Trying new greens in our smoothies

This lifestyle has made me quite adventurous in trying new foods. It is an experience for me. I never know what i’m going to like or dislike…my palette has changed so dramatically and is open to so many new flavors that the process is quite exciting.

My son’s school had a spring bazaar the other day and a company called Teena’s Pride donated an incredible variety of organic vegetables to our school to sell. What an amazing experience it was to walk into the school and see so many vegetables and herbs to choose from. I bought a bok choy plant, swiss chard plant, a white egg plant, mint and some scallions.

I loved going home with my little plants!!!!

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Coincidentally, Orlando had found these beautiful golden beets at Whole Foods that day so we had all these bright beautiful veggies to work with that week!

The next morning I had these plants in my kitchen and I just couldn’t wait to use them…so what is the first thing I do when I have leafy greens… I make a smoothie!!!

Here’s the recipe:

  • 4 leaves of Bok Choy
  • 1 small avocado
  • 1 peeled red pear
  • a squirt of lemon

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This smoothie came out fantastic. The avocado made it creamy, the pear gave it some sweetness, the lemon added just the right tang. It was great.

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But more than delicious, it is nutritious. Check out the health benefits of this smoothie:

Bok Choy – member of the cabbage family

  • Bok Choy is similar to broccoli and brussel sprouts…otherwise known as a cruciferous vegetable.
  • It is loaded with vitamins A and C – in fact it is said that one cup of shredded bok choy has 34 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin c and more than a full day’s intake of vitamin A!
  • One cup also contains about 3% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium and phosphorus, 7% of calcium and 26% of Vitamin K.
  • I’m not done…it has 11% of the recommended daily intake of folate vitamin B-6 and 4% of potassium.
  • It also contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are great for your eyes.

So basically Bok Choy is good for your heart, good for your eyes, good for your bones and its an anti-cancer food. WOW! And that’s only with one cup. And yet it has a measly 9 calories.

Avocados also contain fiber, potassium, and vitamins but are best known for being a source of good heart-healthy fats, which are crucial in your daily diet. Despite the known “fat” controversy that there has been over the years, good fat is essential in lowering LDL cholesterol.

Pears and Lemons are powerful cleansers for the body and are popular in detox smoothies and juices.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day… well if that is true, then make it count with this powerful smoothie.

Have a wonderful day!!!

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