Ode to Green Smoothies

To answer a question that Amy asked in a comment left to a prior post:
When I make smoothies, I don't peel my green apples. I cut the apple into chunks or slices, depending on my mood. I do remove the core, though! There's nothing more disgusting than the tough part of an apple core, and some seeds can make a smoothie bitter. I sometimes add about a half cup of water or pineapple juice. Sometimes I don't, though. I use a big carrot to push everything down instead. If the carrot gets nicked from the blade in the blender, it's no big deal, it just means I have a bit of carrot in my smoothie. I don't add any honey. Extra pineapple and banana makes it sweeter. When I need it extra sweet, I add as much as an entire half of a pineapple --I buy the already peeled whole ones in plastic containers at the grocery store; it costs the same as an entire pineapple that hasn't been peeled ($5). I add LOTS of greens to mine - 6 huge leaves of green leaf lettuce plus a handful of spinach, or, if I'm trying to wean myself back to the diet, I'll buy the bagged baby greens and throw in the whole bag, since I can't use the to-lazy-to-rinse excuse to forego my green smoothie. They say that variety is best - you should vary the kinds of greens you use, maybe using lettuce and kale one week, lettuce and spinach the next week, etc.

The following article has been passed around quite a bit lately on health message boards, and has spurred a lot of interest in green smoothies. Alissa Cohen, who was recently on Good Morning America promoting a raw diet, said that starting your day with a green smoothie for breakfast is the single most beneficial change you can make to your diet.

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Ode to Green Smoothies

by Victoria Boutenko
http://www.rawfamily.com/articles.htm
http://www.rawfamily.com/articles/odetogreen.pdf

As the Russian proverb says: New -- is something old, that has been long forgotten. This summer I re-discovered green smoothies. What do I mean by green smoothie? Here is one of my favorite recipes: 4 ripe pears, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 big cup of water. Blended well. This smoothie looks very green, but it tastes like fruit. I like green smoothies so much that I bought an extra blender and placed it in my office, so that I could make green smoothies throughout the day. More than half of all the food I've had in last several months have been green smoothies. I have so much more energy and clarity that I have removed green juices from my diet. (Juicing has been something that I've been doing regularly for years.) Green smoothies have numerous benefits for human health.

Green smoothies are very nutritious. I believe that the ratio in them is optimal for human consumption: about 60% - ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% - organic green vegetables.

Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.

Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber.

Green smoothies belong to the most palatable dishes for all humans of all ages. With a ratio of fruits to veggies as 60:40 the fruit taste dominates the flavor, yet at the same time the green vegetables balance out the sweetness of the fruit, adding nice zest to it. Green smoothies are simply the best tasting dishes for the majority of adults and children. I always make extra smoothie and offer it to my friends and customers. Some of them eat a standard American diet. They all finished their big cup of green smoothies with complements. They were quite surprised that something so green could taste so nice and sweet.

By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated. Many people do not consume enough of greens, even those who stay on a raw food diet. The molecule of chlorophyll has only one atom that makes it different from a molecule of human blood. According to teachings of Dr. Ann Wigmore, to consume chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion.

Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Many people told me that they do not consume green juices on a regular basis because it is time consuming to prepare green juices and clean the equipment after juicing, or to drive to the juice bar.

Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother's milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies.

When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet.

Regular consumption of Green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens. Several people told me that after a couple of weeks of drinking green smoothies, they started to crave and enjoy eating more greens. Eating enough of green vegetable is often a problem with many people, especially in children.

Green smoothies can easily be freshly made at any juice bar, restaurant or health food store for the great convenience of health-oriented customers.

I encourage the readers of this article to start playing with green smoothies, and to discover the many joys and benefits of this wonderful delicious and nutritious addition to the menu.

(See website for specific suggestions and recipe ideas for green smoothies!)

What I'm Listening To

The guys took off, they went to a costume store to buy boots for their Narnia costumes, and, with Halloween so close, I don't want Miss M exposed to the scary things they have in the store. So we stayed home, looked at books, ate (she insisted, 'I want to do it myself.' I said, 'Can you say in-dee-pen-dant?' and she did!) and now we're listening to music.

I made a compilation of upbeat, fun songs to play with Miss M on the rare occassions that I want to hear something other than classical music. I used all songs that I never get tired of. Richie Furay used to be in the 70's band Poco, and my favorite band, the short-lived Souther Hillman Furay band. Then he became a Christian, and now pastors a Calvary Chapel-ish church in Colorado. He released an album of Christian music a few years ago, and it's almost the only Christian music that I don't get tired of. I keep waiting for another album, but I guess he retired from music. I have enough James Taylor songs to make me think that I really ought to spend some time discovering the rest of his music. All I know are his pop hits.

Anyway, Miss M loves the music. She can dance to these. And she does! :)

01 Everyday - James Taylor
02 Give Thanks To The Lord - Richie Furay
03 Hele On To Kauai - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
04 Whenever I See Your Smiling Face - James Taylor
05 Home - Karla Bonoff
06 Hawaiian Rollercoaster - Lilo and Stitch soundtrack
07 Hallel - Richie Furay
08 Up On The Roof - James Taylor
09 Lei Hana I Ka Makani Ualau'awa (a chant) - Keali'i Reichel
10 Wake Up My Soul - Richie Furay
11 He Mele No Lilo - Lilo and Stitch soundtrack
12 E Ala E - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
13 Peace That Passes All Understanding - Richie Furay
14 Pupu A'o 'Ewa (Pearly Shells) - Keali'i Reichel
15 You've Got a Friend - James Taylor
16 Aloha O'e - Lilo and Stitch soundtrack
17 Ulili E - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
18 Lahainaluna - Keali'i Reichel (sounds like the Makaha Sons in the background)
19 If He's Ever Near - Karla Bonoff
20 Kamalani - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
21 E Pili Mai - Keali'i Reichel
22 Falling - Karla Bonoff

I might have included a Jackson Browne song (I could easily have used Everywhere I Go for this particular collection), Julie Andrews songs from musicals, and songs by Lamb. And Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, Top of the World by The Carpenters, Paper Roses by Marie Osmond, Drums of the Island by the Makaha Sons, Heartache Tonight by the Eagles, Silver Threads and Golden Needles by Linda Ronstadt, a couple of Hall and Oates songs. Maybe I need to start a second collection!

Getting Back on the Diet

I'm still struggling to resist cravings and stick to the diet I feel best on. So, I'm resorting to psychological tactics. I find that, at times like this, what I'm really wanting is protein (especially chicken!) and salt. I can't resist chips and meat meals. So, I'm starting by giving in. I bought chicken - lots of it, pesticide-free, both dark and white meat, and I wrapped it in foil and baked it. I start with the dark meat, since that seems to be what tastes best, and I salt it well. It's delicious and just what I want! But then, after the second or third piece, I remember why I stopped eating dark meat. It's fatty and really gross! So then I switch to white meat, still well salted. In the meantime, I continue to make green smoothies and eat them throughout the day. By the second day, I start to remember that white meat isn't as good as I always anticipate in the midst of cravings. It's really dry. By then, my cravings are subsiding and I'm getting really sick of chicken. And from that point, it's no problem sticking to the diet. I usually still have a little chicken left over to fall back on if I start craving again. By the third day, I'm eating the last piece of chicken, but not enjoying it.

For a 'wannabe' vegan, it's a disgusting cure. But it does seem to work, and I console myself by telling myself that my body could probably use the extra dense protein from time to time. And J, who also loves and craves chicken, never seems to mind helping me eat the chicken. ;)

Freedom of Religion

Don't read our Constitution, friend,
Lest you should recall
Our history--which is, you know,
Unconstitutional.

Mention not the name of God
Nor speak of your religion:
This our Fathers clearly made
A breach of Separation.

Nor our motto nor our pledge
Are we allowed to say,
But (minus Christianity)
God bless the USA!

Vacation's Over

Miss Roxie went home, and now it's back to work, back to the mundane routine (which includes school), and back to the diet. So far I'm not doing so good with that last part. I only usually do a little bit of walking on the treadmill, but even that fell by the wayside this week. And it's hard getting back to the diet routine. I've been doing a raw diet this year, hoping to increase my energy and feel less stiff (old age creeping up, no doubt!) I have this theory that, if the diet is predominantly unprocessed produce in a natural state, the body will be better able to handle a few indiscretions. Generally, I eat a LOT of "green smoothies." They're basically fruit smoothies with some leafy greens thrown into the blender. So the smoothie has those vital leafy greens, but tastes like a fruit smoothie. And there's very little chopping, so it's easier than making a salad.

This week, I put my theory to the test. I started my days with green smoothies, but by evening, I was having chicken, salmon, Thai noodles, popcorn, even chocolate cake. I feel pretty good in spite of a week of that, but it's hard going back. I'd forgotten to factor in cravings! And now it's cold, and a chicken and potato casserole sounds so much more appealing than a green smoothie.

Good Reading

The Common Room has some interesting posts today. There's one on the politics of book banning and related censorship of ideas, a post that includes part of a GI's letter that was censored out of the liberal news media (you need to read it!), and a post about the state of higher education that will interest homeschoolers.

New Lenses

After all those 2am nights with the visiting Miss Roxie, I slept in this morning. Miss M was up before me. After playing by herself for a few minutes, she came up to the bed and and said, "Here you go, Mommy, here you go!" and she handed me my contact lens case. Whew, I thought -- I'm glad she handed it to me before she got it open!

Then I opened it and discovered that she had handed it to me after she had gotten it open. This is all I found in the left compartment of the case:

They're gas permeable rigid lenses, and I have no idea where the rest of the lens is. I spent the morning at the eye doctor's, getting a new pair of contact lenses.

I Made a Cloak!

I started with a pattern online. I've made these for Tim and his brothers, and then Miss Roxie and I made three, and then it dawned on me - by making the hood neck bigger and gathering it to fit the neck of the cloak, I could make a better looking hood. So I tried it on a cloak I made for myself. I also made an extra quarter of a circle which I added to the half circle that the pattern calls for so that my cloak is a 3/4 circle. I added a trim around the hood made of the same fabric as the cloak (forest green fleece) and that made it stiff enough not to flop so much when I put the hood up. It ties with a shoe-lace secured inside the seam where the hood meets the cloak.

I made one for Miss M, too, but she wasn't patient enough to pose in hers.



Just a reminder - I don't sew, I can't make pattern pieces fit. But this is an easy project that even I could do. The only sewing required is stitching the two pieces of the hood together, and then attaching it to the cloak. If you use fleece or some other fabric that doesn't unravel, you won't even need to hem it. The cloak itself is just a half circle with a small half-circle cut out for the neck. A half circle for an adult cloak takes 3 1/2 yards of 60" fabric. The hood is cut from the scraps.

Miss M's cloak and hood were from less than a yard of fleece.

The Water Cure

A cure-all for everything. The theory goes that many of our ailments are caused by unrecognized dehydration. The Water Cure (or here) is free.

The Water Cure Recipe:

Drink 1/2 your body weight of water in ounces, daily. 110 pounds would drink 55 ounces of water. Use 1/4 tsp. of sea salt (not table salt, which is depleted of necessary minerals) per quart of water. Use salt liberally with food. As long as you drink the water, you can use the salt. Avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. These are diuretics and will dehydrate you.

New Game

A variation of the "[Your Name] Needs" game. This is the "[Your Name] Hates" game. Mama Squirrel suggested it.

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Tim's Mom hates to cook. She knows how, She just hates it.
(I hate to cook. I don't really know how, either)

Tim's Mom Hates: Humidity
(There are worse things than humidity)

Tim's Mom hates most software.
(Not *most* software, just most software updates)

Tim's Mom HATES the idea of returning to the house that held so many horrid memories and having to be near his sister.
(Wow! Sounds like a story behind this one!)

Tim's Mom hates Dave Matthews.
(I have no opinion of Dave Matthews; people I respect like him, so he must be okay!)

Tim's Mom hates being interrupted
(not as much as I hate being misunderstood)

Tim's Mom hates the Running game
(true, I'm not very athletic!)


Tim's Mom hates the way her pantry smells of old potatoes, ginger and Campbell’s Tomato Soup.
(?)

Tim's Mom hates her printer and suggests we don't order anymore.
(but I love my new laser printer!)

Tim's Mom hates when I sing
(depends on who "I" is)

Tim's Mom hates our mice; they give her a great deal of trouble when she cleans cages And such.
(I think mice are cute)

Tim's Mom hates to have even the slightest bit of visible light in the room when she is sleeping.
(I sleep with a night light . . .)

Tim's Mom hates it when people stare at her
(Yes, this is true!)

Tim's Mom loves to act, but Karen is chosen for the lead. Now Tim's Mom hates the play
(I can accept that Karen was right for the part . . .)

I was afraid to tell Tim's Mom about my idea because Tim's Mom hates panel discussions.
(?)