Watermelon Green Smoothie Recipe

I must be dreaming of summer during these dark winter days because all I can think about is getting my hands on some ripe watermelon! It has been really cold here...like below zero cold for days in a row. You would think I would be longing for piping hot anything, and sometimes I am, but mostly I long for hot summer days and cool, sticky, sweet, juicy watermelon...how's that for daydreaming?

Anyway, in honor of that summer memory, I thought I would share my favorite watermelon green smoothie recipe. Although the color is a bit drab, it's kind of a brownish, greenish, pinkish color, the flavor is out of this world!

Watermelon Green Smoothie

2-3 cups fresh watermelon (you can include the rind too)
1 large orange
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks celery
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 scoops Sun Warrior Protein Powder (natural or vanilla flavor)

Throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Add ice to make a slushie.

Optionally, you could run everything through a juicer for a refreshing pick-me-up.

Now why would I tell you to use the rind? It's because watermelon rind is an excellent natural diuretic as is cucumber and celery!

Enjoy!

Hot Pink Smoothie Recipe

I had a surplus of beets in my garden this year and I had to figure out what to do with them once we had eaten our fill of fresh beet salads.

I decided that a beet smoothie would be just the thing! Now, I'm really big on putting greens in my smoothies because they are so good for you, but this one was such a beautiful color, I just didn't have the heart to turn it muddy brown by adding greens.

The really cool thing about this smoothie is that it's such an enticing color that many people turned off by the thought of raw foods are actually willing to give this smoothie a try! I have had several raw veggie haters try this smoothie and like it.

Here's my recipe, but feel free to experiment with what you have on hand.

Serves 2 adults or 4 children

1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior Protein powder
2 cups coconut water or filtered plain water
10-15 large fresh strawberries (frozen works great too)
1 large frozen banana
1 small lime peeled
1 -2 small beet, peeled
1/3 cup coconut meat (optional)
Agave nectar to taste

Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Beets are wonderful for smoothies but they can be very strong tasting in large amounts, so if you have people in your home sensitive to strong tasting foods, use less fresh beet. This will allow them to adjust to the taste of beets without pushing them into a taste overload that may turn them off beets for a long time.

The " I Hate Vegetables" Green Smoothie Recipe

Do you have a child or grandchild that hates vegetables? Maybe you or your spouse can't stand them. You know that vegetables, especially leafy dark green kind that kids hate most, are necessary for good health. But trying to get kids to eat their vegetables is usually more difficult than trying to nail jello to a tree.

Rather than turning the dinner table into a battlefield, why not get creative with your veggies? Here's a great way to get lots of nutrition hidden in something most everyone loves...CHOCOLATE!

Green smoothies are a great way to get your kids to eat their greens. Sweet fruit disguises the taste of the greens and most kids think getting to drink something that is green is really fun.

For those children who won't even try a green smoothie because it is green, try putting the smoothie in a cup you can't see through with a lid that is also opaque. This way they can't see what they're drinking. They'll just know that the "chocolate shake" you made for them tastes great!

The " I Hate Vegetables" Green Smoothie Recipe

2 cups chocolate almond milk, chilled
1 to 1 1/2 ripe bananas, frozen
1 scoop Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein Sun Warrior Chocolate Protein
1-2 TBSP. unsweetened raw cacao powder
(raw cacao is best nutritionally speaking but you may also use carob powder or regular unsweetened cocoa powder)
1-2 TBSP. raw honey, or to taste
1-2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup ice

Serves 2 adults or 4 children

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth and frosty. Enjoy the smile on your vegetable hater's faces when you serve them this chocolaty treat!

P.S. Don't tell them it's good for them. ;)