Juicing & Smoothies

LOVE this cup - holds
a LOT and easy to 

carry!

I watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" a year or so ago. I highly recommend watching if you haven't yet! It made so much sense to me and I immediately bought the Breville juicer. I juiced for breakfast for a few months but the frustrating part, for me, was the amount of time it took to clean the vegetables/fruits, juice, then clean the juicer again. I am a working mom and am perpetually running late...so, I just wasn't able to do it all in the morning. However, I felt the difference! More energy, better digestion - the health benefits were definitely there.

As I have been working to recover from my thyroid crash this past summer, juicing continues coming to mind. The vitamins, the energy, the healthy feeling...I knew I needed to get back to it. So, I actually tried to juice again and quickly became frustrated again. I decided to try something different - smoothies.

I must warn you, if you are used to drinking juice, smoothies are going to be different. I am usually quite tactile sensitive but I have had to get over it with my smoothies. I bought a Ninja and it works fine...but there are still chunks...it is a smoothie after all, right?! It helps if you add additional water but I still have chunks. It can take me all morning to chew through my smoothie. Oh well, I am full and getting vitamins!

So, here is what I am putting into my smoothies lately:

Coconut Milk (half a can)
Frozen Spinach (I use 1/2 of the frozen box)
Banana
Peanut Butter (1-2 tbsp to balance the banana!)
Carrots (I put in two)
Beet (half)
Cacao chips (~1/3 cup - it is still too much so I'm going to lower this)

For water, I usually fill the cup I drink my smoothie out of and put that amount in the blender - it seems to make it a good consistency. It also lets me leave some for the hubby!

I always like to know the benefits to what I'm drinking so I did a little research - I'll list the benefits I'm most interested in but include the links so you can read the additional information:

Coconut milk: helps maintain blood sugar, strengthens bones, relaxes muscles, has selenium which is important for thyroid health
Spinach: maintains low blood sugar, regulates inflammation, combats onset of osteoporosis, boosts immunity, fights wrinkles (YAY!!)
Banana: promotes calcium absorption, boosts the overall ability to absorb nutrients, restock electrolytes, B6, anti-inflammatory
Peanut Butter: protein, healthy fat, potassium, fiber
Carrots: anti-aging (YAY!!), dental health, prevent cancer and heart disease, improve vision
Beet: clean out liver, boosts mental health, boosts energy, high in multiple vitamins including magnesium
Cacao nibs: promotes release of neurotransmitters, rich source of antioxidants, magnesium

Next, I plan to replace my water I put into the smoothie with my homemade broth. I have been out of town though and didn't want to thaw out my broth knowing I wouldn't be able to use it all before leaving. I'll try that yet this week though!!

What about you? Do you juice? Smoothie? What are your favorite ingredients to add?