Tag Archives: vegetables

green smoothies- a tasty way to get more fruit and veggies into your day

03 Sunday Mar 2013

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green smoothie

I have been drinking green smoothies daily for about six months now and truly cannot imagine my life without them. I was first inspired by my friend Lynn, who was telling me about her improved health and how easy it was to incorporate green smoothies into her routine. Even while talking about it at my dining room table my body was saying “YES, PLEASE!” so I knew that the time was right to incorporate a healthy new habit into my life. I had been drinking various fruit smoothies occasionally as a treat but this felt a little more hard core for me, having to overcome the thought of leafy greens belonging in a salad bowl and not in my smoothie!

fruit
There has been some hype around green smoothies over the past few years. When I first heard about them in the past it was mainly from people in the media who had been diagnosed with a fatal illness and made sudden and radical changes in their diets, dramatically cutting back on animals fats and proteins and increasing the amounts of raw fruits and vegetables in their diets. Green smoothies are one of many delicious ways of getting these vital nutrients into one’s diet, even on the go. I make a large batch fresh each morning and drink one large smoothie slowly as I drive the hour in to work. In the evenings, when I arrive home tired and hungry, I reach for the second smaller glass (leftover from the morning) and almost immediately feel revived and energized.

peppermint

Today, many people drink green smoothies in order to maintain their health, boost their immune systems, get that boost of energy in the mornings, or simply because they taste great! There are so many different combinations of fruits and vegetables that work well together and there are countless videos and articles online with recipes and tutorials if you need some extra help getting started. Once you do get going, you’ll see how simple it is, how little time it actually takes to blend one, and how amazing you feel with this one to two extra servings of fresh raw fruit and vegetables everyday.

spinach

The only equipment you will need is that blender in your cupboard that you’re currently hardly using! (Note: you can buy fancier, more powerful blenders specifically for raw food blending, but start with what you have.)

Start by adding your fruit- if you’re putting any in. Some days it’s nice to have a pure vegetable juice but on most days I like to add a banana and a ripe apple or pear. Then I add fresh water to the blender and whatever green I am using that day. I blend all of this up and add more water if it’s too thick. There you have it- a basic green smoothie! Easy.

green smoothie

Of course, now you’ll have to play a little, and try different ingredients each day. This will give your body a fantastic variety of good foods and you’ll never, ever get bored of the same old combination. Note that depending on what ingredients you choose, your green smoothie might actually look purple or an unappetizing brown color (like when I add frozen Saskatoon berries or blackberries). Don’t let this put you off- the smoothies still taste great.
Tips:
FRUITS: For higher flavor, look for organic fruits that are in season, including melons, berries, pineapple, mangos, papaya, grapes, fresh coconut, apples, peaches, pears, avocados, kiwi, oranges, grapefruit, etc. You can also chop and freeze fruits, such as berries, while at the peak of ripeness and add them to your green smoothies all winter long. Try soaking dried fruits, such as dates, apricots, raisons, prunes, mango, etc.  overnight and adding them to the smoothie in the morning.
GREENS: I alternate between spinach, arugula, dandelion greens, chickweed greens, kale and Swiss chard. In the fall, I like to juice dandelion greens and freeze the juice in ice cube trays, then store the ice cubes in large ziplock bags. I also blend chickweed with water and freeze cubes of the blended green for smoothies. Fresh sprouts also add a nice flavor are are packed with nutrients. Try adding parsley, cilantro, basil or mint in small amounts for added flavor.
OTHER VEG
Try tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber and celery. You can also add carrot juice. Anything goes and the best rule of thumb is to start with those fruits and veggies that you really like.
OTHER OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
1-2 tablespoons hemp or soy protein powder
1/4 teaspoon spirulina (potent!)
1/2 teaspoon maca
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds or flax seed oil
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Nut milk along with/instead of water
coconut water along with/instead of water
any fresh fruit or vegetable juice (i.e. pomegranate juice)
a few drops of pure vanilla extract
In the six months that I’ve been drinking green smoothies daily, there has only been a few occasions where I’ve had to go without. I really missed my morning boost and after that, travelled (locally) with my blender and small cooler full of fruits and veggies! There are also smoothie and juice bars in many locations where you can stop by and have someone make you the smoothie of your choice. This is a nice and healthy alternative to the tempting coffee and pastry habit! Enjoy!

E tends to her garden

07 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in garden

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E came over last weekend to take a peek at her new garden and to see if anything needed to be tended to. She was delighted to see that all five pots were full of little sprouts from the seeds she had planted just two weeks earlier.

First, she noticed that her labels were fading in the sun and decided to improve them using masking tape and a new permanent marker (see picture below).

As peas love to climb, E decided to build a little trellis for them. I had some extra bamboo stakes in the greenhouse and some garden twine. I gave them to E and let her decide how she would design the trellis. I simply held the stakes wherever she wanted them and she did the weaving to hold it all together.

The end product looks like a work of art and we can’t wait to see the peas climb up the stakes…!

Next, we found a few neglected barrel pots and moved them into the Medicine Wheel garden. We filled them with good soil and E planted red potatoes in one and Yukon gold potatoes in the other. It doesn’t look like much now, but soon these pots will be bursting with baby potatoes for her family dinners… sent home with some garlic and chives of course!!!

The best thing about helping E grow her first garden is that I get to experience those ‘firsts’ all over again. Together, we can work together, learn together and watch her garden grown into something edible and delicious!

zesty caesar salad

11 Saturday Feb 2012

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Zesty Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

2 hard boiled eggs, mashed with a fork

bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

1/2 cup bread, cubed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mince the garlic and place in a small jar along with the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Shake well.

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and saute the bread cubes on all sides until brown. Place on a paper towel to drain.

In a large salad bowl, place the lettuce, mashed egg, bacon (if desired), croutons and the oil mixture. Toss well and serve immediately. Enjoy!

citrus barley salad

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Barley is an ancient grain and a good source of fiber. It also supplies trace minerals such as zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and iron, plus some B vitamins. Barley commonly appears in soups but its chewy texture makes it a wonderful addition to pilafs and salads.

Citrus Barley Salad

3 cups cooked barley

1 red pepper, diced

1 English cucumber, diced

1 medium red onion, diced,

2 stalks celery, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup broccoli florets

1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Juice of 1 orange

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oi

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine the barley with all of the vegetables and chopped herbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss until vegetables are well-coated with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

October Harvest

27 Thursday Oct 2011

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Here we are at the end of October and I am still harvesting herbs and vegetables from the garden and greenhouse. The picture above features the heirloom tomatoes and peppers that I grew in the greenhouse all summer. I thought I would have been done weeks ago but there was just so much to do and with the reasonably mild temperatures (until this week) I was able to take my time in getting everything in.

I now have all of the onions (Spanish, yellow and red), leeks, potatoes, squash, peppers and tomatoes in.

I also harvested parsley, dill seed and coriander seed (they are just drying out a bit more so I will do a separate post on them). Tomorrow I will harvest the basil in the greenhouse and make a batch of pesto. I still have garlic, carrots, more beets, some hardy swiss chard and a few more cold-tolerant herbs left to harvest and then I will be done for the season. Wow! What an amazing first year!

And what do you think I did at the end of a long, cold and windy day of harvesting…?

Make a nice pot of vegetable soup, of course!

the Medicine Wheel garden

08 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in garden, medicine wheel

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I would like to show you the vegetable garden. When we bought the cabin last fall it was just a little postage stamp of a plot with some potatoes left behind. We dug these up in October and they lasted us until March.

By November, the land was covered in snow and I spent the winter planning my garden, making endless lists and researching ‘deer- and rabbit-resistant gardening’. In May, my wonderful neighbor, K, came over with her tractor and tilled the soil for me, enlarging the garden into it’s current size. The soil is good in this spot and I was told that years ago this used to be a large garden.

Once tilled, I mapped out a Medicine Wheel design using mulch for the pathways. I added some plants and sowed some seeds. Then I spent an afternoon pounding in large stakes for the fence. My budget was very limited so I used what I could find on the land. I also found some rusty barbed wire fencing in large rolls around the property. I carefully unwound these and wrapped these around the poles, using wire to fasten it to the stakes. I did two rows of fencing, one on top of the other and wired these together. This was tricky as I did this on my own, holding the fence in place with my head while wiring the fencing together with needle nose pliers and being careful not to get scratched with the rusty wire…

I choose a Medicine Wheel design as I wanted to be intentional in my creation of a garden. This place would be set aside as a quiet place for contemplation, a source of nourishment and healing. For some reason, stepping into a circular garden invokes a feeling of reverence and quiet power.

Both the design and use of sacred space are processes that draw on both the conscious and unconscious levels of mind and spirit. We learn as we create and we change as we garden. Let the process inform you spirit. ~Peg Streep

The circle has four quadrants (which were further subdivided into pie-shaped plots) set to the cardinal directions (north, east, south and west). Each direction has a corresponding element (earth, air, fire and water). The center of the circle is a place of concentrated ‘power’ and peace. At the door of the garden is a pile of stones found previously buried in the soil. Visitors are invited to take a stone, envision a prayer or request, wish or blessing, and imagine that they are putting it into the stone. Then they can place the stone in the center bowl. As I spend time each day working in the garden, I meditate, contemplate and pray. I sing songs, I laugh, I dance, I express gratitude for the earth’s abundance. I imagine this good energy being absorbed into the growing plants.

The creation of sacred space- how we set apart and arrange a certain spot and imbue it with reverent feelings… draws us closer to nature and affirms our personal ties with the earth. Medicine Wheel gardens are places for celebrating and teaching. Some go to the Medicine Wheel garden for vision quests, prayer and personal renewal. Others see it as a place to gather together for drumming, fire ceremonies and singing. -E.Barrie Kavasch

The above shot was just taken today. I love spending time in the garden and taking care of it never feels like a chore. I feel the earth supporting my body as I kneel to work, I listen to the wind and the birds, I feel the sun and sometimes rain on my skin and all of this brings me deep contentment. Today, it was a very hot and sunny day. Here are a few more shots of things growing in the garden…

I am noticing lots of green and yellow in the pictures but very little red. I do have red beets and radishes and red lettuce and potatoes; and soon will also have red peppers, chili peppers and loads of tomatoes, if only we would get more warmer weather. In fact, everything is behind this year due to the cool, wet summer. Perhaps we will have a hot late summer/autumn in time for harvest?

This season marks phase one in the Medicine Wheel garden design. Next year, I will add raised beds and incorporate the four elements into each quadrant (a bowl of stones for earth, prayer flags and wind chimes for air, a small fire bowl for fire, and a bird bath for water). In the meantime, we have a few months of harvest ahead of us. I will show you more pictures of the garden as the summer progresses.