Green Smoothie Recipe

Simply Green

1 1.5 - 2 cups spring water

2 ripe bananas

1 pear of your choice

nice big handful of baby spinach

(optional) add 1-2 ice cubes for slight chill

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1. Add water and greens in blender and blend on high until smooth

2. Add chopped fruit and blend until creamy

3. Serve in your coolest glass ever

Note: If you have a commercial blender you can blend all ingredients at once.

Check out my Island Paradise Green Smoothie recipe and why green smoothies are so darn good to consume.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

3. Share this post with someone you know that would enjoy it.

Cantaloupe Smoothie Recipe

I love the simplicity of eating fresh fruit and especially blending it into smoothies. Lately I've been drinking this daily after my 15-20 mile bike rides. It really hits the spot after riding in the warm sun. A refreshing and frothy drink to revive yourself on a hot summer day or after a hard workout! So simple yet so delicious.

Cantaloupe Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1 whole cantaloupe
* 3-5 ice cubes
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1. Cut cantaloupe in half, scoop out seeds, and remove skin. Cut into chunks and place in high speed blender with ice cubes and blend.

Suggestions: Try adding fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice and fresh ginger root to taste (careful, a little goes a long way).

For more easy and delicious recipes: Check out my island paradise smoothie recipe here and coconut cream pudding here.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

3. Share this post with someone you know that would enjoy it.

Banana Ice Cream Recipe

Almond butter, coconut, banana ice cream topped w/ fresh white nectarines

Nowadays we don't even need to be concerned about still being able to enjoy our favorite pastime foods. Ice cream, mint chocolate chip in particular was something I enjoyed immensely. Since going vegan seven and a half years ago, I haven't missed it since. In fact I love the banana ice cream so much, that I wanted to share the simplicity of it with you. Cool off with this simple and refreshing recipe, even for the novice.


Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 bananas frozen, with peel off
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1. Take bananas out of the freezer and place on counter, allowing to thaw for 15 minutes or until soft enough to be able to cut in 1 inch chunks.

2. Place the cut up chunks in the food processor and turn on. The mixture should start to whip up and come together. If the processor has trouble moving the mixture then you will need to allow the bananas more time to thaw off. You should end up with a creamy whipped consistency. You can either scoop out as is from here or add your additional toppings. Serve and enjoy immediately. Remember it's not like traditional ice cream where you can leave it out for a while. It will start to melt, so eat it up quickly.

Variation: If you're looking for the texture of a soft serve ice cream, follow all of the above steps except now place the ice cream in a bowl or container and place back into the freezer and allow it to refreeze. Then scoop out later and enjoy.

Suggestions for toppings: Try using any of the following to create a desired flavor of your own: almond butter, coconut butter, fresh or frozen berries, cacao powder or nibs, cinnamon, mint, vanilla bean.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

3. Share this post with someone you know that would enjoy it.

Island Paradise Smoothie Recipe

Not your typical smoothie recipe. This is called a green smoothie because you will be adding leafy greens which are vital to increasing our energy and overall well being. Great for sustaining energy levels over a long period of time. Please don't let the color turn you off, green is good, green is life!

Research has shown that in order to digest the nutrients in the leafy greens they need to be chewed to a consistency of 1-2mm. This is because of the tough cellulose fiber which needs to be broken open to release the nutrients. Now that's a lot of chewing! Since most folks don't even chew properly anymore because of the food they're eating is predominately cooked, it doesn't allow them to exercise their jaw muscles which in turn helps to keep them strong and in shape. This is where the blender comes in, it basically does most of the chewing for you. Green smoothies are also fantastic because they can last for up to 3 days refrigerated and have all of the fiber intact which is important for elimination.

A few tips to get the most out of consuming green smoothies:

• Drink within 20 minutes or so after making and be sure to swish your mouth with water afterwards so that the sugar isn't just sitting on your teeth.

• Chew the smoothie each time before swallowing. This will help to produce saliva that whitens the teeth and allows you to digest it better.

• Always use variety. Meaning-don't drink the same exact concoction of greens for more than 30 days at a time. Each particular green has a way of protecting it's species in nature and releases a small amount of toxins that if consumed for a prolonged period of time in massive quantities, isn't so hot for you.

• I always find that most people do well adding more fruit in the beginning than greens, until the body becomes acclimated to the taste and naturally craves more greens than fruit.

Island Paradise Smoothie

Ingredients:

* 2 cups filtered water

* 2 ripe bananas

* 1 handful stemmed strawberries

* 1 mango of your choice, chopped and

* 3-4 pitted and soaked medjool dates, any dates will do but these taste best

* 2 collard leaves (stemmed)

* 2 kale leaves (stemmed)

Directions:

There are two ways to make this depending on which type of blender you have. The first set of directions is for high speed commercial blenders only. Pour the water, a few ice cubes (optional), and place the rest of the ingredients into the blender and turn on high for 30 seconds. Pour and enjoy.

For department store blenders. Because the motors on most department store models are not that strong you will need to do it in steps. First pour the water, a few ice cubes (optional), and the chopped banana and dates and blend on high speed till creamy. Next add the chopped mango and strawberries and blend again on high speed. Lastly, add the collards and kale but be sure to chop the leaves finely before adding. This will help to take the strain off of the motor and make the smoothie creamy.

Suggestions: Pour into a beautiful glass and garnish with a slice of fruit like pineapple, strawberry, or mango. Sit out in the sun, sip, and enjoy.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

3. Share this post with someone you know that would enjoy it.

Coconut Cream Pudding Recipe

In sanskrit the word for coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, which means "the tree which provides all the necessities of life." Used widely for food and drink, this is a guilt free healthy treat you're sure to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Coconut Cream Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 young coconut
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 1-4 hours (optional)
  
• 1 Tablespoon non gmo soy lecithin
• 1/2 fresh vanilla bean scraped or dash of vanilla extract
• raw agave nectar to taste
• pinch sea salt

Directions:

Crack open the young coconut and pour the water into the blender. Not sure how to? Then watch this short clip. Scoop out the white coconut jelly inside and add that to the blender too. Sweeten with the agave nectar, vanilla, and sea salt. Turn the blender on high speed for about 30 seconds or until creamy.

Take the lid off and add the cashews and soy lecithin (this is not raw) to the mixture and blend once more until creamy.

Pour into cups or desired dishware and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. It should be of a gelatinous consistency and chilled before serving.

Eat it as is or top with fresh fruit such as berries for a sweet treat!

Note: If you have a high speed blender and are in a rush or just plain lazy, you do not need to soak the cashews. Soaking nuts prior to use is beneficial though because it helps to release the enzyme inhibitors and also make the pudding creamy. Wondering how to soak your nuts? Place them in a bowl and cover with water. Depending on which nuts you use they have different lenghts of time. See this page here to learn more.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

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How to Make Fresh and Delicious Almond Milk Recipe

Many people have developed severe allergies to cow's milk and soy milk, making almond milk a great alternative to both. I'm highly allergic to pasteurized cow's milk and suffered for a number of years from chronic sinus infections and eczema. You can purchase almond milk already packaged in your local health food store, but it is pasteurized and a great deal of the nutrients are diminished in the process. You can easily make your own fresh batch at home with a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, or a personal favorite of mine, 1 gallon nylon mesh paint strainer bag. A commercial blender like a Vita-Mix is ideal but a half way decent department store model will do for the time being. I do recommend purchasing a Vita-Mix as it lasts a long time and can make everything to raw ice creams, soups, dressings, pâtés, smoothies, juices and much more. And it's very easy to clean!

You can use the almond milk as a base for your favorite smoothies, soups and even as creamer for teas. It's sure to sweeten things up and add variety which is key to succeeding with eating more living foods. Almond milk is cholesterol free and contains high levels of omega fatty acids and protein. Almonds also contain a rich source of vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, potassium, fiber, phosphorus, iron, and calcium are among the other vitamins and minerals in this powerhouse of a drink, helping aid everything from your bones to your blood. Be sure to soak your almonds overnight to allow the enzyme inhibitors to be released. Also make sure to discard of the water they were soaking in and use fresh instead. Please enjoy a personal recipe of mine below.

Fresh and delicious almond milk

1 cup raw almonds soaked

3 cups filtered water

raw agave nectar to taste

sea salt to taste
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1. Place 1 cup raw almonds in bowl and soak at least 6 hours or overnight in water.

2. Blend 3 cups water and soaked almonds (drained of soaking water) until thoroughly blended.

3. Strain the milk through a nutbag or cheesecloth into a large pitcher.

4. Rinse blender and put the strained milk with the agave and sea salt back in the blender. Blend once more and enjoy!

Optional: Add fresh vanilla bean or extract to jazz things up. Try experimenting with other flavors for a change. Add 3 Tablespoons of cacao powder for chocolate milk or a pint of strawberries for strawberry milk.

What to do now?

1. Make the recipe and try it out for yourself.

2. Please leave a comment, I LOVE hearing from you!

3. Share this post with someone you know that would enjoy it.