Fruit & Veggie Smoothies

Thanks to Sis. Sawaya we have a ton of great new smoothies to give us a healthy boost!

Blueberry-Carrot Greens Smoothie
The peaches are perfect in lifting the greens, the color is beautiful, and the blueberries makes this smoothie decadent.
2 peaches 1 bunch of carrot tops from 6-10 carrots1 cup frozen blueberries2 cups water
Soak the carrot tops in cold water while halving the peaches and removing the stones. Blend peaches and carrot tops with water, when smooth, add blueberries. Add water to reach the consistency you like.

Beautiful Beet Smoothie
You can use banana, ice, a little sweetener and Vitamin C rich fruits to tone down the super-earthy taste of beets, one of natures healthiest root vegetables.
1 banana½ beet, skin removed and loosely chopped plus some of the greens1 cup frozen berries1 cup frozen fruit (pineapple, peaches, mango) ~1 cup Orange Juice1 Tablespoon Aqave nectar3-4 ice cubes
Wash your beet, cut off the greens, cut the beet in half and place cut side down on cutting board (for safety and to keep the juice from soiling your hands/clothes). Use your knife to pare off the skin (you can leave it on, but removing cuts down on the earthy taste, if you don’t like that). Chop loosely.
Add banana, beet, ½ of the beet greens, frozen fruits, ice, juice and sweetener to taste.

Emerald Green Smoothie
There are literally thousands of “Green Smoothie” recipes out there (just try Googling it!), but many have a similar idea… somewhere around 50% fruit and 50% greens (literally any green vegetable). This one uses Kale, another nutritional powerhouse, but it could easily be made with spinach, lettuce, argula, wheatgrass, broccoli – especially sprouts –which are sweeter, collard greens, etc.
1 cup green grapes; 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple; 2 cups Kale; Sweetener (like ripe bananas,) 5-6 ice cubes
Wash your Kale and cut off the stems and ribs. Add ingredients to blender. Add water if necessary. Taste after blending and add sweetener if needed/desired.

Berry/Spinach Smoothie
This has become the Sawaya family regular smoothie because it uses ingredients that are often on hand – especially that handful or two of leftover baby spinach. The colorful berries mask any green ingredients for finicky eaters.
1 banana; 2 cups fresh spinach; 1 cup frozen berries; ½ cup other frozen fruit (I usually pick mangos or peaches) ~1 cup Orange Juice
Add ingredients to blender in the order listed (the berries weigh down the spinach and help it blend quickly). Add water or ice if necessary. Taste after blending and add sweetener if needed/desired.

Green Melon Smoothie
I have personally never liked the consistency of melon, but simply putting it in a smoothie takes care of that problem. Here is the simplest kind of melon and green smoothie recipe… of course you can add other ingredients to it, but give it a try simply at first.
½ cantaloupe, seeded and cut; ½ head romaine lettuce; ½ cup water; 2-3 ice cubes
Add ingredients to blender, adjust water as needed.

Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie
6 large strawberres, stems removed; 1/2 c. rhubarb; 1 c. ice; 1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt; 2 T. honey (or to sweet taste); splash of milk
Toss all in a blender and puree until smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust to taste.