Green Smoothies

I'm really excited to blog about a new passion in my life - Green Smoothies! I've been drinking them since Christmas and I absolutely love them. For the past year or so I've been feeling extra tired, draggy, stressed etc.. I just wasn't feeling the way I knew I should feel and the way I wanted to feel. I considered myself in farely good shape - I exercised regularly, I don'g binge on junk food and I'm at my correct weight. I couldn't figure out I why I always felt yucky??? So when I asked my friend Stephnie to teach me about Green Smoothies (for the past 6 months I have been in awe of the transformation that occured in Steph with her drinking Green Smoothies). I instantly knew this was what my body was needing. Lots and lots of vegetables and fruits And Green Smoothies were the way I could accomplish this!

This is the book that Steph told me to get - it explains in detail all about Green Smoothies, how to make them, what's the best ingredients etc.. To sum it up quickly, I have a blender that makes two quarts. Scott and I each drink a quart a day and I usually can get Jake and Court to drink about a cup a day. I put 2 1/2 cups of water in my blender, then I fill the entire blender with spinach and kale or collards etc.. Then I add about 4 fruits, my favorites are oranges, mixed berries and bananas. I also like pineapple, apples, mangos - you get the picture. Usually what ever I have in the house goes in my blender. And get this, it actually tastes pretty good. (I also add chia seeds, alo vera, lemon peels, flax oil, etc.. but you don't have to, it's just an extra step if you want to).

When Steph made me my very first green smoothie, I loved it instantly but I got a little depressed when I found out that the blender that I needed was a Vitamix and they are $400.00. (The Vitamix Blender can blend it down so much that you can drink your smoothie with a straw - amazing!!) Scott thought I was crazy when I approached him about getting this blender (The Blendtec blender is also really good). But after testing a neighbors out and watching demonstrations on You Tube I had him sold - but still, $400.oo is a lot of money especially for a blender. Thankfully Christmas was right around the corner and with my family and Scott's family giving me money I was able to buy one. (Not only does this blender make the best green smoothies but it can make soup, awesome shakes, I even have the recipe for Orange Julius, it's honestly the coolest blender ever.)

I can't express enough about how much I love my blender. I honestly use it at least once a day but usually two or three times a day. (The Vitamix Blender comes with a 7 year warranty).

After the shock of the price of the blender I also was worried that it would be expensive to buy all the fruits and vegetables but in all honesty it hasn't been. Every 2 weeks I buy a Bountiful Basket for $15.00 and it gives me enough fruit and vegetables to get me through 2 weeks. The only extra purchase I buy is Spinach from Cosco - a bag of spinach is $4.oo and it lasts me for one week. So I've only had to pay an extra $16.oo a month for spinach and then I also buy a large bag of mixed berries that lasts me a whole month. I've noticed that because Green Smoothies are so filling, Scott and I are actually eating less food so it seems to balance its self out. I'm also wasting less, as soon as my bananas start turning brown I peel them and put them in the freezer. Or a few weeks ago Winco had a huge box of oranges for sale- as soon as they started getting a little old I peeled them and stuck them in the freezer. In the summer it will get even more cheaper as I'll be able to grow almost all of the vegetables and then I'll freeze them to use throughout the year. So if any of you want to start drinking Green Smoothies please don't worry about the extra cost because there really isn't one.

So now it's been a month since I've started drinking my quart a day of Green Smoothies and I feel awesome. So far these are my results...

-I have more energy

-I hardly crave sugar, fats or carbs (this is crazy because I love carbs)

-My skin has become less oily

-My hair has grown a lot

-My stomach is sastisfied throughout the day - I'm no longer thinking of food all the time or feel hungry all the time

- I've lost 1 pounds (I'm not doing this diet to loose weight but they say that most people who drink Green Smoothies will lose weight) but mostly I feel like I've shrunk. My arms are smaller, my stomach is smaller -in all honesty I just feel better in my skin.

-I feel happier and I feel like I have more patients.

And, this is all in just one month, so I'm excited to see what the future holds for me. I do have to confess that the entire month I've been drinking Green Smoothies I've only exercised maybe 2 or 3 times. But starting this week I'm going to get back to exercising 4 times a week so I'm excited to see the results of exercise combined with Green Smoothies.

The lady on the left is the author of the Green Smoothie Diet. Her name is Robyn Openshaw but she goes by Green Smoothie Girl. She was recently in Ogden for a small seminar so my friends and I of course had to go and meet her. (She posted this picture on her blog).

As you can tell I'm super excited about Green Smoothies, I could go on and on and tell you so much more about them but don't worry, I won't. Lol!!! I just have to say that what I love most about Green Smoothies is that it's common sense - our bodies need vegatables and fruits. I think the Green Smoothie girls says it best - "It's a natural program for Extraordinary Health"!!!

*Thank you Steph - for everything.