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KaleBerry Smoothie - Nutritious Delicious (even for the pickiest!)

6/23/2012

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Smoothies are one of my favorite things, not only because they're delicious and easy, but also because they're a powerhouse of nutrition and a great way to get greens into kids (and adults) who wouldn't normally eat them!  This KaleBerry smoothie is one that I make more often than any other for my family.  With the right balance of ingredients, the taste of the kale (which I happen to love!) is virtually undetectable by even the most critical tongue.  

Kale happens to be the second most nutrient dense food in the WORLD (and my favorite vegetable)!  It's chock full of antioxidant vitamins, minerals (lots of iron and calcium), fiber, amino acids, and the ever important omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.  It's readily available at supermarkets, and definitely abundant at farmer's markets (my personal preference) where you'll get the freshest crop and therefore the highest nutrient content.  It can be bought in bulk at a more than reasonable price at farmer's markets and can be frozen for year round use. 

Berries, like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, also rank very high in nutrition content, being one of the top ten nutrient dense foods on earth. They're loaded with powerful antioxidants, phytochemicals, dietary fiber, and minerals.  Berries also have the lowest carbohydrate content of all fresh fruits.  They're commonly available at supermarkets and farmer's markets, and, just like kale, berries can be bought in bulk and frozen for year round use.  Frozen berries are also available year round in supermarkets, being a great choice because they're picked at peak ripeness and then quickly frozen, preserving nutrient content. For the best price and quality, I prefer Trader Joe's organic frozen fruit.  Nature's Promise and Cascadian Farms also market organic frozen fruits which are a little more expensive, but still very good.  

I tend not to measure my smoothies by methods other than handfuls, palmfuls, and pinches, even when following recipes that call for it.  I prefer to throw things together quickly and experiment with different ingredients each time I make something.  The ingredients for this smoothie are pretty basic, and at the bottom of the recipe you'll see suggestions for adding a little flair if you prefer, which I alwasy do.  Enjoy!

KaleBerry Smoothie Recipe
Yeild: 4 servings 

(all organic highly recommended)
2 large kale leaves, or 1 handful of chopped kale**
1 heaping handful of blueberries**
1 heaping handful of strawberries**
1 heaping handful of raspberries** (these best mask the kale flavor)
enough water (unsweetened rice or almond milk work nicely, too) to cover about 3/4 of blender ingredients
**More can be added once blending has commenced, depending on what will fit in your blender and what consistency you like. The more the merrier!  

Method:
  • Add kale to blender and then add fruit on top.  
  • If using fresh fruit, add a few ice cubes to the mix and use very cold water.  
  • If using frozen fruit, skip the ice, and use warm water.
  • Blend on high until desired consistency is reached.  
  • If blender gets stuck, turn blender off, mix contents with a spoon, a bit more liquid, and blend again.  Repeat if needed.

Options:
  • Substitute half or all the water with nut or seed milk for a creamier tasting smoothie
  • Add 1 heaping spoonful of unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil to aid absorption of fat soluble vitamins and boost omega fatty acid content
  • Add 1 palmful of raw chia seeds for a nutrient boost
  • Add 1 palmful of raw cacao beans for a nutrient boost (and a hint of yummy chocolate flavor)
  • If you eat FRESH, raw, organic egg yolks from a healthy farm, add one yolk to the smoothie for a nutrient boost. I strongly recommend NOT using factory farmed/conventional eggs as they're quite filthy.  A good yolk is a rich golden orange color; not pale yellow.

Helpful Tips:
  • I have found that what blends best is a mix of both fresh and frozen ingredients.  For instance, fresh kale and frozen fruit.  Letting frozen strawberries thaw part way aids in blending.
  • If you have a less than powerful blender that leaves smoothies very fibrous, you may cut/remove stems from kale before blending for a smoother product.  Blenders that are marketed as smoothie machines tend to make fibrous smoothies.  
  • Pause during blending, taste test, and experiment with ingredient amounts!  If you love kale, add more.  If you don't want to taste the kale at all, add more berries.  If kids may be freaked out by a smoothie with a little bit of brown hue, add kale in small amounts at a time and keep an eye on the color.  Blueberries and raspberries mask the color of kale best, and raspberries seem to best mask he flavor.
  • Any smoothie works best in a Vitamix blender.  They're the gold standard and will blend anything fiberous to liquid with no problem.  They're not cheap, but they are worth the investment.  They can be bought used on eBay to save money.

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Can You Go Organic On A Budget?

5/31/2011

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I often encounter people who say that they can't afford organic foods.  This is certainly an understandable view considering the state of the economy and the high cost of food.  However, I strongly feel that we can't afford NOT to go organic.  There's no doubt that organically grown foods are healthier for people and the planet than conventional foods, and they taste better to boot!   They can also be surprisingly affordable.  I'd like to offer some simple suggestions for incorporating organic foods into our budgets, but first, a conversation about what's perceived as "affordable" is, in my opinion, even more important than offering suggestions on how to save money.    

It's really about priorities.  We often think we can't afford something, but if that something is important enough to us we find a way to make it work, don't we?  I had a friend who used a $300 Coach wallet and often stated that she couldn't afford organic food because she had a family to feed.  She found a way to pay for that $300 wallet because it was something that she wanted.  I see this scenario all the time.  We ALL spend money on things that we don't actually need.  I have plenty of earrings that I don't need myself!  Taking a good, hard look at our priorities is a good start to balancing our budgets. 

Our health should be our number one priority.  I always say that it's important to think of going organic as an investment in our own long term health, and also in the health of the plant.  Are we really willing to pay LESS for something that's been sprayed with deadly neurotoxins and hormone disruptors countless times?  Genetically Modified Foods, irradiated produce, artificially dyed fruits and vegetables; that's conventional food in a nutshell.  Unbelievable!  We're so disconnected form our food sources that most of us don't even know how or where our food is produced, what was sprayed on or injected into it, who touched it, how long ago it grew, and so on....  That's scary!  We must love ourselves and care for the environment more than that or we're seriously doomed.  We deserve better.  Our kids and grand kids deserve better.  This is so far beyond an issue of simple affordability, but once we start to care, economics can take care of the rest.   

Economic principles tell us that the more produce and the more we buy something, the more affordable it becomes as prices go down due to more volume sold.  If we continue to believe that organics aren't affordable and steer clear of them, the less we'll see of organics!  The market is controlled by us, the consumers.  Our dollar is our vote, and that's a fact.  If we continue to buy organics, they'll become mainstream and we'll all be better off in the long run.   

Below are a few suggestions to help us start eating more organic foods affordably so that we can create positive change in the food system for our health and the health of our children and their children....   

1)  Many big name grocery stores now offer their own store brands of organic foods that are more affordable than name brand organics and are often comparable in price to name brand non-organic foods (Nature's Promise, 365, and Full Circle brands, for example). 

2)  Farmer's Markets are great places for local foods and are very, very affordable compared to grocery stores.  Much of the stuff is seasonal but there are winter markets around, too!  You can easily make friends with farmers to learn their methods of producing.  Many aren't certified organic simply because they don't want to spend the large sum on certification, but still use organic/sustainable farming methods and are usually amazing stewards of the land.   Plus there's the added bonus of buying LOCAL foods.

3)  Joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a great way to get organic and local foods as well, and is surprisingly affordable!  One pays a sum of money to a local farm, and in return gets a portion of the farmer's yeild, usually in a weekly delivery.  Again, getting to know the farmer is important, and creating a CSA relationship helps keep local farmers in business and keeps healthy foods on your table.  www.LocalHarvest.org is a great resource for finding CSAs and Farmer's Markets.

 4)  Growing your own food is easier than you might think!  Start a garden, grow in containers on a sunny porch, or go for the easiest method - bag gardening!  For those who are unfamiliar with bag gardening, all you need is a couple bags of garden soil at a couple bucks each, and six packs of vegetable plants for not much more than that.  All supplies (and free advice) are available at your local farm, garden center, or home improvement store.  Simply lay the bags down in a sunny spot, slice holes in the top, and plant the veggie plants right into the holes in the bag, according the the planting instructions that came with the veggie plants.  Voilà, instant garden!  Bags can stay put and be reused year after year as long as you supplement with a little organic fertilizer and/or compost.

Here's to our health!!!

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