Green Virgins. Win a copy of Ms. GreenLeaf's "The New Green Smoothie Diet" e-Book! Bill Clinton & Ellen doing the Vegan Minute.

Green Smoothies Rule the World.

I am not a Green Virgin.  And I invite you to pop your Green Collard Cherry too.......Chop that Kale.  Mince that Chard.  Blend that Broccoli.  Supersize those Sprouts.  Because Green Smoothies may just save the World.  Or your breakfast.  Yeah, yeah, there has been a lot of "debate" about smoothies and whether they are the Mecca of the plant world or High Fruit Sugar Bombs.  But perspective.......Perspective and Choices.  If you are trying to lose weight, you may not want to add 500 calories worth of seeds & supplements to your Morning Sunshine Drink.  But you can make green smoothies be whatever you want.  Want dessert??  Fill them up with fruits.  Want Chlorophyll?? Pack the blender with Sprouts.  A complete meal?? Put some crazy plant proteins in there with seeds, greens, probiotics and your SuperPower Cape will Sprout from your Shoulders and give you Wings to Fly.  Meet some of my Green Smoothies and then comment below & see other ways to win a copy of :
Hillary Greenleaf's "New Green Smoothie Diet" ebook. 






There are two up for grabs.  It's a 35 page e-book & has information on:

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• detox
• weight loss
• heart disease
• cancer
• immune support
• diabetes
• hair & skin
• blenders 
• and much more!

Love this book because it's broken down into short chapters about the best veggies & fruits for each "goal".  The ingredients tend to be on the lower "sugar" side of smoothies and also have a fair amount of information on the "why's" of the ingredients.

Some of my Plant Stars.  Amla.  Amla is my new favorite SuperPlant.  Really. It. Is.

Also love mangos.  Kale.  Collards. And glass straws.  Glass straws make green smoothies more fun.

Sometimes I use broccoli.  Fresh or Frozen.  One pound only has a bit over 100 calories and gives you SuperFloretPower.

Sprouting Broccoli is an even cheaper way to go for MORE nutrients.

Square Foot Gardens are a GREAT way to go for small spaces and maximun return.  I can put 5 Kale plants in ONE square!  

My Kale.

Parent's SuperHero Veggies.

Love the Zukes for Veggie Chips, Juicing, and Smoothies.

Yes, you could even put some green beans in your smoothies.  I prefer them in juice though.

Love.

Squash??  Yeppers.  Love Yams, Beets, and Acorn Squash in Smoothies.  All sweet.  Goes well with pumpkin pie spices.

Really getting into the idea of microgreens & sprouting.  Great for Urban Growers.

Fenugreek Sprouts?? Yep.  May help with blood sugar too! 

Love these sprouters!!

My Dad's Sprout Smoothie!

Frozen Organic Blueberries.  Pricey.  So I don't buy TruckLoads.  Plus, Amla is way cheaper & just slightly, well, LOADS more amazing.

Cinnamon may also help with blood sugar.  And if you put lots of stuff that tastes weird in your smoothie (I tend to do this), Cinnamon can sometimes "save it".  Plus, apparently it is "fine" to have a tablespoon of it.........There are oxalates, but not as easily absorbed as the turmeric oxalates.  Cinnamon is Yummy & I buy it by the pound.

Love these with the Garnet Yams & Date Smoothies.  Turmeric may reduce inflammation.  And may reduce or delay Alzheimer's risk.  I just use a pinch, as it does "add up".  I think Dr. G's Video said not more than 1 tsp. a day.

I get Via Amazon.  Usually about ten bucks per pound.  

When Organic..........Beauty.

Broccoli Smoothies Rule.

Plant Blood!

Blueberries tend to give darker green shades.

I plant dandelions for Salads & Smoothies.  Laugh, but they are 2.49 a bunch at Whole Foods.  And they are truly amazing SuperFoods.

My "new" thing is the "GoodBelly" Shots.  Vegan Shots of Probiotics minus the flavor & sugar they add with all the other ones.  Here I included fenugreek & broccoli sprouts.  Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Amla, Chia.  And that day, Psyllium.  Ick.  Psyllium does not make me happy & I don't think I need to add more fiber in my diet.  I just tried it, and um, nope.  

Wild & Wonderous Irish Moss.  Love Food that looks like Aliens.  Yummy SeaWeed Aliens. Yummers.

Raw Seaweed.......thickens a smoothie up.  You have to soak it.

Soak it baby, soak it.  Great for "raw cheezecakes" too.  Way to use less fat and "thicken" stuff up.  You know you like it thick.  Don't lie.

Ripe Bananas & Kale.

Pomegranate & Kale.

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And just a little fun.  Just about one minute will Bill Clinton & Ellen talking about being Vegan.  Bill says it is his 3rd week in a row that he has weighed less than he did in high school.  

Crazy Sexy Diet Adventure Cleanse of Kris Carr, Day 11. Alcohol Beat Arugula, or at least Tied.

Butternut Squash I was saving for an "Indian Slow Cooker" recipe but realized I have to reorder fenugreek seeds as I had used them all for sprouting!

And....Alcohol won the evening of 10th. I didn't choose Alcohol over Arugula, but chose Alcohol to accompany it. Translates into a small glass of wine with an incredible Arugula Salad.  My husband (that damn peer pressure :) encouraged me to drink my woes away (which consisted of about 8 ounces of wine) instead of engage in 90 minutes of yoga.  It's funny because I could go a long time without alcohol, but if you take if off of the table, then I "miss" it.  But mostly I want to take from this cleanse is a focus on wheatgrass and juicing in the morning, exercise and meditation 5 days a week, getting outside a few minutes a day (even in the frigid cold), and scrubbing my skin silly (dry brushing).  Emphasis on a raw diet, and cooked foods that are simple (brown rice, beans, veggies). 

Loving Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet"

book.  It's in a format that you can just pick it up and start reading it on any page.  Lots of beautiful photos and wonderful format.

Apparently BPA free cans.  I am sure hubby had these saved for some Nachos, I just realized, but I beat him to it.

Um....yeah, not under 105 degrees.

I am pretending I am macrobiotic.  Don't know if this is, but reminds of "Macro-Meals".

My husband's Punjubi Mash.  He is actually asking me if we have raw onions already cut up.   He is craving raw onions on his food!  He took the Simple Yellow Lentil Dal and the Mock Kheema, added collards and brown basmati.  He can't stand to dirty 2 dishes when it all fits into one.

Huge plate of food for this girl.

Nothing terribly exciting to report today.  I actually watered my sprouts, so maybe there is actually some hidden intention of using them??  Also fantasizing about some raw vegan cacao or carob V-day treats.  We don't do a whole bunch of organized holidays, but why would I pass up a chance to splurge on olives, carob, some lucious raw cheezecake, and some awesome new raw dish?  Maybe some eco-lingerie?? Do you guys have any favorite websites for non-retail prices on these goodies??  I often order the "At-Cost" specials from Raw Food World.  It looks like "Shop Raw Foods" might have some pretty consistent pricing for Olives and other foo-foo Raw Foods.  For Hemp Seeds I usually hit Amazon (and get Nutiva brand) and buy 3 pounds at once.  Amazon actually has good deals on Nutiva, Navita's Naturals, and even 7th Generation Toilet Paper.  The "Subscribe and Save" program gets you an additional 15% off and free shipping.  

Vegan Black Eyed Peas infused with Cilantro from "The Indian Slow Cooker"

Cilantro Infused Black Eyed Peas
From Anupy Singla's "The Indian Slow Cooker" Book.

It's New Year's Eve and my hubby grew up eating black-eyed peas and collard greens New Year's day. So figured I should have the Black-eyed peas ready to go around midnight! Well, Vegan Style!  I guess that black-eyed peas and ham hocks are the "traditional" way to prepare them BUT we shall have none of that here!  Why start your new year harming other creatures? Anupy Singla's "The Indian Slow Cooker" even has vegan black-eyed pea recipes!  So of course we had to do it.  Thankfully I noted the cooking time was 10 hours and started it around 1:00.  Cilantro-infused Black-eyed Peas (Dhania Waale Lobhia) is on page 86 of Anupy's book.

Black Eyed Peas.

Lots of cilantro, tomatoes, onions, garlic ginger.
The Indian "staples".

Indian "staples" getting ready for an awesome vegan Black-Eyed Pea dish.

Cilantro and "staples" getting pureed in food processor.
Thai chilis too, YUM!

This is for cilantro lovers as it calls for 2 whole bunches.  Once again, a simple recipe from this stellar book.  Roughly cut up a tomatoes, ginger, onions, and other yummies to throw in the food processor.  And this time you get to make a toasted cumin-coriander spice.  I used our cute little cast iron pan for this.  Cast iron is great because it has no nasty coating that falls out in your food, and it doesn't burn easily.  Truly you throw everything in the pot and push the start button.   You don't touch it for a full ten hours and then you add another bunch of fresh cilantro.

Cumin and coriander getting roasted in small cast iron skillet.

No excuses for not cooking healthy food.  No, it's not too expensive.  Is 1.99 a pound for ORGANIC beans too expensive?  No, it doesn't call for crazy spices.  Are Cumin and Coriander "out there"?  Even the fresh cilantro I picked up at a tiny neighborhood store.  Are onions exotic?  Roma tomatoes?  Normally I would not buy tomatoes this time of year, but it doesn't seem like you are looking for the "ripe", fullest flavor heirloom for these recipes.  More of a firm Roma, organic if you can.  Turmeric?

Black-Eyed peas, spices, Chiles in Crock-Pot (slow cooker)

Buy in bulk! It's cheaper and then you will always have food on your shelves!
This is my organic brown basmati rice next to my black-eyed peas saying
"Please pick ME!"

Sometimes it seems like people constantly make excuses like expense or they have zero time.  Although they have time to watch endless hours of TV (expensive cable at that, hey I'm NOT knocking John Stewart, just eat healthy food while doing it :) or they have enough money to buy packaged junk food.  But some of the best foods out there are also the least expensive.  So even if you are on government aid and struggling, it is very possible to eat in a healthy way. Maybe "welfare" should be a slow cooker and free bags of organic rice and beans. Copies of Anupy's book and other healthy, low cost eating cookbooks,  and some basic food preparation classes.

Cilantro Infused Black Eyed Peas made in the Slow Cooker (crock pot).
Verdict: Super Delicious!! Another Amazing dish from Anupy.

Fresh Organic Collard Greens.


The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes