I like to think that my eating habits lean slightly towards healthy, but not exactly the healthiest. On a scale of one to ten, ten being a wheat-grass/tofu diet with a side of quinoa and flax for dessert, I consider my choices a little more towards the middle ground. Just like anyone, I have a few vices that I have in moderation; bacon, chocolate, and of course a good wheat ale on the weekends! I have taken up a new health kick in the past month or so that has been going “smoothly”. I have bought a new high-powered blender and have been making a lot of organic juice smoothies.
The smoothies I have been dabbling in are easy to make and very healthy. Much better for you than going to a smoothie bar, where they can often hop them up with sugar and other things, my smoothies are nothing but organic fruit and fruit juice. I am not going to lie to you and say they are sugar-free and the cure-all for what ails you (fruit contains natural sugar), but they sure are tasty and much more healthy for you than reaching in the fridge for a soda or grabbing a cup of coffee.
My favorite one thus far, that I have been making quite a bit, is my antioxidant rich energy boosting ice blend. I start with a single serve blender cup (but the recipe will work for any size blender container) and fill it a little under 1/3 full of ice. You can add less ice if you like it less thick. Add another 1/3 volume of fresh or frozen organic blueberries and another 1/3 volume of fresh or frozen organic raspberries. Now it’s time to add the juice to thin it out. In this one I like to fill the cup 1/2 full of organic orange juice (not from concentrate) and the other 1/2 full of organic apple juice (not from concentrate). Finish by blending on high until smooth and you have one deliciously healthy drink.
Blending has become a new passion for me and I love that I have a vast array of things to experiment adding into the mix. I am still not brave enough to add greens or yogurt alike some people do for more nutrition, but I think that day is coming soon! I try to choose fruits that have low/moderate sugar levels and medium/high levels of fiber. Making them organic is truly a personal preference, but is something we practice in our house with a lot of the higher risk fruits that have been known to have higher levels of trace pesticides when brought to the market for sale. You can still make a great non-organic drink in the same fashion to yield great health benefits. If you happen to stumble upon any other delicious concoctions of your own, please feel free to share them here on Team Run Smart, so that we may all begin to benefit from the health benefits of your practice in being a “smooth” operator!