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A few days ago, a friend of mine posted on my Facebook profile page, and it caused quite a response from a lot of people,
many of whom I don’t know. Maharet’s post said I was the healthiest person she
knew, that I looked twenty years younger than my actual age (thanks doll… did I
mention I love you madly?) that I was always full of energy, and she thought it
was because of my diet. The post mentioned that I am sugar-free, which is true,
and that I “basically live on green smoothies and Greek yogurt”, which isn’t
entirely true… but I do consume insane amount of both those things. She said
that the smoothies I made were better than any she’d ever had, and ended the
post by asking, “I wonder what would happen if I ate exactly like you for ten
days?”
All this resulted in a happy uproar;
there was a barrage of comments clamoring for information on my diet and the recipes
for my smoothies. So, I’m gonna give
some outlines on my food habits, in case they might work for you, and of course I’ll and share my
smoothie recipes with you.
My first major dietary change occurred at the
beginning of my career. When I started dancing professionally twenty-five years
ago, my food consumption habits changed almost by themself. Without even realizing
I was doing it, I moved from eating three meals a day to eating five or six
small meals, just because I found it uncomfortable to dance on a full
stomach. Three months later, much to my
astonishment, none of my costumes fit cause I’d dropped over twenty pounds.
I didn’t even realize that this was Eating
To Fuel, Not To Fill. Apparently,
eating like this keeps your metabolism going, but when I began having multiple
smaller meals, I didn't even know it was a concept! It just worked for me
dance-wise, and the weight loss was a bonus. It may or may not work for you,
but it’s worth a try.
At
that same point in my life as a new professional, I started waking up every
morning ravenously hungry. That was weird to me- I’d always been one of those
people who began the day with a ka-razy strong cuppa joe, and wouldn't even think of eating until three or four
hours later. But my dancing suddenly
demanded that I needed breakfast, so I obeyed.
It was then that I discovered Eating
Breakfast Is Really Important. I
still need my really strong coffee, but there’s no way in hell I can imagine
skipping breakfast!
The
second big “food breakthrough” I had was in 2009, after a severe car accident.
I was in a lot pain and all the physical therapy and drugs I was taking didn't
seem to be helping all that much, so I started researching nutrition. There are
tons of foods and spices that have anti-inflammatory properties, and I began
eating them in ridiculous amounts, mostly out of desperation! I ate tons of citrus fruits and tomatoes
because of the healing properties of Vitamin C. I overdosed on berries and flax
seed because they fight inflammation…as does cinnamon, turmeric, oregano, thyme,
rosemary, cloves and ginger. I began using these spices as much as possible, preferably
fresh, but dried will do. I ate as much raw food as possible, and went "krazy for kale".
A confirmed sugar addict, before the accident I’d actually “shoot” a package of Sweet Tarts the way a kid
tosses down tequila on Spring Break…until I found out that refined sugar is
really bad for you in many ways,
especially for your joints and for inflammation. So, it was Bye-Bye
Sugar ! Some people find it extremely difficult to
quit sugar, but I was-pardon my French- feeling so shitty from my pain I was
willing to try anything. I just started looking upon sugar as something that was
poisoning me, and seriously, it wasn’t hard for me to quit. If you know
something will have terrible consequences, you know it’s better not to ingest it, right? So I didn’t, and it really wasn’t a
problem. That led to me becoming
virtually Gluten Free. The no sugar scenario really was making me
feel better, so I tried deleting gluten, that wasn’t hard either, and soon I
noticed my energy was off the charts.
An important caveat to all of this
is- I made these changes willingly, and they worked for me. I also didn’t consider it a “diet”, or that I
was depriving myself. I simply found that I was making Healthier Choices…and I got to say, I’m not
totally anal about them. Once in a great while, I’ll have a piece of someone’s
birthday cake (especially my own!) and sometimes at a fancy restaurant, I’ll have a piece of bread…slathered
in butter.
Also, if you are considering going
sugar and/or gluten free, there are many things to consider. One of them is that
artificial sweeteners are probably worse than sugar itself. The other is that many gluten free foods are loaded with sugar! Make your dietary changes slowly, see how you
feel, and don’t beat yourself up if you backslide a little. Remember, for most
of us, they are choices, not mandatory.
And now on to my Smoothie Recipes:
.
For the recipes that call for yogurt, use only unsweetened, plain Greek Yogurt. I prefer the brand Fage; I’m addicted to it! I’m a FAGE HAGE!! It comes in 2 % fat, 0% fat
or full fat- I’ve used any of these in my smoothies, and no matter what, they
come out terrific. Obviously, the full fat version will make a more satisfying
smoothie, but it’s your call. Many brands
pretend to be “real” Greek yogurt, but are full of sugar or artificial sweeteners, and many also have
some kind of gelatin in them to thicken it, so especially if you are a veggie, check
the label carefully before you purchase!
For all the following recipes, use only
organic fruits and vegetables. I buy
fresh fruit, like bananas and pineapples, chop them up, pop them in baggies and
freeze them, because it not only lasts longer, it makes the smoothie thicker,
like a milkshake. You can put any kind
of berries in baggies and freeze them, and I often freeze greens like spinach,
kale and chard specifically for adding to the smoothies.
Most of these smoothies have an odd
color- usually bright green or brown, and that immediately puts some people
off. Also, if you are regularly eating sugar, these smoothies, though not acidic, may not taste as sweet to you as they do to me. Feel free to add more fruit if they're not sweet enough for you. But once you’ve tasted them, you’ll learn what you like, you can add or subrtract ingredients, and will also
not to trust the scary color, because they’re all totally delish!
APPLE PIE
SMOOTHIE
1 handful kale
2 Handfuls of spinach or chard, or one handful of each
1 Four-inch section of zucchini, chopped into “pennies”
2 small broccoli
florets
1/ smallish apple or
half of a large apple (any type of apple is fine, I like Honeycrisp or Fuji)
4 Frozen pineapple
segments
1 Frozen banana chunks
2 Generous dollops plain Greek yogurt – I prefer Fage, but
use whatever you like as long as it’s unsweetened
A pinch of allspice
Cinnamon to taste (I like to use a lot- tastes good and it's
an anti-inflammatory)
Pack the fruits and veggies into the blender tightly.
If you are using a Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the
blender cup with liquid to the “Fill” line. I use a mixture unsweetened coconut
milk and water. If you are using a regular blender, use 2 cups of the coconut
milk and water mixture. Blend until liquefied.
The smoothie will look bright green, but it tastes just like
apple pie!
THE GREEN LANTERN: CUCUMBER AND MINT SMOOTHIE
1/2 Large hothouse cucumber (about five inches long, cut
into chunks
1 Handful spinach or chard, or a mix of each
3 to 5 Leaves of mint, depending on how minty you ‘d like it
to be
The juice from 1/2 a large lemon or 1 small one
The juice from a medium sized orange
5 or 6 medium to large strawberries, with the leaves cut off
OR a few large chunks of fresh watermelon
Pack the fruits and
veggies into the blender tightly. If you don’t have a juicer for the orange and
lemon, cut each fruit in half and squeeze the juice into your blender through a
strainer.
If you are using a
Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the blender cup with the juice of the lemon and
the orange, and pour in water to the “Fill” line. If you’re using an ordinary
blender, use about a cup and a half of water. If the mixture is too chunky, for
your taste, just add a little more water.
This is a totally refreshing, invigorating and sweet smoothie;
I make a huge batch of this and sip it all day.
In the summer, I’m all about
the watermelon, and instead of using the orange juice; I just add more
watermelon chunks.
“LIKE A VIRGIN” PINA COLADA
SMOOTHIE
1
Large handful of frozen pineapple segments, or about 10-12 pieces
3
Frozen banana chunks
1
Handful kale, spinach or chard
1
three-inch section of zucchini, sliced into pieces
The juice of 2 medium sized oranges
1
Tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil, put directly into the blender
Unsweetened
coconut milk, or coconut water
Pack the fruits and veggies into the blender tightly.
If you are using a Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the
blender cup with liquid to the “Fill” line.
I use a mixture unsweetened
coconut milk and water, or you can use straight coconut water, either way is
fine! If you are using a regular blender, use 2 cups of the coconut milk and
water mixture. or the coconut water. Blend until liquefied.
CARROT CAKE SMOOTHIE
2 carrots cut into
“pennies”
1
Handful spinach or chard
Half of a medium
sized apple cut into chunks
2-4 Chunks of frozen pineapple
2 Chunks frozen banana
2 Generous dollops plain Greek yogurt – I prefer Fage, but
use whatever you like, as long as it’s unsweetened
1 Pinch Allspice
1 teaspoon fresh
ginger, finely grated
Cinnamon to taste
Unsweetened almond
milk or unsweetened soy milk
Pack the fruits and veggies into the blender tightly.
If you are using a Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the
blender cup with the almond milk to the “Fill” line. If you are using a regular
blender, use 2 cups of the almond milk and water mixture. Blend until
liquefied… regular blenders might yield a slightly chunkier version of this,
cause the carrots don’t always puree up fine. If the smoothie is too chunky,
add a little more almond milk, or some water.
The smoothie will look rusty brownish-orange, but it tastes
yummy, just like carrot cake!
BLUEBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE
1 Large handful or one cup of frozen
blueberries
1
medium mango, pitted, skinned and sliced
2 handfuls
spinach, kale or chard, or mixture of greens
2 broccoli
florets
The
Juice of one small lemon
The
Juice of one small orange
Pack the fruits and veggies into the blender tightly. If you
don’t have a juicer for the orange and lemon, cut each fruit in half and
squeeze the juice into your blender through a strainer.
If you are using a
Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the blender cup with the juice of the lemon and
the orange, and pour in water to the “Fill” line. If you’re using an ordinary
blender, use about a cup and a half of water. If the mixture is too chunky for
your taste, just add a little more water.
Ok, this smoothie looks kind of disgusting, it’s a dark
purple brown, but boy its it sweet and tangy!
CHERRY BERRY SMOOTHIE
1 large handful or 1 cup frozen raspberries
1 large handful or 1cup frozen unsweetened cherries
1-2 chunks frozen banana
2 generous dollops Greek Yogurt
2 teaspoon fresh ginger
, finely grated
1 Teaspoon ground flaxseed: buy it pre-ground or grind in blender before
you make the smoothie
Juice of one large orange
Juice of one small lemon
Unsweetened coconut, almond or soymilk
Fill the blender with the berries, cherries, spices and
yogurt. If you are using a Nutri Blend Magic Bullet, fill the blender cup with
the almond, soy or coconut milk to the “Fill” line. If you are using a regular
blender, use 2 cups of whatever “milk” you’re using. Blend until liquefied. If
the smoothie is too chunky, add a little more soy, coconut almond milk, or some
water.
TRY MY SMOOTHIES, THEY’RE DELISH! And remember, you are what you eat!
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