Green Smoothie, Anyone?

Happy Labour Day!  And what a beautiful day it is in Southwestern Ontario!  Oh the memories this weekend brings to me ... of school, and new beginnings, of the lake and family.  But one Labour Day weekend ten years ago was a little different - I was in recovery from having my gallbladder removed (aka - "digestive suicide"). THAT was no fun, especially when trying to care for my 6 week old baby girl.  Rewind 6 years - when I was 17, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Constipation.  TMI.  BUT, I wanted to share because I know there are others out there that struggle with these same digestive issues.

With IBS and no gallbladder, it's a very painful combination.  I don't have a whole lot of options in a medical sense except for taking prescriptions and fibre supplements (that don't work) the rest of my life.  That's not good enough for me though ... and 3 years ago, after so much struggle, I discovered the Vitamix.

It has been the one and only thing that's brought true, lasting relief.  Green Smoothies!!  I started by reading these two books ... and began researching:

I learned so much about how food really does control our health.  As long as I have a smoothie or two a day, my body functions so well!! I know it's scary because ... it's green.  But I promise you if you like tropical drinks, you'll love it!  Even Morgan and Matt love it!

The health side of things is very interesting.  You need a high powered blender, like the Vitamix or the Blendtec ... or the consistency will be chunky.  They pulverize the fruit and veggies (stems and seeds and all) and break down the cell walls releasing optimum nutrients.  It's raw, fresh and delicious.  It's a huge boost of energy from the first sip.

The most important thing when starting smoothies is knowing which fruit and veggie combinations taste good together.  In my experience most green food tastes good mixed together; purples, blues and reds taste good mixed together; orange food taste good mixed together ... but inner-mixing - yuck.  Pineapple and bananas are neutral and go with any smoothie colour. 

All that being said, today I thought I'd share my favourite go-to Green Smoothie recipe.  It's super yummy and fresh!  When you drink it, you taste the tartness of the kiwi and the apple ... and the sweetness of the banana and the pineapple.  Everything else is hidden nutrition! :)

Wendy's Green Smoothie

A few slices of fresh Pineapple
Handful of Green Grapes
Banana
Handful of Baby Spinach or Kale
Green Apple, cut in half and quartered
Avocado, skinned and pit removed or a handful of raw Almonds
2 Kiwi, skinned
Handful of Ice and a cup or so of Filtered Water

Blend on high power 60 seconds or so until smooth.

Store in an airtight mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  Shake well before drinking, as natural separation between liquid and pulp does occur.

You can throw in some flax seed or chia seed as well, if you have it on hand.

You can even turn this into smoothie popsicles!  MMMM!!