the shrek shake

As promised, I began my day with a bright green smoothie! 


WHY would you ever mix greens into a smoothie? This is crazy talk. I thought so, too. Until I became a belieber. I mean believer. 


The first mistake is to think you're just blending up a bunch of leaves and holding your breath while slurping down this slimy,  shrek-y concoction. 


The key is to mix it all together with fruit! Once you add fruit into the blender, all is well in the world. It will smell good, taste good, and make you feel GREAT. 


The truth is, we are getting nowhere NEAR the amount of greens that we need to be consuming in our diets. No one really wants to go around eating salads day in and day out...lame. So, that's where smoothies and juicing comes in. I've been juicing my veggies for a while now, and although I think it's a great way to get a TON of veggies into your diet, I've got to be honest--it tastes nasty. 


Juicing is great when you are trying to heal your gut because it requires absolutely no work from your digestive system while giving it an incredible kick of nutrients to support the healing process. GOOD stuff. Not knockin it, just haven't found a way to completely enjoy it yet. 


But, all is well in the blending world. You can have your salad and enjoy it too--with an added bonus of not consuming all of the crap we like to add on top of our salads to make it somewhat enjoyable -- croutons, fatty dressings, bacon bits... you'll be greatly reducing the consumption of salt and oils in your diet. None of the bad stuff but ALL of the good stuff! AND it tastes way better and goes down way easier.


The reason our greens are so important is simple: they contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, or "liquid sunshine," has been seen to help in the growth and repair of tissues. It's ridiculously healing stuff. A molecule of chlorophyll closely resembles a molecule of human blood. According to Ann Wigmore, "consuming chlorophyll is like receiving a healthy blood transfusion." 


In case you're feeling a little inspired to get blendin', let me tell you about the benefits of adding a green smoothie to your daily diet:


-look and feel younger
-have more energy and motivation
-clearer, more positive thoughts
-improved digestion and assimilation 
-better concentration and mental focus
-be calm & feel at peace
-increased immunity
-weight loss
-finally stop unhealthy habits
-increase productivity 


Get excited! Here's a simple recipe to kick off the madness:


one handful of spinach (or any other greens, kale tends to be strong)
1-2 frozen bananas
1 tbs of ground flax seeds (optional)
enough apple juice/water/ or almond milk to blend well


BAM! You've got yourself a Shrek Shake! 


As for me, I need to get back on the right track, so I'm going to be doing a green smoothie feast for the next three days. My big brother is getting married on Saturday, so I want to be in ship shape--no tummy aches allowed. :) Shrek Shakes it is for the next three days! I'll keep you updated on my progress!


love & lettuce,
d