body beautiful: Green Smoothies!

for the past 3 weeks i have been drinking (and loving!) green smoothies. what is a green smoothie, you ask? basically it's green veggies blended with some fruits and water to make an amazing, good-for-you smoothie.

it all started with the fabulous Kitiya starting up her Healthy Sexy Beautiful 2010 program. with that i started walking more, drinking more water, and really trying to be even better to myself in the health department.

one of K's tips for getting on the HSB2010 bandwagon was to read Kimberly Snyder's blog. there i found not only valuable tips on being healthy, but the recipe for what would become my favorite way to start the day!




the recipe is super simple:

•1 1/2 cup of water
•1 head of organic romaine lettuce, chopped
•3-4 stalks of organic celery
•2 organic apples, cored and chopped
•1 organic banana
•1/3 bunch of organic cilantro
•1/3 bunch of organic parsley
•Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

add the water and chopped head of romaine to a blender. starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth. gradually moving to higher speeds add the herbs celery and apples. add the banana and lemon juice last.*

this makes a whole blender full and keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. i drink half the pitcher one day and the rest the next day.


it tastes better than it looks!

the first day, i thought i wouldn't be able to drink these everyday (the smoothie was good, but you know, not something i was used to drinking). then my energy and focus were so amazing throughout the day, i had to drink another the next day. and it tasted better!

now i am adding a bit of agave nectar (for sweetness) and other greens like kale and spinach to it. the fruits pretty much stay the same, but peaches are really good to add as well. now, thanks to my blogger pal and fellow green smoothie lover, Brittany, i add cinnamon-- yum!!!

so, that's how i have been starting my days. i don't even think about it anymore. i look forward to drinking my smoothies ("ewww, green smoothie", as my kids say it) everyday. i'm getting in so many more veggies and fruit and i feel fabulously energized. love it!

xo
*read kimberly's entire green smoothie post here