cheap eats [a week of green smoothies]

I know I've written quite a bit about green smoothies on this blog, but I wanted to share some of the recipe combinations I explored last month.

I've often wanted to try juicing or vegan eating for a week, but it's very difficult if your job requires eating out daily or if you're trying to maintain a social life. Getting my wisdom teeth out was the perfect opportunity: I could only have liquid(ish) foods anyway, I certainly wasn't traveling for work, and I didn't plan on hanging out with friends and being tempted by sweets or booze.

To be clear, I did this to detox between gluttonous holidays, both for my internal health and my external appearance. In the most self-serving of ways, this is about looking and feeling good! I think vegan and gluten-free and paleo and raw and whatever else is awesome, but I don't identify with any specific diet personally.

These recipes are pulled from dozens of sources, then edited by what I had on hand and my own preference. I didn't use amounts below, but typically I use 2 big handfuls of spinach, one big handful of kale, 1/2 of most fruits (apples, oranges, beets, lemons), 1/3 of bananas (they are very sugary!), 1/2 a cucumber, a cup or two of watermelon or pineapple (gotta get the flavor), big bunches of herbs (mint, parsley, cilantro) and 1 in pieces of ginger or turmeric. I use just enough liquid to blend the whole thing up, which varies based on ingredients and their temperature. The great things about smoothies: keep editing until you like the taste. If you end up with too much, pour it into ice cube trays for the quickest blended breakfast the next day.

We'll chat tomorrow about my favorite add-ins and take-aways from the experience. If some of you  have resolutions for 2014 that involve health, or getting your veggies, or losing weight, or feeling superior to your bagel-bingeing boyfriend, I am a BIG fan of a juice/smoothie week.

Beet and Berries

spinach, large beet, green apple, berries, almond milk, almond butter

Coco Lilly

spinach, kale, parsley, cilantro, celery stalks, cucumber, coconut water

Spicy Pineapple

Kale, pineapple, cucumbers, lemon, ginger, mint

Mean Green Juice

kale, green apple, cucumber, celery stalks, lemon, ginger, water

Mean Green Juice 2

spinach, pear, apple, celery, cucumber, pineapple, parsley, ginger, coconut water

Tropi-Kale

Kale, pear, orange, banana, coconut water

Red Fountain

spinach apple, beet, carrot, celery, ginger, water

Cold Shower

cucumber, watermelon, celery lime, mint, parsley, salt, water

Ginger Green Juice

½ c filtered water, 1 large cucumber, 1 ½ celery stalk, 2 large apples, 2 c kale, 1 in ginger

Spinach Ginger Juice

1 C water, 2 mint leaves, 2 c fresh spinach, 1 c pineapple chunks