We've slowly realized that we not only have to exercise, but we also have to eat healthy if we're planning on seeing any results. This is the worst! I've always exercised so that I could eat anything that I wanted!!!! After a fair amount of time distressing, binge/guilt eating, yo-yoing, etc. we've found a fun, easy way to eat a little bit better on our baby-step path to healthier lives :)
What is that magical first step do you ask? Green smoothies!! We spent a long time scouring Pinterest for the best recipes and methods. But, as we all know, Pinterest can be overwhelming... We got bored, kept making excuses, and never got around to actually making the smoothies. That is, until we came across this genius idea that is perfect for lazy people (like us). Here's the million dollar idea: Green smoothie bags!! Here's what we did:
Our goal was to make a smoothie for each member of our family (6 people total) for one week or 56 smoothie bags. (I think. Math is not my thing.)
We purchased and prepped a bunch of fruit and veggies! We picked a few of our favorites, as well as some of those things that you know are healthy for you and that you should eat, even if you don't understand how anyone could have ever discovered that it should be eaten by humans (kale-we're talking to you). Our total cost was about $55. Sounds a little pricey, but if you think of how much a Jamba Juice costs, this isn't that bad. We figured this comes out to like 80 cents per smoothie.
Next, we created an assembly line. Looks slightly dysfunctional, but there was a method to our madness. Do whatever works for you. This is a judgement free zone.
Finally, we just started making up smoothies. We didn't follow a recipe. We just put fruits together that sounded like they went together (super technical, we know). We then added the gross, healthy stuff (cucumber, carrot, kale, spinach) into each of them, desperately hoping that the fruit would win in the flavor battle.
Here are the recipes that we came up with:
Menu:
Day 1
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Green grapes, pineapples, cucumber… surprises (random fruit left over at the end)
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Day 2
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Green grapes, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, apples, spinach
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Day 3
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Strawberries, banana, kiwi, spinach
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Day 4
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Cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, strawberries, spinach and kale
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Day 5
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Mango, apple, pineapple, cucumber, spinach and kale
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Day 6
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Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, carrots, spinach, kale
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Day 7
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Green grapes, pineapple, kiwi, cucumber, spinach, kale
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Here is what we ended up with:
We labeled each bag, threw them in the freezer and started making them each day. It was as easy as adding water!! :)
Results:
- A quart ziplock bag is big enough for two people. We had a lot of smoothie bags left over after a week because each bag made a lot of smoothie. We probably ended up making closer to 70 servings of smoothie. Some days I would share my smoothie with both of my parents, and I still had a giant cup to drink.
- All the smoothies weren't awful tasting, however Day 5 and Day 7 were legitimately delicious!! That combination of flavors totally masked any unpleasant flavor from the vegetables. They were also a pretty color, which is not something we can say for all of the other smoothies...
See look how pretty:
See look how pretty:
- Although we've been slacking on the gym, we all feel pretty great. One benefit of green smoothies is that they seem to curb hunger. I don't feel the need to eat as much as I used to. Another plus: I don't feel as bad when all I eat is cereal and peanut butter because I know that I'm getting my servings of fruits and vegetables.
So, in conclusion, I'm sure a dietitian would be horrified by our health habits, but this is something that we've found that works for us lazy, busy people. I hope it works for you too! So throw out the recipes and become a green smoothie prepper.
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