All spring and summer long, I dutifully made and consumed a daily green smoothie – loaded with fruit and either spinach or kale. I felt strong, healthy and virtuous. Then the cold weather came along and with it, distractions, long To Do lists and prior commitments that turned my days into relay races in which I was always behind. Enter Becky Striepe and her new e-book, 40 Days of Green Smoothies and an email request to write a review. At about the same time, I picked up Super Immunity and Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD who advocates consuming bucket loads of raw greens each day. Becky’s smoothie recipes plus Dr. Fuhrman’s advice…I think the universe was trying to tell me something.
Becky came up with the idea of 40 straight days of green-smoothie-sipping during Lent. If she was going to give up something, she decided to add something – something good for her body. Luckily for us, she also decided to share her recipes.
Week One
Committing to a daily smoothie can feel daunting, which is why it’s very handy to have a guide that takes you through a full 40 days of beverages. You don’t have to think too much, you just have to get the ingredients listed at the beginning of each week. Becky helps you get your kitchen in order so that you are stocked with the smoothie basics like chia seeds, flaxseed meal, bags of frozen fruit, nut milk, cocoa powder and some fresh greens, avocados and bananas. Gotta have bananas. She kicks things off with a basic and simple green smoothie and builds from there.
Week Two
Week two’s shopping list (including parsley!) is much shorter because you will probably have leftover fruit and greens from Week One. Although Becky lists almond milk as the smoothie liquid, you could choose any other non-dairy milk. There are so many different varieties out there, it’s fun to experiment and see what works best for your taste buds.
Week Three
If you like the combination of chocolate and a little bit of heat, the first smoothie of Week Three includes cocoa powder, cinnamon and cayenne. Yee-haw! This week also includes one of my favorite ingredients: ginger. I put a little bit of ginger in nearly every smoothie I make.
Week Four
Whoa! Collard greens make an appearance – love how Becky includes a huge variety of greens in her smoothies – not just the usual suspects, kale, spinach and romaine.
Week Five
Out with the collards and in with the beet greens – something I’ve never tried in a smoothie before. You’ll also find pineapple, peaches and blackberries.
Week Six
It’s a short one and so is the shopping list. The 40th smoothie is full of amazing flavors: chocolate, ginger, pineapple, peaches, blackberries and holding it all together – the green of avocado and spinach. A powerhouse beverage to wrap things up.
By the time you’ve made it through all forty days, you’ll be a smoothie expert and will be creating delicious, healthy greenies all by your lonesome. And you’ll have Becky’s e-book for suggestions and guidance down the road.
My Impressions
Green smoothies are Dr. Fuhrman’s recommendations encapsulated in beverage form – or blended salads, as he calls them. Fruit, especially berries, have powerful anti-aging and anti-cancer attributes, not to mention they satisfy one’s cravings for sweets. Nut milks, avocados, chia and flax seeds provide necessary fats and help our bodies absorb the good stuff from the plants we’ve processed in our high-speed blenders. Greens are loaded with phytonutrients that repair damaged cells, lower cholesterol, help us fight off disease and infection and give us energy – all while providing the protein our muscles need and fiber that fills and satiates our bellies.
Becky’s e-book fits in perfectly with the nutritional goals I have for 2013. But beyond the recipes – I really love how this book is laid out (I have mine on my iPad). The fonts are large, clean and easy to read. Weeks are clearly broken down and are even color-coded. The cover (image below) is bold and colorful and the “inside” of the book is bright and cheerful. It’s just plain well-designed. Becky keeps the instructions short and sweet – perfect for those of us with limited attention spans. Here and there she sprinkles in tips about add-ins or how to get things moving if your blender bogs down. I also appreciate how simple these smoothies are. I sometimes go a little crazy when improvising my smoothies and I end up with everything in there but the kitchen sink (plus a gigantic, over-sized drink) – making it difficult to pin down specific flavors. Sometimes you want that big hit of raspberry or mango flavor. If you are already smoothie convert or are looking to dip your toe into the thick, green waters – this would be an excellent resource for you.
You can purchase your electronic copy of 40 Days of Green Smoothies here or here - but before you do, be sure to enter the giveaway at Virtual Vegan Potluck for a chance to win a freebie copy! I’m also sharing one of Becky’s smoothie recipes – -
The Scoop:
Title: 40 Days of Green Smoothies
Author: Becky Striepe
Publisher: Self-published, Cattingon, Inc.
Website: Glue and Glitter
Available on iTunes: iBooks ($4.99)
Available elsewhere: Sellfy.com ($4.99)
P.S. I want to send a big ol’ thank you to Jenn Jennings for publishing an article about An Unrefined Vegan on Natural Health Examiner and for sharing my recipe for Pop’s Chocolate Chip Cookies with Grapefruit and Anise. Please follow Jenn on Facebook and/or sign up on the Examiner site to receive alerts each time she publishes an article.
That sinking feeling when – desperate for food – you walk into a deli, knowing that all you’ll be able to get is a sandwich with the veggie fixings… What does a vegan sandwich look like at your standard deli? Shredded iceberg lettuce, sun-starved tomatoes, a few desultory slices of onion, and maybe a pickle chip or two. On white bread of course, or its simpering cousin – the one that masquerades as “healthy” whole wheat. Probably sweetened with honey. Be still my beating heart.
