Thursday, March 17, 2011

Simply Green

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!

I had another simple pleasure planned this week, but then I looked at a calendar and changed my mind. I couldn’t neglect the most festive Thursday of the year. So today, in celebration of the greenest day on the calendar, I'm sharing my greenest simple pleasure, the green smoothie.




I first heard about green smoothies a few years ago somewhere out in Cyber Land. I clicked a link and discovered a woman gushing about her incredible health and beauty makeover and extolling the virtues of drinking spinach for breakfast.

Now, I'm not at all a fan of cooked or canned spinach. Call me crazy, but I have a personal aversion to anything that resembles sewage.  Fresh spinach, however, I can handle. Plus, the words beauty makeover kind of sucked me in so I decided to dub it an adventure and give it a try.

It was delicious.

OK, it wasn't immediately delicous. Cyber woman made  hers with water, spinach and bananas. One sip, and I knew it was a project that needed some tweaking.  I replaced the water with ice and a splash of juice, and I froze the bananas. I also threw in some other fruit for good measure.

And then, I added a little sweetener. Yeah,I know that kind of negates the healthy part.

And then, it was delicious. Seriously, you can't taste the green part at all.

Over the years, it has become a little hobby for me to create new green concoctions. It's kind of like those My Favorite Cookies that I've yakked about before.

I've made them with spinach, with collard greens, and kale. (I once tried to use mustard greens because no one warned me that the mustard in the name is not just figurative. I wouldn't recommend it.) I've used pineapples, peaches, pears, and even apples.  The man of the house likes his with a little orange marmalade mixed in.

For aesthetic purposes, I stick with green or yellow fruits. Whirring in something like strawberries might sound like a good idea, but they just turn it into a brown smoothie. Then, you have that whole sewage issue going on.

Green smoothies, of course, are not a winter treat. I enjoy them through the spring and summer and then on no certain day in October, I pretty much send the blender into hibernation. Because I’m the kind of gal who likes tradition, I always open green smoothie season on St. Patrick’s Day.

And that's what I did this morning.
I feel thinner already.

Making green smoothies is this week's simple pleasure.

****
Sharing with Dayle at A Collection of This and That
Please join us for more simple pleasures. 







Project Simple Pleasures2

31 comments:

Crickit said...

Happy St. Patty's Day! It is all about the GREEN today! :)

Unknown said...

I think this is when we first met!!! You posted something about green smoothies and I asked what you put in it and you sent me your recipe....my confession is that I've yet to try it!! But it sounds good..
xo
lynn

Canadagirl said...

Hee he. You had me giggling again. Especially about the mustard greens. We grow a lot of them here and I KNOW what you mean the the name is NOT figuratively, LOL. I will have to try one of these as soon as we have some greens in the garden. [0= Sounds like something I need to try.

Blessings!
-Mary

Is your blog behaving now days? I hope so. I feel VERY blessed that you were able to visit me today. ((HUGS))

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Oh, how I have missed YOU, Debbie! Like a front tooth! You are a hoot. My favorite quote:

I have a personal aversion to anything that resembles sewage.

LOL! I know exactly what you mean. LOL!

I am so glad to read your blog. I'm surprised I was able to make it here because my server is acting like a brat. So I cheated and am using the "stick" which is about a million dollars a minute. LOL. Shhhhh... don't tell Mr. Magpie.

Hope you are having a fun St. Patrick's Day. I also hope to be blogging more regularly soon. I am hoping the painters will finish the garage today or tomorrow. I hope, I hope. And then the gutter men come next week. Then the painters come back to start on the house at some point. Not sure when exactly. I just want them all GONE. LOL! I had men here in St. A, and then I have them at home, too. They are a bit like termites, invasive. ;-)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Wear green so you won't get pinched.

Love you...

XO,

Sheila :-)

P.S. Suddendly, I'm wondering if I visitied you in my stupor last night... I was sleepy, and I can't remember what I said to people or who I said it, too. So I quit before I fell off my stool. The server was giving me fits. LOL!

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Oh how fun and healthy! I was telling my five year old we were going to eat green things today, so I am going to peel some kiwi!
You are always a blast to read...it makes my day, so creative!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

It sure looks good! I love that you are hiding it all with the fruits and good tasting stuff. I had a big open house one year and to the punch bowl I added berries, not sure what the base had been, but the whole beautiful glass bowl full of punch was olive green... NOT pretty.

Lynn said...

Happy St. Patty's day Debbie, enjoy your smootie! I'm sitting here eating a Corned Beef Special about to go plant peas and pansies-life is good:@)

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Well it looks yummy, but .... hmmm ... I'm still thinking about it. :) I love spinach (any kind of way), but still not sure I want to drink it. I'll try anything once, though, so who knows?

I do hope your computer issues are better today.

Karen said...

It looks great! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Kelli said...

I am GREEN with envy over that yummy smoothie!! Maybe, just maybe I'll try it. HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Anonymous said...

A green smoothie and a handful of cookies sounds like a great way to celebrate St. Patty's Day to me :-)

Take care and have a great day :-)

~Ron
*******

Susan Nowell @ My Place to Yours said...

I'm with you on the sewage thing! I've tried to find a smoothie I really like, but just haven't managed. Thanks for the encouragement to try again...

The Decorative Dreamer said...

Somehow a smoothie and spinach just doesn't seem like it should even be in the same sentence to me. LOL! I like smoothies and I like spinach, cooked,canned,and fresh but in a smoothie? IDK! But a green smoothie is a great way to celebrate St.Patricks Day, maybe a kiwi smoothie for me though! haha! Oh, I also love,love,love, the new blog lay out! It's fantastic! You and your daughter did a wonderful job with that! Happy St. Patricks day, Debbie!

Denise said...

I have yet to try this concoction. I love spinach (even from the can) and I love fruit so I don't know why I have not tried it. Your newlywed niece has, of course, and she loves it too.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Thanks for sharing a little of your green!

Chatty Crone said...

IT doesn't look too bad - I think I could get that down. I love wheat grass.

Happy St. Pat's Day!

sandie♥

Sandy said...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. I thought this was going to be lime or pistachio. Your tweeking does sound like it made it better. I like to have "green food parties". . .still might next week at school. Thank you for sharing!

Angel said...

I feel thinner just reading this! And I'm feeling more festive too. Thanks and top o' the afternoon to ya'!

Anonymous said...

I would feel so very healthy starting my day this way!

Joan Hall said...

Hmmmm. Looks pretty. I do like spinach - with if the fruit and all the other goodies thrown in, might be worth a try. I've honestly not thought of drinking spinach before. :)

Christine said...

You could wear a Green Mustache for St. Pat's Day!

Actually, it sounds pretty good the way you added the goodies.

Tablescapes By Diane said...

Hi lovely lady.
You know I love all your Beautiful Tablescapes sweey lady. I hope you have green on today...
I hope you have a Happy St.Patrick's Day.

Ms.Daisy said...

Debbie,
I'm not sure about DRINKGING spinach either - I love spinach any other way but I think I'd rather chew it instead! Love your drinking healthy though! Happy St. Patty's Day to ya!


~Jean

The Polka Dot Closet said...

No offense to the other lady, but your's sounds much better!!! Gotta have juice and sweetener!

Carol

Nikki (Sarah) said...

spinach in a smoothie? I think what you did to sweeten it up sounds so much yummier....And Debbie...thank you for your cheers for me....you're the best....hope your St. Pat's was grrrreeat!

Anonymous said...

Ok I am sold! Now, can you share the recipe...at least the amounts?

I think it looks delicious :-)

M.

Renée said...

So if I'm lucky, you'll give us a step-by-step demo with the shiny red Kodak? Happy St. Paddy's friend!

Trish said...

I thought you were gonna say it was Barley Greens lol!
Well your tweaking worked a treat, Debbie!
It sounds delicious and very healthy to me :-)
I love spinach so you got me interested right from the start.
Hope you had a wonderful St Patrick's Day :-D
blessings..Trish

FrouFrouBritches said...

Okay, well, um, I don't really like spinich AT ALL, however if you can tell me the correct amounts to cover up the disgusting taste of the spinich, I might be persuaded to try it. I mean, I could definitely use a beauty makeover!! These kids are making me all old and wrinkly and stuff, not to mention GRAY! I'm totally with you on the raw sewage.

Sharon said...

OK, I'm sitting here wondering what kind of field trip you went on to even know what sewage looks like...Hmmm.

Your smoothie looks drinkable - it's a pretty lime green. I draw the line at drinking anything that ventures into the olive green shades - kelly or emerald green, perhaps - chartreuse, definite no-no.

Yes, you do look thinner already - and oh so much younger!

Do these smoothies also work as a full facial mask???

Rhonda said...

Yum! I would love a green smoothie this morning!!!

I am your newest follower...I hope you will drop by to see me sometime! I am a brand new blogger; therefore, I am just learning!!

~~~rhonda~~~xoxo

Kay K said...

I am a day late in reading, your drink looks good hope you had a great St. Patricks day

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