Easy Raw Green Smoothie Recipe

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Have you wanted to try some of those interesting- looking green food smoothies that you are starting to see all over the place?

Well, believe it or not, we just tried one for the first time TODAY, thanks to poking around on the Vita-mix website. I was looking to see what new fruit smoothies they were talking about, and there it was…. a glass of bright green Raw food smoothie… We just had to check it out.

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I have seen all kinds of stuff about Kale being soooo good for you. All the vitamins etc…  One of our friends even made “Kale chips” in the oven and said they were great. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I was ready to give Kale a try.

The Vita-Mix ready to blend

The Vita-Mix ready to blend

Kale & Pear Smoothie (Adapted from the Vita-mix website)

What you need:

  • 1 Cup green grapes (we used red grapes from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1/2 pear
  • 1 banana, frozen
  • 1 cup Kale (we used those pre-washed greens from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • 1 Cup ice cubes (they suggest two cups, but we were OK with only 1 cup)

Blend all these ingredients in the Vita-mix for 1-2 minutes. Simple and easy!

So you can see how thick and green this smoothie was…. sorta cool and yet a funny color for food, right?

Kale Pear Green Smoothie

Kale Pear Green Smoothie

But what you don’t see is how Delicious/ Yummy/ Fantastic  this drink really was. WOW we were sooo impressed!

All you really could taste was the fruit- and surprisingly to me, the pear (yep- that 1/2 pear ).  We were  amazed that that mixture of fruits and kale  was so sweet and good.

So if you are looking for a “cool” way to enjoy your veggies during the hot days of summer, we suggest that you try this recipe.

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Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment at the end of this post- What is your favorite smoothie recipe??

Click this link for more information on the fantastic Vita-Mix and other green smoothie recipes.

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How to Make Easy Coleslaw

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Trader Joe's Shreadding Cabbage for Coleslaw

Trader Joe’s Shreadding Cabbage for Coleslaw

We enjoy coleslaw almost year round in Tucson. Maybe it is the heat (yes… very likely) but it could be because we just love all the contrasts: crunchy veggies and creamy sweet-tangy dressing.  And we also like how flexible the salad is (you could eat it regular style, or experiment with stuff like apples or celery – whatever you liked).

Shopping at Trader Joe’s makes it easy to love coleslaw. They have the cabbage already sliced up in the bag, ready for what every dressing you wish.

Also when you make the dressing from scratch yourself, you will be amazed at how wonderful it tastes and you will not have another bottle in the fridge with some half-used up dressing for who- know- how- long!  (Then you have to guess if it is still fresh?? Eeks! This stuff is so simple to make you will just love it.

Here is a recipe for an easy, basic, Coleslaw Dressing (all measurements are guessed as I was just tossing them in the bowl…. Sorry….)

Goodies from Trader Joe's

Goodies from Trader Joe’s

What you need (for the dressing):

  • 1Tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup mayo
  • celery seed (optional, but AWESOME)
  • Salt and pepper

1 bag shredded cabbage.

How to:

1. Add the sugar and the vinegar into a bowl and whisk together until the sugar dissolves, 1 minute. Then add the mayo and some salt and pepper. Whisk again until smooth and creamy.

Whisking the sugar and vinegar for a minute

Whisking the sugar and vinegar for a minute

Add mayo and whisk until smooth

Add mayo and whisk until smooth

2. Toss ¾ of the dressing with the cabbage in a large bowl.  Then see if you need more dressing for your taste. (I usually add all of it). Taste some cabbage and see if you need more salt or pepper.

WOW that is it!!  We like to make our Coleslaw up a few hours before we serve it, just to allow the flavors to blend together.

Variations:

  • Add a teaspoon (or more) of Trader Joe’s Taco seasoning for a SW coleslaw
  • Add grated apples or sliced celery to the cabbage
  • Add grated carrots or sliced sweet onions to cabbage for color and sweetness

We hope you enjoyed seeing how easy it is to make coleslaw from scratch- how do you like to eat coleslaw? Do you add any wild ingredients or are you a classic coleslaw person??

Leave us a comment below and tell all!

Vita Mix: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

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We mentioned how the Vita Mix blender makes making smoothie drinks so easy, right? Well we are at it again, with a new, classic smoothie flavor: Strawberry Banana.

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We noticed these wonderful strawberries the last time we were at Trader Joe’s. They were plump and full of flavor. They were so good that our Trader Joe’s store was using them in the morning sample 🙂  Yeah! We tried some wonderful muffin pieces as well, but seriously the strawberries were simply fabulous.

Vita Mix Super 5000 in Action

Vita Mix Super 5000 in Action


Like we noted, many times you see great looking fruit in stores, but when you go to eat it, the fruit is watery or just lacking in flavor.  Well, not these strawberries, that is for sure.

So into the Vita Mix they went! We popped a banana, some of the strawberries and used almond milk as the “creamy” part. We even added a few ice cubes to this smoothie just to add some extra coolness to the drink.

Because the strawberries were soo sweet we did not need to add any honey to this drink, we just poured it out- and enjoyed!

Vita Mix Smoothie: Strawberry & Banana

Vita Mix Smoothie: Strawberry & Banana

Have you checked out the Vita-Mix yet?  This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals. Take a look today….

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Do you have a Vita Mix blender? What are your favorite items to make in yours? Please take a minute to leave us a comment – even if it is just to say hello, we love to hear from our readers.

Vita Mix: Blueberry Banana Almond Smoothie

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Making smoothie drinks at home is easy with a Vita Mix and items from Trader Joe’s.

Maybe it is the heat, or maybe it  is the end of another semester in graduate school and we are looking to try something new, but WOW  we  are making a lot of blender drinks (or smoothies) in our Vita Mix.

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This week, the blueberries were calling to us, as was the heat, so in an effort to enjoy those yummy blueberries and keep cool, we used the remains of the blueberries in a smoothie.  In addition to those SuperBlues blueberries, we had other great ingredients from Trader Joe’s to select from: Bananas, Raw Almonds, Honey and Vanilla Yogurt.  How to choose….

Blueberry Almond Banana Smoothie

Blueberry Almond Banana Smoothie


So you can see that selecting the items is the hard part, making a Smoothie is actually easy with the Vita Mix. You simply add the ingredients and then let the strength and power of the motor make short work of blending everything into a smooth and creamy drink.

This drink was super easy and just delicious!

What you need:

  • 2 Cups cold water
  • 1 ripe banana
  • ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup raw almonds
  • Honey to taste

How to:

Blend the water and the almonds together on High to make a smooth almond-milk. Then add the fruits and honey if using. Blend on High again until smooth. Taste and add more honey if you need to- depends on how sweet your banana is, right?

This will make about 3 cups of rich, fruity smoothie.

Variations:

  • Strawberries
  • Mango
  • Yogurt
  • Maple Syrup

There are so many variations possible- these are just a few of our favorites. Please feel free to share your favorite fruit smoothie combinations below.

We just love making drinks and soups in the Vita Mix.   When you add the fact that Trader Joe’s has a wonderful selection of produce, nuts and frozen items for sale, you can see there are a zillion items to make.  In fact,  we hope to share many more adventures in blending with you soon.

Have you checked out the Vita-Mix yet?  This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals. Take a look today

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If you liked this post, please take a minute and leave a comment. Even if it is just to say hello, we love to hear from all our readers.

This item is Wheat Free/ Raw