A Zinger of a Beginning

What do these goals have in common?

• You'd like to shed a few pounds
• You want a clearer head at work
• You need to bring down your cholesterol
• You'd love to have energy in the morning
• You wish you felt clean and bright inside

The answer? You need to start your day with a green smoothie! If this is the only dietary change you make for now, your body and mind will thank you. Replace that heavy breakfast of eggs, fried meat, buttered toast or sugary cereal drowning in cow's milk with a breakfast bursting with energizing, clean nutrition, high in fiber and whole food deliciousness. 

What? You don't usually have breakfast? You are hindering yourself from the get-go by starting the day with low blood sugar and an empty gut just waiting for that first cup of joe to start churning out the stomach acid. So, give this a try and see how you feel. 

Caution: if you have a digestive disorder, before trying a green smoothie, please check with your MD to be on the safe side.

Your Good Garden Life Guide enjoys this amazing morning bell-ringer as often as I can, using any fruits and greens I have on hand. I still enjoy coffee to start my morning, and I don't teach against it, but some people report feeling even better if they cut out all caffeine.

Basic Green Smoothie

• 1 cup cold water (use 1/2 if you want it thick)
• 2 or 3 servings of fresh fruit (e.g. 1/2 banana, cup of seedless grapes, cup of strawberries, half a peeled grapefruit, a peach, a cup of mango)
• 2 handfuls of spinach, or cup of chopped parsley or kale (stems removed)
• 1 cup of ice cubes (less if you use frozen fruit)
• 1 TBS of chia,  hemp or flax seeds

Put these ingredients into your blender in the order given. This is important for best blending. I use a high-powered blender and set it on high for as long as it takes to clean up the counter and put stuff away, a couple of minutes at most. If you have an ordinary blender, you may want to soak your seeds overnight or plan on blending longer. Or use flax seed meal.

Pour into a big glass and enjoy. Notice my quart-sized mason jar fitted with a special drinking lid called a "Cuppow." 

You can find this awesome jar adapter at The Grommet to fit regular and large-mouth jars. I love filling my antique store jar with almost a quart of wholesome morning goodness. It tastes just as good filling your favorite glass, a couple of times or more. By the way, The Grommet has many more amazing new inventions, most made in the USA.

So, are you ready? Let's Go Green today!