a green breakfast …...

During our first week of our wellness journey we had 3 days of rebooting our systems and this meant having a green smoothie as our breakfast each day. I quite enjoy smoothies but the ones we were used to were fruit smoothies made with yogurt and almond milk. This smoothie was going to be different. We are talking vegetables here and a couple of fruits ……but yes, serious amts of vegetables, but that also meant great nutritive value! I bought all of the various ingredients and began chopping. I quickly learned after making the first batch that there was something to be said in terms of what order the ingredients went into the blender to make it easier on the machine. At times the blender sounded like it was sadly groaning as it tried its hardest to liquefy the vegetables. It did finally get the job done and I ended up with this beautiful green drink! I had for reasons unknown to me at the time saved the bottles from tomato passata that I like to have on hand and these were perfect to keep the smoothies in.

I was loving the colour but now we had to taste them. I remember pouring us each a glass for the first time and taking a taste. We were pleasantly surprised with the taste and finished the glass easily. You can taste a hint of each of the ingredients and the two fruits allow for a bit of sweetness to come through. I personally love the colour of the smoothie although I have had comments from my co-workers when I have taken it to work, that the colour is appalling in terms of a drink in a glass. I guess green drinks are not really the norm and will attract attention often. I'm happy to drink it and know that I am getting so much goodness from just even one glass of this green drink!

I love this pic of several of the ingredients ready to blend! You can barely see it but the coconut water is in there too at the bottom. I do have to say though that now that I have made this several times I do not put all these ingredients in the blender at the same time as it makes it too difficult for my blender to do its work. There are probably blenders out there that are more heavy duty than mine is that could do it but I follow an order that makes it a bit easier for mine. 

Adding the parsley…….

The finished product! All bottled and ready for the refrigerator and the week ahead.

Drink up and enjoy the goodness!! 

Green Smoothie Recipe

• 1 cup kale or 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cucumber
• 3-4 stalks celery
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 apple
• 1/2 lemon - juice only
• 1/2 bunch mint
• 1/4 pineapple
• 1 cup coconut water or filtered water

Chop all veggies and fruits small to make for easier blending. I have yet to find any bunches of fresh mint so I haven't used it in mine and I still love the taste. I also find that I put more coconut water in so that it is thin enough to drink.

Blend and serve! 

Thanks to Sarah Tilley, RHN for the recipe!!

In wellness,

Maggie

a great & quick lunch......

I had an appointment this morning at 10 am and neglected to have any breakfast before heading to it. I know, this is so bad! I would be the first person to let anyone know that this is not a recommended practice. Given my absence of breakfast I decided that lunch needed to be a great one! So.....what on earth did I have on hand to make that happen?? I looked in the refrigerator and found myself a boiled egg. That's where the inspiration began. I pulled the multigrain bread from the freezer and took out one slice. No need for two as the calories add up in bread. It was going to be open-faced for sure. I mixed the egg with some mayo and thai basil and then headed to add some romaine and thinly sliced tomato. And so far the organics are adding up too! I try to incorporate organic as often as I can to keep us on the protected and healthy side of the farming fence. Next I sprinkled the egg salad with some hemp hearts and then saw some guacamole in the frig and placed a dollop on top of it all. I have to say it not only was going to taste amazing, it looked amazing!! I sat out on my deck in the warm summer air and enjoyed every morsel of my open-faced sandwich.

I hope you can find some inspiration in your refrigerator for your lunch or any meal for that matter. Keep it stocked, as well as your pantry and you will be less inclined to stray into the fray of foods that are maybe not as healthy for you. The more convenient the food, often the less healthy it is for you.

Be kind to yourself and feed your body well. You are the person that your body depends on to fuel it well! Make your food choices the best you can and you will feel the rewards!

Here's a pic of my amazing lunch!

delicious! 

Healthy blessings to you all!
Maggie

avocado circle....

its always interesting what inspires me......