Smoothie Challenge – Healthy Changes for the New Year

We have found ourselves slipping out of our healthy habits of summer where we were blending up smoothies for breakfast and sometimes an afternoon snack or refresher later on the hot afternoon. Somehow winter doesn’t make drinking icy frothy drinks nearly as exciting as it is in summer but we sure did feel better when those were a part of our daily lifestyle.

Join me on a Smoothie Challenge on Instagram. #CGSmoothie Twitter & Facebook too!

You can join at any time, I’ll be posting my daily concoctions and would love to see what you are doing. I’m starting again on Monday! use Hashtag #CGSmoothie on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter so we can all get inspiration! The challenge will be to replace at least 3 meals a week with a Green Smoothie. 

We found Simple Green Smoothies on Instagram and decided to join their 30 Day Smoothie Challenge. WOW what a difference this has made. I started craving Kale!! WHAT?? I don’t even like green things but I do when they are blended up!

These are this weeks smoothie recipes… what do you think? 

CRANBERRY SPRITZER SMOOTHIE

BERRY BERRY SMOOTHIE RECIPE

How to Smoothie!

Everyone likes their smoothies a little different so the key is to keep playing with it until you find the way you like it. I add a cup of crushed ice to everything because I’m menopausal so always #Hawt! but you might like them less icy and more creamy smooth. It also depends on your blender as to how it works best. Some you need to blend the greens with the liquid first but in the Ninja, it works better to blend the greens in with the initial frozen items too. Don’t be afraid to play with your food!

First off you need an excellent blender.

I chose a this Ninja for $99. The least expensive choice and mine is now about one year old and has withstood at least 200 smoothies along with lots of other tests and it works great. I also like the smaller smoothie sized pitcher. If I were to buy again I would probably get one of the options with the smaller blend and go tumblers here.
The Vitamix is always a favorite but a bit high priced for our budget.
The Simple Green Smoothie ladies prefer the Blendtec. You can start using whatever one you have but these 3 will give you superior results when it comes to grinding those greens down where you can’t even tell you are drinking a salad.

Great Vegan Protein Powder

To help lose weight (which I’m always trying to do) you need a boost of protein powder and I used to HATE it, it was so chalky and nasty tasting unless you got some with a ton of stuff that was bad for you. Recipes may or may NOT have it included but I normally add it. I have hunted and HUNTED and finally found this one. Garden of Eden Raw Protein. The regular formula comes in  Vanilla, Chocolate, Unflavored and Vanilla Chai. The weight loss version comes in Green Tea (which has no flavor at all) and . You can get it on Amazon subscription and save another 5%. This is cheaper than I find it at Whole Foods and Sprouts even with a coupon. I’m NOT a Vegan by any stretch of the imagination but it’s great for this use to not have any milk products for the Daniel Plan Cleanse and lots of other health plans.

• Provides raw organic sprouted protein and live probiotics and enzymes
• Excellent source of protein 17 grams and 33% daily value
• Contains vitamin code raw food-created nutrients with their unique code
• Suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets
• Easily digested supports digestive health and function with live probiotics and protein-digesting enzymes

The Raw Fit comes in Green Tea (pretty much flavorless and great for my smoothies) and Marley Coffee.. sounds yummy but I haven’t tried it.

• Support healthy blood sugar levels and burn fat naturally with the power of Svetol Green Coffee Bean Extract, RAW Food Created Chromium, Organic Cinnamon, and Organic Sprouted Grains
• Help regulate your cortisol levels and manage stress related cravings with RAW Organic Ashwagandha
• Build lean muscle mass, help repair it after work-outs and sustain it on a sensible meal plan with 28g of RAW certified organic plant protein–a complete protein with 13 organic sprouts and a biological value of 98.2%!
• Naturally filling and satisfies hunger with RAW Organic Soluble and Insoluble Fiber from certified organic grains, seeds, legumes and fruits
• Promotes healthy and comfortable digestion and elimination with live probiotics and enzymes
• There are other varieties to check out here but these two have my endorsement.

Chose a few recipes that look good to you and hit the organic section of the store.

Costco has great deals on bags of frozen organic fruit and bags of Kale & Super Greens mix. Bananas are so inexpensive and pretty much make every smoothie taste wonderful. You never need to add any sweetener if you have a banana in your mix. You can use them either in their natural state or if they start to go a little too ripe, cut them into large chunks and freeze. Then put them into a ziplock bag to use throughout the week. Another tip we learned from Chopped Champion Jeremy Bringardener is to freeze chunks of cucumber in the same way and use them in your smoothies. This is the first green smoothie I ever tried and it pretty much changed my life. Lyfe Kitchen Banana Kale Smoothie Chef Bringardener demostrates his smoothie techniques in the video below. The sound is a little rough but we really enjoyed meeting him at the grand opening. Smoothies are also perfect for the Daniel Plan after your 10-day cleanse and even during the class you can modify the recipes. My friends that are getting into Essential Oils are also putting a few drops of those in their smoothies, I’ll let you know how that goes too.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, these Smoothie Books are free.

SMOOTHIES: Smoothies for Holistic Wellness and Weight Loss.: 50+ Amazing Smoothie Recipes Inspired by the Alkaline, Paleo, Macrobiotic, and Mediterranean Diets.
Low Carb Smoothies: 75 Quick and Easy Low Carb Smoothies for Weight Loss
The Daniel Fast Smoothies: Easy, Quick, and Delicious Daniel Fast Smoothie Recipes

365 Days of Delicious and Healthy Smoothies: 365 Smoothie Recipes To Last You For A Year
Green Smoothie Of The Week: Lose Up To 7 Pounds In The First 7 Days With This NEW Improved 7-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse System (‘Recipe Of The Week’ Vegetarian/Vegan Cookbooks Collection Book 2)
The Smoothie Recipe Book: 150 Smoothie Recipes Including Smoothies for Weight Loss and Smoothies for Good Health

These are Smoothie Books are available in Paperback or Hardback

The Green Smoothie Bible: 300 Delicious Recipes
The Ultimate Smoothie Book: 130 Delicious Recipes for Blender Drinks, Frozen Desserts, Shakes, and More!
The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet: The 150 Most Delicious, Most Nutritious, 100% Vegan Recipes for the World’s Healthiest Drink

Please join me so I won’t be all alone on my journey to wellness. #CGSmoothie
Week 1  #CGSMoothie Challenge Photos & Recipes

2015 Smoothie Challenge on Instagram. #CGSmoothie Twitter & Facebook too!