SMOOTHIES!!!!

I haven't updated in a while because I've had too many things I want to talk about, but not enough time to figure out what to tackle first! LOL However, today, I could no longer stay silent while I was sipping on this:

I know, it doesn't look like it is so special, but this thing made my day! I haven't even had any coffee today and I'm still happy and awake!

So, let me tell you about my "green" smoothie (or "thickie"). Here is what it looked like before I blended it up:

Ingredients listed from the bottom up (I really didn't measure anything, I just eye-balled it:

4-6 oz. water

2 pitted dates (no sugar added)

1/2 banana

2 small-med. cored apples (I used 1 red delicious & 1 golden delicious)

1 kiwi

1/2-3/4 cup frozen berries (mine had blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, & raspberries

1-1.5 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup spring salad greens

1/2-3/4 cup crushed ice

1/4 cup coconut (I accidentally got the bag from the baking aisle that was sweetened and since I'm trying to avoid extra sugar, I just rinsed it before adding it)

To make it a thickie: 1/2-3/4 cup oatmeal

What set it all off: a pinch of grated fresh ginger root 

O.M.G.!!!

Okay, I realize that I am super-extra excited about drinking a bunch of blended fruit, spinach and oatmeal, but when you're dreading a self-prescribed days-long fast of consuming only these things, it's refreshing to find something that makes you say "Mmmmmm!" :-) Today's smoothie did that for me. 

Yesterday was my first day and I also did 2 batches of smoothies. The first one was excellent, but I put half an orange in it and did not realize until I was drinking the rest of the pitcher for lunch, that if you make a smoothie with citrus fruit, DO NOT LET IT SIT FOR 30 MINUTES OR MORE!! I had poured what was left from the pitcher into a glass and refrigerated it, thinking I would come back later to enjoy the great tastes I had created before, but it was SO BITTER! You know how when you were a kid and you knew you shouldn't eat the orange peel because everyone had told you not to? Did you try to taste it just one time anyway? I mean, it's such a beautiful color and it tears easily, so you know you can bite it. Well, if you're one of those kids who tried it, you know what my leftover-from-breakfast lunch smoothie tasted like.  :-/ Oh well, lesson learned. I still tried to doctor it up and I did finish it b/c I didn't want to waste all of that stuff. I will definitely put oranges and/or lemons/lemon juice in my smoothies in the future, but I will only do it if I'm making a small batch, or if I have enough people to share it with. :-) 

Well, that's my two cents added to the green smoothie movement. I will definitely add more info, because I think this is something everyone should try. I'm looking forward to having more energy, fitting back into my jeans :-), and developing a greater appreciation for fresh fruits and veggies.

Cheers!