Healthy Habits: Green Smoothies

     SO. i have at least one reader that's interested in the world of essential oils, herbs, and green stuff. maybe there's more of you out there, so in the meantime, i'm going to carry on and go ahead and post a few things.

    let's talk green smoothies.
    a lot of people usually raise and eyebrow in scepticism at the mention of a green smoothie, myself included. my mom tried to get me interested in them a while back, and i told her i'd never drink that awful looking green stuff. then i had a couple of friends who were into the whole "green smoothie" thing, so i started reading about it and looking it up. then i got dared to try one. so i did.
     the truth is, they aren't all that bad. i've had  a few that certainly don't wow my taste buds, and i've had a few that are really quite excellent.
     for example: the one i have right now, in the picture above, is part of a batch that i made yesterday and it's very good. it consists of:

        - 2 cups of milk
        - 1 cup (more, in this case) of spinach
        - 8 to 10 slices of frozen banana
        - 1/4 of an apple
        - 1/2 of a large cucumber

     that was it. and it's quite excellent. It doesn't have an overwhelming 'green' taste, and has a very subtle sweetness to it due to the apple and banana. and, it's VERY good for you. the nutrients in the greens are amazing for your body, and it's a really good way to get them into you. green smoothies give you an energy boost, work very nicely in your digestive system. so, don't cringe until you've tried it. and there really isn't very much of a limit to the veggies you can put into a smoothie, and fruit to sweeten it up a little. however, the one thing i'm careful of when i make a green smoothie, is to not forget that its supposed to be /green/. not fruity. fruit is excellent for you, but it also has a lot of sugar in it; bananas are a prime example, and they are the most common ingredient in your typical fruit smoothie.
     the recipe above is what i'd recommend to someone who wants to try a green smoothie for the first time. i made the mistake of making the first smoothie i tried with kale, which is pretty strong, and it was kinda hard to down. this one is very fresh and light tasting, thanks to the cucumber and spinach. try it out!

     - the writer