Green Smoothies

I was at an Above Rubies retreat this last March (www.aboverubies.org) when I was encouraged again to start a raw foods journey. Originally it sparked my interest for the weight loss benefits~ But the more I studied it the more in love I fell with the idea of eating living foods. I've been a whole foods type of gal for quite a while now, thinking that we were feeding ourselves quite healthily, not buying processed, packaged foods. Using whole grains, oats, etc... Grinding our own wheat berries and baking our own bread. Raising our own farm fresh eggs......
I haven't forsaken this way of life for the family, they're not exactly jumping on the raw wagon the way I am, but I'm still sneaking it in as much as I can (o: more on the raw foods subject to come......
We've been making green smoothies for a couple years now. I can't recommend this enough, especially when you have small children that won't sit and eat a hearty salad. I bought a Vitamix from Costco, it is a super blender on steroids that will blend everything up to an oblivion! Therefore you can chuck in big handfuls of raw spinach and drink it down!!
Here's what a smoothie at our house looks like~

Handful or two of fresh spinach
frozen banana or two (you don't have to use frozen)
some frozen berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, etc..
flax seed, I use the flax seeds but you could use the flax oil~ just spendier that way though.
some ice cubes, and either water or fresh juice if I have it.

That's the base to my smoothie, but you could add so many more combinations, fruits, nuts, seeds, yogurt if you're not vegan, sometimes I'll add a carrot, or a slice of cabbage and it doesn't affect the taste and the kids don't know, and don't ask.... lol.....
Most days I'll make these in place of a salad for the kids, they are much more agreeable to chug it down than to eat a salad. Although, I don't believe in hiding everything in their food. I want them to grow up knowing how good spinach, carrots, cabbage, etc.. is for them and how delicious it can truly be! So, I'll offer it to them in other forms.
I love the vitamix. It is my best friend in the kitchen, besides my new Excalibur 9 tray food dehydrator that is purring in my kitchen 24 hours a day now. (Drying at 105 degrees still keeps the enzymes in your food living!!) I'll write more on this topic when the kids aren't interrupting every 10 seconds, thus the midnight posts to come....... (o: