Green Smoothies: I'm Loving 'Em!

I love green smoothies! 

I just haven't been able to get into the habit of having salads which contain, highly nutritious and hydrating, raw, green, leafy vegetables into my daily diet. I have tried, I really have but I prefer my veggies stir fried or steamed, the former being my favourite way of getting those veggies in. Vegetables start to lose their nutrient values once they've been picked and heating them further reduces this value.

I finally decided to give green smoothies a try a few months ago, to ensure minimal alteration (in my control) of my veggies before consumption. I've enjoyed them from Day 1!

A few things I learned from my first try were:

• Keep it simple - my favourite everyday green smoothie consists of spinach, cucumber, lemon juice, lemon zest and lime juice.
• Lemon peel (zest) in addition to the juice makes a great change to an otherwise simple, bland mix of spinach and cucumbers. The taste of the peel almost removes the need for any sweetening eg berries, bananas, apples, etc
• Lemon and lime juice are a great combination
• Berries add a nice sweetness to the green smoothies. 

Most of my green smoothies contain spinach (contains flavonoids which have anti-cancer propertiesm rich in antioxidants, Vitamin K, calcium and magnesium), cucumber (contains phytonutrients that give it anti-cancer properties, rich in antioxidants, high water content, Vitamin K, potassium, magnesium), fresh juice from a lemon (read this for the benefits of lemon juice) and lemon peel/zest.

I aim to buy organic spinach and cucumbers. If you can't, make sure you wash them properly (apple cider vinegar + water rinse and brush the cucumber skin).

I have a jar/cup once a day, in addition to my meals and supplements. Not as a food replacement! Although I've had a smoothie some mornings I've had not appetite, which is a very rare occurrence ;)

If you're like me and have to force salads down your throat, try green smoothies :) One very lazy evening, I had 2 homemade turkey burgers and a green smoothie for dinner!

I've been putting my very cheap and durable blender through a lot of work and I can hear it falling apart each time I use it.
I'd love to get the Magimix 1.8L Blender which is a bit pricey at over £200 but it looks like it'd be worth it! For now, it's on my wish list for when I am richer ;)

For now, I've added the two blenders below to my 'immediate' wish list and I think I'll get the Villaware soon. They're both on sale at great discount (I'm still looking through reviews), click on the links for more info :)

1. Duronic BL1200 - Stainless Steel Body Table Blender (1.8L Glass Jug)
    £199.99 £59.99

 2. Villaware BLVLLAZ05H 2 Litre Jug Blender Die Cast Metal
     £79.99 £58.25

Have a great week!