All those fruits and veggies

When I was growing up, fruit and veggies were mostly canned or frozen and I was not a fan.  Even though adulthood has introduced me to the greater pleasures of fresh vegetables, getting lots of fruit and veggies into my diet is not my natural bent.  Over years of eliminating things, substituting things and generally trying to get a healthier diet I realized that fruit and vegetables were usually underrepresented in my eating habits.

Several years ago while visiting a friend in California, she introduced me to a smoothie her Tibetan doctor had recommended (particularly for alkalizing), a green smoothie full of veggies and fruit.  I really loved it and started having one every day.  It was 4-5 servings of fruit and veggies in one yummy drink and that solved my problem.  Eventually I was not only tired of that drink (which I had already tweaked) but interested in making the drink more of an “eat a rainbow” thing; trying to represent most of the color groups that provide different vitamins and minerals so I created a new one that’s also delicious and provides lots of  nutrition.

For those of you who, like me, struggle to get all those recommended servings of fruit and vegetables into your daily diet, here are the two recipes:

GREEN SMOOTHIE

2 cups apple juice (preferably fresh pressed)

1 cup water

two bananas

giant fistful or two of spinach or chard or mixed greens or kale or combo

big fistful blueberries

10-12 basil or mint leaves

Throw it all in blender and liquefy.  I sometimes also add 1/2 cup of tofu for smoothies and/or replace one cup of the liquid with almond milk.  Makes about 36 oz — for me enough to drink one the day I make it and another the next day.

LEIGH’s RAINBOW SMOOTHIE

1-1/2-2 cups apple juice or cider (fresh pressed if possible)

1/2 cup orange juice

two bananas

7-10 strawberries (depending on size and taste)

big fistful of raspberries

big fistful of blueberries

fistful of broccoli slaw (dry from the package, not dressed :>) )

big fistful of shredded carrots

a few pieces of pineapple

optional:  fistful of greens (see green smoothie) and/or add almond milk

Throw it all in blender and liquefy.   Same deal, for two people it’s enough for one day, for one person it’s enough for two days.

Enjoy!