In praise of green smoothies

[Susikav]

Really crush ice too ?
Ooh I must get one for sure now .
Love drinks with crushed ice in them plus lemon slices in .

 

[pavlovsdog]

Please can you let us know which smoothie machines you
all use and prefer ?
I am looking at acquiring one .
Want an easy to clean one and not a bulky one .
As limited kitchen surface space .

Would appreciate all your tips/advice on this .

I got a Russell Hobbs 21350 Mix and Go Blender, 300 Watt from Amazon, it's small and the bottles you make the smoothies in double up as portable drinking bottles with lids. Only £20, bargain!

 

[Kat100]

I am inspired so thank you all ....I must start making smoothies again....I used to pre db then stopped ...
Now I am ready to start again ....

 

[pavlovsdog]

And you can put ice in them too

 

[Janiept]

I heard a dietician saying a couple of days ago that raw Kale affects the thyroid and slows the metabolism. I don't like smoothies so have no personal experience but thought people might be interested, as it seems to be used a lot in green smoothies.

 

[Brunneria]

I heard a dietician saying a couple of days ago that raw Kale affects the thyroid and slows the metabolism. I don't like smoothies so have no personal experience but thought people might be interested, as it seems to be used a lot in green smoothies.

Thanks!

I bustled off and googled.

Here's a link to an article that puts it in perspective.
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it

I'm going to carry on with kale, rotated with spinach, probably 5 days a week.

 

[cold ethyl]

My memory is hazy but we lost a heifer to some sort of thyroid/ vitamin B12 issue as a result of it overeating kale that had sprouted in a grass reseed so maybe rotating it is a good idea.

 

[anna29]

Does the green veggie smoothies make your urine smell stronger ?
Remember reading like asparagus it can do this .

Smoothies aid and speed up the digestive system ?
I ask this as I do have digestion issues with both coeliac/diverticulitis .

 

[Rose28]

You make almond milk? Wow, how? They're all loud...

I use 1 cup of almonds and blend with 4 cups of water. You can use less water if you like the milk to be thicker.
It keeps in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. I have tried shop bought almond milk but homemade tastes 100 times better.

Here's some handy tips and recipes

http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/almond-milk

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-almond-milk-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-189996

 

[Brunneria]

Does the green veggie smoothies make your urine smell stronger ?
Remember reading like asparagus it can do this .

Smoothies aid and speed up the digestive system ?
I ask this as I do have digestion issues with both coeliac/diverticulitis .

I haven't noticed a difference in urine smell.

But I have to say that No 2s are a pleasure.
I realise how odd that may sound.

I vaguely remember my system going into rather explosive shock, the first day or so (I hit the ground running on 2 litres green smoothie a day so that was self inflicted!). But I adjusted astonishingly quickly. And find everything very comfortable and effortless Returning to daily green smoothies has not required any transition at all, this time around, so I think I just overdid it when I started.

Is vegetable fibre recommended for diverticulitis? If so, I would say you are on to a winner.

 

[Brunneria]

Does anyone else freeze their greenery?

I tend to buy the biggest bags of spinach or kale that I can, organic if poss, and throw them into the freezer. If you puncture the bag, it squashes to take up less space. Then o throw the frozen leaves straight into the blender. Works like a charm.

 

[Rose28]

Does anyone else freeze their greenery?

I tend to buy the biggest bags of spinach or kale that I can, organic if poss, and throw them into the freezer. If you puncture the bag, it squashes to take up less space. Then o throw the frozen leaves straight into the blender. Works like a charm.

I do exactly the same as you

In winter months, I don't add as much ice to smoothies because the frozen greens make it cold enough to drink.

 

[Rose28]

Costco sell huge bags of frozen pineapple, mixed berries, and strawberrys and they work out much cheaper than if I buy the smaller bags from supermarkets.

 

[Brunneria]

Costco sell huge bags of frozen pineapple, mixed berries, and strawberrys and they work out much cheaper than if I buy the smaller bags from supermarkets.

Just checked. My nearest Costco is 56 miles away, in Sheffield.

 

[Susikav]

I heard a dietician saying a couple of days ago that raw Kale affects the thyroid and slows the metabolism. I don't like smoothies so have no personal experience but thought people might be interested, as it seems to be used a lot in green smoothies.

I have read that before, and broccoli and spinach I gather - and green tea... hah, damned if you do and damned if you don't... I am hypothyroidal and it is a worry - I grow my own kale and I love it... it's good for you in so many other ways too.. what can you do?

 

[Susikav]

I do exactly the same as you

In winter months, I don't add as much ice to smoothies because the frozen greens make it cold enough to drink.

Rose, you are brilliant - why does my brain work magic on cryptic crosswords and not on practical things... Especially as I have loads of kale in the garden and worry about it getting tough...

 

[Susikav]

Does anyone else freeze their greenery?

I tend to buy the biggest bags of spinach or kale that I can, organic if poss, and throw them into the freezer. If you puncture the bag, it squashes to take up less space. Then o throw the frozen leaves straight into the blender. Works like a charm.

Oops, sorry B - thought it was Rose... told you I was better at crosswords than anything else... You are so clever - between you you are sorting my life out...

 

[Susikav]

I haven't noticed a difference in urine smell.

But I have to say that No 2s are a pleasure.
I realise how odd that may sound.

I vaguely remember my system going into rather explosive shock, the first day or so (I hit the ground running on 2 litres green smoothie a day so that was self inflicted!). But I adjusted astonishingly quickly. And find everything very comfortable and effortless Returning to daily green smoothies has not required any transition at all, this time around, so I think I just overdid it when I started.

Is vegetable fibre recommended for diverticulitis? If so, I would say you are on to a winner.

 

[Susikav]

I use 1 cup of almonds and blend with 4 cups of water. You can use less water if you like the milk to be thicker.
It keeps in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. I have tried shop bought almond milk but homemade tastes 100 times better.

Here's some handy tips and recipes

http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/almond-milk

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-almond-milk-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-189996

Thank you Rose... How very nice.... it makes me feel almost self-sufficient when I can make my own stuff... you are never quite sure what they put in your food...

 

[Susikav]

Does the green veggie smoothies make your urine smell stronger ?
Remember reading like asparagus it can do this .

Smoothies aid and speed up the digestive system ?
I ask this as I do have digestion issues with both coeliac/diverticulitis .

Good morning Anna - I have had ulcerative colitis for almost 50 years and have had little rest from it, apart from pregnancies, but from the day I stopped eating carbs - porridge particularly - I have never had one sick day... I cannot believe my luck - I haven't really eaten wheat for many years, but thought I was doing myself a favour with all the high fibre carbs - and no fat to speak of either of course... or sugar! I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a flat tummy every day, little pain and no rushing to the bathroom either - unless I overdo the veg!