fresh thyme leaves
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Veggie Smoothie
*4 broccoli florets *large carrot, grated *a double handful of spinach leaves *finely chopped apple *1 orange, peeled and sectioned
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High-Fiber Peach Smoothie
*chopped peaches *almond milk *1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
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Berry Beet Smoothie
*1 beet (baked until soft at about 180/350, peeled and cut in chunks) *berries (fresh or frozen) *4 medium purple kale leaves *1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks *1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime) *rice milk
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Breakfast Carrot Smoothie
*1 carrot *1/2 apple *quarter of grapefruit *soy milk *flax seeds
Now to the juicing. I really love to have good juicer at home in Estonia, but while Im traveling I sadly cant enjoy it. Sometimes I really miss it. I love to have a good class of freshly pressed juice after my workouts. This is such a good way how to keep the energy high and do not feel tired after cazy sweting.
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Vitamin Beet Juice (my personal favorite)
*raw beet *half celery *quarter of lemon
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Scandiefoodie Beet Juice
*beets (can use the leaves as well, if you wish) *a knob of ginger *1/2 lemon
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Purple Beauty Juice
*3 beets, peeled and chopped in quarters *2 oranges, peeled *2 carrots, peeled *a knob of fresh ginger
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Green Juice
*leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard, collard) *green grapes *apple *1 tsp. maca *1 tsp. chia seeds *half cup of water
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Cleansing Juice
*handful of spinach *2 medium stalks celery *small handful parsley *3 medium stalks kale *2 pears *1 lemon, cut and peeled *1 cucumber
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Ginger Grapefruit Juice
fresh ginger, peeled then grated *water *fresh limes *grapefruit
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I hope you got some Great ideas from here! Take care of Yourself and Your body!! Be Healthy and Smile!!
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Helena
Spring is indeed the perfect time for a homemade smoothie! And the colors are so bright!