Today's smoothie and yesterday's outing

Carrot juice
organic spinach
frozen bananas
frozen pineapple
fresh strawberries

Yesterday we went out for lunch at Bistro 163 which is a very nice "pay it forward" restaurant in Port Clinton, with Dan and Joan Barris who own the Idlewyld Bed and Breadfast in Lakeside.  Then we went to the adorable artistic/resale/ shop called Lilly and Gerts.  Joan and I had heard her give a talk at the Lakeside Women's Club recently. It's a terrific store, and we all bought something, even the guys.

Today’s smoothie is a beautiful color

Carrot juice

fresh beets from farmers’ market

strawberries (also farmers’ market, locally grown)

banana

mango slices (frozen)

This is a very bright color since I didn’t add any greens, but probably not the powerhouse it would be with spinach or watercress.

When I went to the small, local grocery, Ray just gave me a bunch of brown bananas, so I cut them into slices and froze them for another day.  And he also had that home made carrot cake, delicious and moist, so that added another vegetable for dinner!

Not today’s smoothie

 

Can you make a smoothie with a giant cuke?

Today’s smoothie is carrot juice, watercress, banana, strawberries and peach slices.

Today’s smoothie is really yummy

Eggnog made with honey

organic baby spinach

Banana

blueberries

Today’s smoothie

Eggnog made with honey

watercress

one orange

one frozen banana

frozen peaches

Today’s smoothie

It was sort of clean out the tired and lonely fruit from the frig day. Heading back to Lakeside after a week at home so I needed to make some room in the cooler.

Carrot juice

Baby spinach

strawberries

1 orange

1 peach

This had a lot of fiber.

Today’s smoothie

About 10 white grapes (seedless)

6 large strawberries

1 medium banana

8 oz. carrot juice

few handfuls baby spinach, washed, not stemmed

White grapes are used as a natural sweetener, so this one was a little sweeter than usual.  And things were a little messier since I didn’t have the appliance screwed together tightly and some carrot juice leaked out.  Always check!

Today’s smoothie

Banana

blueberries

Strawberries

carrot juice

watercress

water

Here’s the problem.  Blue and orange are used in watercolor to make a vibrant gray, but in food it’s just a yucky brown.  But the taste was fine.

After the boat show we packed up and drove back to Columbus, so our daughter and son-in-law could enjoy their vacation at the lake.

Today’s smoothie

First I prepared an eggnog with honey and vanilla, gently cooked it. Then I used carrot juice, watercress, romaine lettuce and a banana.  Very mild, pale yellow green.  For breakfast.

“Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), vitamin K, folate and molybdenum. In addition, romaine lettuce is a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, biotin, vitamin B1, copper, iron and vitamin C. It is also a good source of vitamin B2, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, phosphorus, chromium, magnesium, calcium and pantothenic acid. “

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=61

Today’s smoothie

Watercress
Egg
Milk
vanilla and honey
banana
pineapple

“Watercress contains more vitamin C than an orange, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, and more folate than bananas. The phytonutrients are where the health benefits of watercress are contained. Watercress contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus, which are required for a healthy body.” https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/watercress.html

I made the eggnog first, then heated it to be sure there were no bacteria, since uncooked eggs can be tricky. This turned out to be a pale green.

Today’s smoothie

Carrot juice and organic spinach for vegetables, and frozen pineapple, fresh peach (with skin) and banana.  Yummie.

Today’s NutriBullet

I now have two Magic Bullet machines for making smoothies and/or mixed vegetable and fruit drinks.  One I bought at a WalMart for about $50, and the other, which is  much more elaborate with 4 cups and lids, strainer caps and 3 mixing units for $10 at a yard sale up the street in Lakeside.  I should be all set for replacing patio Donuts with delicious health drinks.

Today’s (breakfast and lunch) is carrot juice, baby spinach, banana, frozen pineapple, and melon.  It’s sort of a pale moss green—if I’d added strawberries or blue berries, it would be dog poop brown. We’ve tried the drinks using kale, but the spinach works better with our digestive systems. These drinks are not juices—contain all the fiber (except for the carrots). I don’t usually think of bananas as having a strong flavor, but when mixed with other fruits, you can always taste it.

Spinach slightly edges out kale, according to a source I quoted in 2015. But both are good. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2012/11/08/mango-or-papaya-spinach-or-kale-food-face-offs  I also blogged about this in June. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/06/stems-leaves-and-stalks-in-vegetable.html

One cup of spinach meets 36 percent of the recommended daily iron value, whereas kale supplies 6 percent. As for other nutrition facts: one cup spinach has 41 calories, 4.3 grams of fiber, 5.3 grams of protein, 244.8 grams of calcium, and 838.8 milligrams of potassium. The same quantity of kale has 36 calories, 2.6 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of protein, 93.6 grams of calcium, and 296.4 milligrams of potassium. Besides being an excellent source of potassium and calcium, spinach is a nutritional powerhouse delivering vitamins K, A, C, E, and B2. Kale is also a nutrition winner, packing vitamins K, A, C.