vitamix

Wake Up Green Smoothie

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by Emily Welsh

This is my favorite green juice smoothie recipe to make for breakfast. It’s bright green and looks as healthy as it is! The ginger and spinach add a great kick to start the day.

Medical News Today tells us that ginger has a long history of use for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain. The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form or as juice.

Additionally, Body and Soul has the healthy spinach details that this green is full of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Spinach has an extremely high nutritional value and is rich in antioxidants. It is a good source of vitamins A, B2, C and K, and also contains magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, calcium and potassium.

And, we know all about the benefits of lemon from Judy’s Lemon Love blog post.

What’s your go-to smoothie or juice recipe?

Wake Up Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients
1 green apple, cored and chopped
½ cucumber peeled and chopped
½ lemon juice
1 inch piece peeled ginger
handful spinach
handful of ice
½ cup water (more or less depending on how you like your smoothie)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender such as Vitamix and enjoy!

Squeaky Clean!

Posted by Judy Moon

I am in the home stretch now of the 21 day Clean Program and feeling fantastic! My last post Let’s Talk Dirty described in detail just how I roll up my sleeves and dive in to this yearly endeavor. There’s a lot of information to share and I tried to break it down and keep it simple. I forgot to mention two important things –

The Blender!!!

I would HIGHLY recommend getting yourself a high speed powerful blender. If you have the cash, the Vitamix  is the Rolls Royce of blenders. Everyone who I know who has one LOVES it. At the recommendation of a friend, I went with the Montel Williams Health Master, 4 payments of $33.33. I wasn’t sure if this was something I was really going to stick with at the time, so I wasn’t ready to make the commitment to the Vitamix. I can honestly say that blender is used at least 4 times a day in my house between my husband and myself and I love it. It does everything the Vitamix does and it’s never disappointed me. There are several other options out there, Nutri Bullet, Ninja, Blendtec to name a few. There’s lots of comparisons and charts and blogs – do your homework, see which one speaks to you. You won’t be sorry you did.

Bodywork!

Getting some extra bodywork during the cleanse is a great way to support all of the hard work you body is doing. You may feel a little headachey if you are a big caffeine drinker, you may feel tired and sluggish in the beginning, or your digestion may get a little sluggish at first. Getting some therapeutic massage, reflexology, thai massage, shiatsu or reiki will make the process so much easier.

I leave you with one of my favorite recipes that I discovered last year during Clean. It’s from goop – you can always count on Gwyneth, like if you are looking for a juicer – her 2014 gift guide listed the Easy Health Angel Juicer Gold, only $4,739. I love what it said underneath it – “Absurd, but awesome.” All kidding aside, I found this super yummy recipe on goop last year and it is the perfect breakfast when the sky is grey and the thermometer outside reads ten degrees!

Chai Gingerbread Shake 
Dr. Alejandro Junger
Blend until smooth. Drink before it cools for optimal digestion and to warm you up!

  • 1 cup warm brewed rooibos chai tea (easy to find)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger (or a tablespoon or two of fresh squeezed ginger juice)
  • 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • coconut nectar, raw honey or stevia to taste
  • optional: 1 scoop protein powder of your choice

Enjoy!

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The Health Benefits of Coconut Water

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Posted by Judy Moon

It Started With a Hangover: Yes, that’s right, I said a hangover! There are beliefs out there that massage therapists are vegetarians, do yoga daily, meditate daily, don’t smoke or drink, don’t eat sugar. You get the picture.

Some of that is true. And a lot of that is true for me. However, I do like red wine. I actually love red wine. On an occasion where my love for it surpassed the need to stop drinking it, I woke up tired, headachy and dehydrated.

I went to my corner Walgreens looking for something that would quench a thirst like I had been in the Sahara desert for a month. I spotted the coconut water. I had read about it, heard some buzz about it and I bought one.

I was reborn! It was a miracle! I did some research on coconut water. Here’s what the Zico Coconut water website said – “ZICO is loaded with 5 electrolytes: sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus. These work together to support your body with what it needs to stay hydrated and to help it perform at its best. ZICO contains as much potassium as a banana, which helps prevent cramping. Plus, ZICO is gluten-free, lactose-free and dairy-free.”

Whether you drink ZICO before a big meeting or after a hard workout, ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water is full of natural Oomph—and it’s all from coconuts. And we think that whoops major butt.

Works for me! I should contact Zico and tell them to add – “works for hangovers” to their list.

I like all different brands and use coconut water in my green smoothies sometimes. I reach for it when I feel tired instead of drinking coffee. Give it a try when you need some “natural Ooomph” in your day.

Photo Credits // 1 Pinterest // 2 Vitamix // 3 Gnet // 4 Flickr // 5 Huffington Post