Smoothie Recipes 6-10

Smoothie Recipes 6-10

Blend greens and water first, then add all remaining ingredients and blend again.

For optimal health, you'll want to make sure everything is organic; here's why.

Smoothie 6:

- 5 cups packed greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 apple

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- your choice: ½ pear OR ½ cup mango

- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Smoothie 7:

- 5 cups packed greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 apple

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- ½ banana

- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Smoothie 8:

- 5 cups packed greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 apple

- 1 pear

- 1 cup strawberries

- 1 tbsp flaxseed

Smoothie 9:

- 5 cups packed greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 apple

- 1 ½ cup blueberries

- ½ or 1 banana – your choice depending on your day

- 1tbsp flaxseed

Smoothie 10:

- 5 cups packed greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup strawberries

- 1-2 apples

- 1 tbsp flaxseed

Smoothie Recipes 1-5

Smoothie Recipes 1-5

Blend greens and water first, then add all remaining ingredients and blend again

For optimal health, you'll want to make sure everything is organic; here's why.

Smoothie 1: 

- 3 cups of spinach

- 2 cups of water

- 1 apple

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- 3/4 cup frozen mango

- 1/2 pear

- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Smoothie 2: 

- 3 cups spring mix greens

- 2 cups water

- 1 banana

- 2 apples

- 1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

- 1tbsp ground flaxseed

Smoothie 3:

- 1 cup spring mix greens

- 2 cups spinach

- 2 cups water

- 1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

- 1 banana

- 1 apple

- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Smoothie 4:

- 2 cups kale

- 1 cup spinach

- 2 cups water

- 1 apple 

- 1 pear

- 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

- 1 tbsp flaxseed

Smoothie 5: 

- 3 cups spinach

- 2 cups water

- 1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

- 1 1/2 cup frozen mango

- 1 banana 
- 1tbsp flaxseed

Classic Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Classic Spinach & Artichoke Dip:

1/8 lb. vegan butter

12 cloves fresh garlic, minced

12 oz vegan cream cheese (Kite Hill highly recommended for this recipe)

16 oz vegan sour cream (Tofutti highly recommended for this recipe)

4 oz vegan parmesan (Follow Your Heart highly recommended for this recipe)

24 oz artichoke hearts, chopped

24 oz fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients into your slow cooker and set on low. Cook for 2-3 hours stirring and testing occasionally until it's all melted into this the best spinach & artichoke dip you've ever tasted, then enjoy!!! 

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Stuffed Mushrooms:
Makes 32 stuffed mushrooms

You'll need 32 organic white button mushrooms

For the cream part of the filling:

5 organic artichoke hearts
1 cup packed organic spinach
1 tbsp organic vegan mayo (I use Earth Balance Organic Mayo)
1 tsp vegan parmesan sprinkles (I use Go Veggie Grated Parmesan Topping)
3 grinds organic black peppercorn
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 pinch organic sea salt
2-3 organic garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 organic onion, chopped
1 tbsp organic olive oil


For the rest of the filling:

3 organic artichoke hearts, minced
1/2 cup packed organic spinach
1/2 cup organic button mushroom stems, chopped

For the breadcrumb topping:

1/2 cup organic panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp organic vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Omega-3 Buttery Spread)
1/2 tsp vegan parmesan sprinkles


First, rinse and de-stem the mushrooms, saving and chopping the stems until you have 1/2 cup worth of chopped stems. Place the mushroom heads into a large glass baking dish (you will probably need 2) and set the chopped stems aside.

To make the cream filling first place in your Vitamix or food processor the artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, parmesan sprinkles, pepper, salt, and nutritional yeast. Before blending, heat a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until softened. Once onions and garlic are softened, add to the other ingredients in the blender and blend until thoroughly pureed. Place in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Next, mince an additional 3 artichoke hearts and chop the 1/2 cup of additional spinach and then fold into the cream filling along with the chopped mushroom stems. Using a teaspoon, fill the mushroom heads with the mixture allowing some to overflow the top and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

For the breadcrumb topping heat a small pan and melt the vegan butter. Add breadcrumbs and stir continuously until lightly brown. When breadcrumbs are lightly browned, add in the parmesan topping and continue stirring until mixture becomes golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once breadcrumbs are cool enough to touch, hold one mushroom at a time over the breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the filling allowing the breadcrumbs to stick to the mixture and the rest to fall back into the pan.

Once all mushrooms are topped with breadcrumbs and placed back into the baking dish(es), add about 1/2 cup water to the bottom of each dish (or more) until there is a thin layer of water covering the bottom. Finally cover with tinfoil and bake for about 18-23 minutes or until mushrooms are warm and soft throughout.

Serve immediately and Enjoy!!


Nutrition Info for 4 Stuffed Mushroom:

87 calories, 4.7g fat, 0.7g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 158mg sodium, 8g carbohydrates, 2.3g fiber, 2g sugar, 4.6g protein.

Healthy Green Smoothie!

This smoothie is a fast, easy, and VERY tasty way to add 1.5 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, and 8g fiber into your day! Perfect for getting kids to eat healthy!!

Find out how many vegetables and how much fruit you should be eating. 

Green Smoothie:

1/2 cup of water (or more, depending on your blender)
2 cups organic spinach
1/2 cup organic broccoli florets
1/2 cup organic green grapes
1/2 organic orange (peeled)
1/2 cup organic pineapple chunks
1/2 organic pear
5-6 ice cubes

If your blender is made to handle this amount of food, follow your normal instructions and if using a Vitamix, remember to build with the smallest items first (i.e. spinach on the bottom).

For other blenders, and for definitely for convenience, it helps to make spinach cubes or spinach and broccoli cubes (coming soon) ahead of time, and to also cut up the fruit into small pieces your blender can handle. It may help to blend 1/2 of the ingredients together first and then add the remaining half and finish blending.

Spinach Cube Instructions:

Nutrition Info:

168 cal, 0.5g fat, 0.1g sat fat, 0 cholesterol, 87mg sodium, 40.3g carbohydrates, 9g fiber, 32g sugar, 6g protein

Remember, the sugar is naturally occurring from fruit. It is important to meet your fruit requirements each day, and this smoothie will help do so, and for many, may meet the minimum requirements. This is where your sugar should be coming from, not artificial sources. 

BBQ Tofu Sliders!

BBQ Tofu Sliders:

Organic extra firm tofu
Organic slider rolls

1/2 cup favorite organic vegan BBQ sauce 

Organic avocado
Organic vegan mozzarella 

First, slice tofu block from container into 9 sections, 3 lengthwise, 3 width-wise and place them on a paper towel leaving about an inch or two in between each slice. Cover and press lightly with another piece of paper towel to remove excess liquid.

Next, marinate the tofu in your favorite BBQ sauce, measuring the anount you use at the beginning to track nutritional information. I suggest beginning with 1/2 cup of sauce per package of tofu. My favorite marinating method for tofu is to use a reusable container with lid, add an initial layer BBQ sauce, and then place tofu into container in layers that alternate in direction, covering each layer with sauce until all tofu is in the container. Set aside and rotate container about every 5 minutes during remainder of prep.

Once tofu is marinating, place grill pan on stove over medium heat and coat with organic extra virgin olive oil (not more than 2 tablespoons), or prepare your panini press how you normally would for grilling. If you are not using a spray olive oil container, I suggest using a paper towel to very lightly coat the pan to prevent the excessive use of olive oil. Test the heat of the pan by dabbing a small amount of BBQ sauce in the middle, once it sizzles, the pan is ready.

Place each piece of tofu on the pan and cook until grill marks appear on one side. Check it for grill marks occasionally by gently lifting the end of the tofu slice. Each side should take about 5 minutes. Once gril marks appear, flip the slice and allow the other side to cook until grill marks appear as well. Feel free to add some extra BBQ sauce to each side as the tofu cooks. To determine nutrition information for the amount of sauce used, simply measure the amount you have left in the container after tofu is finished cooking and subtract it from the amount you started with. 

While tofu is cooking, prepare sliders by slicing bread in half and layering with thinly sliced avocado (1/4 of the avocado in each slider), spinach, and sliced mozzarella (use about 1/2 of the serving size  your container suggests for each slider). The slider tends to stay together best when layered in that order, or even if the avocado is kept on the side. Once the tofu is complete, layer about 2 slices per slider and enjoy!

Serving size - 2 sliders! These pair great with some fresh mixed greens and veggies!

Spinach and Feta Quinoa Patties with Lemon-Dill Spread

Spinach and Feta Quinoa Patties with Lemon-Dill Spread:

Lemon-Dill Spread:

1/2 cup organic plain no-fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly chopped organic dill

Quinoa Patties:

1 1/4 cups cooked organic quinoa
1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5 oz chopped organic baby spinach
2 large organic eggs
2 oz crumbled organic feta cheese
1 tablespoon freshly chopped organic dill
1/4 teaspoon grated organic lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup organic panko bread crumbs

First, combine all ingredients for the spread and whisk together for about 1 minute. Add to serving bowl, cover and refrigerate while preparing patties to allow flavors to combine.

Cook quinoa according to directions on package and set aside 1 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa.

While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat then add the onion and garlic, stirring for about 3 minutes until softened, not allowing garlic or onion to turn brown. Separate dill from stems and chop, setting aside 1 tablespoon. Break both eggs in separate bowl, beat, and set aside. Once onion and garlic are complete, add to large mixing bowl along with quinoa, feta, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper and mix together well. Finally, combine to mixture the bread crumbs, and let sit for 2 minutes allowing bread crumbs to absorb moisture.

Form 6 patties and place on heated grill pan, grill, or panini press. Cook until browned on each side, flipping if necessary, and cooked through to center, about 5-8 minutes. Great accompaniment to a clean protein, salad, or as an appetizer.

Nutrition Info per Quinoa Patty:

96 calories, 5.5g fat, 1.9g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 67mg cholesterol, 165mg sodium, 6.7g carbohydrates, 0.9g fiber, 1g sugar, 5.8g protein

Nutrition Info for 2 tablespoons Lemon Dill Spread:

19 calories, 0.05g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 15.7mg sodium, 1.9g carbohydrates, 0.08g fiber, 4.7g sugar, 3.1g protein

Inflammation: 9 Foods to Avoid & 5 Foods to Include

When you first hear "inflammation" you may think of the body's reaction to injury or infection where the affected area becomes swollen and red to help heal the problem. This type of inflammation is a good thing, and a response we count on to stay healthy.

Chronic inflammation - when the body's immune response to potentially harmful things does not stop - can be very harmful and lead to very serious health concerns such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer's.* Obesity, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and the food we eat all play a role in the inflammatory responses in our bodies.

9 Inflammation Causing Foods:

Trans Fats - look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated ingredients in the label and eliminate these options completely from your diet as they cause inflammation.

Sugar "increases advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs, resulting in damaged, cross-linked proteins."* These AGE proteins contribute to inflammation and the development of age-related chronic illnesses.

Refined Grains - more commonly known as "white carbohydrates" such as white bread, sub rolls, pizza dough, and bagels. These cause dangerous amounts of inflammation while offering no nutritional value and are best if avoided.

Red and Processed Meats - processed meats contain high levels of sodium nitrates, among other inflammatory causing ingredients, and red meats contain high amounts of arachidonic acid that can cause inflammation.

Alcohol is immediately metabolized into sugar and causes inflammation.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids - the imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the body leads to inflammation. Most Americans consume more omega-6s (soy, corn, and cottonseed oils) in their diet than omega-3s and it is recommended to reduce the consumption of these ingredients and switch to olive oils, fatty fish, and walnuts.

Dairy Products, especially those high in saturated fat, cause an inflammatory response.

Artificial Additives such as MSG or monosodium glutamate should always be avoided. Not only does MSG, along with the following, cause inflammation, they are harmful to your health and should be unconditionally avoided: Aspratame, acesulfame-K, Sucralose, high fructose corn syrup, olestra, artificial colors, and artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and EDTA.

Gluten - Aside from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease itself, gluten causes inflammation in everyone whether they suffer from celiac disease or not. Limiting gluten intake is recommended to reduce the inflammatory response in the body.

5 Inflammation Fighting Foods:

Dark Leafy Greens - Kale, swiss chard, spinach, and collards all contain powerful antioxidants that help fight inflammation.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - To counteract the possible imbalance of omega-6s and omega-3s, it is recommended to consume foods containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in polyphenols which protect your body from inflammation, and the monounsaturated fats it contains are also converted into anti-inflammatory agents.

Antioxidant-Rich Foods - Eating a diet rich in color is extremely beneficial for many reasons. The more color, the better. Some fruits and veggies packed with phytochemicals are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, squash, sweet potato, and turnip greens.*

Some Spices - Ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and turmeric all have anti-inflammatory properties and are great to include in anything from your meals to smoothies and shakes.


References and Resources:
Dulan, Mitzi. "Top 5 Foods to Fight Inflammation." U.S. News Health. 8 Nov 2012. 
Klein, Sarah. "Inflammatory Foods: 9 of the Works Picks for Inflammation." The Huffington Post. 3 Mar 2013.
Daniluk, Julie. "When Food Causes You Pain." CNN. 20 July 2012.

Mixed Berry and Spinach Smoothie!

Finding an easy, complete, and healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be quite the challenge. Here's another one of my favorite go-to shakes when I need a complete meal packed with nutrition. 

Mixed Berry Spinach Smoothie:

8 oz water
2 1/2 scoops Shaklee 180 Vanilla Smoothie
1 cup 365 organic frozen berry mix
1 cups organic spinach via spinach cubes

Add all ingredients to the blender, blend, and enjoy. Remember, it tastes great, but take your time, you are eating an entire meal!

Nutrition Info:

299 calories, 3.9g fat, 0g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 324mg sodium, 31.6g carbohydrates, 13.2g fiber, 22.6g sugar, 21g protein

Awesome Peanut Butter Banana Spinach Smoothie!

Finding an easy, complete, and healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be quite the challenge. Here's one of my favorite go-to shakes when I need a complete meal packed with nutrition. 

Awesome Peanut Butter Banana Spinach Smoothie:

2 scoops Shaklee 180 Chocolate Smoothie
4 oz organic light chocolate soy milk
4 oz water
1 - 2 cups organic spinach via spinach cubes
1 tbsp organic crunchy peanut butter
1/2 medium organic banana
3-5 regular ice cubes

Add all ingredients to the blender, blend, and enjoy. Remember, it tastes great, but take your time, you are eating an entire meal!

Nutrition Info:

370 calories, 12.2g fat, 2.6g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 358.6mg sodium, 41.6g carbohydrates, 10.3g fiber, 24.4g sugar, 23.4g protein

Conveniently Healthy. Spinach Cubes.

Including a variety of nutrient-rich vegetables in an everyday diet can be challenging. Incorporating spinach into shakes and smoothies is an easy way to add an important green-leafy vegetable to your meals and snacks. 

To save time and make sure spinach, especially if purchased in large quantities, doesn't spoil, making spinach cubes is a convenient way to preserve and later utilize the uneaten spinach.

Spinach Cubes:

4 cups fresh baby spinach - tightly packed
3/4 cup filtered water

Combine both ingredients in blender and blend until spinach is very thoroughly blended. Pour mixture into BPA free ice cube trays, filling each evenly, and freeze. To determine how many spinach cubes equals 1 cup of spinach, divide the number of ice cubes made by the number of cups of spinach originally used. If needed, slowly add more water until your blender is able to make a pourable mixture.

For some Shake Recipes check out the Recipe Page!

A Favorite: Peanut Butter Banana AND Spinach Smoothie!

Healthy Life Tip: The Environmental Working Group reported that spinach is one of the 12 most heavily pesticide-contaminated produce products, so make sure to purchase USDA Organic spinach whenever possible to ensure your spinach is pesticide-free. You can also check out the whole list of the "Dirty Dozen."