If you’re new to raw foods, don’t be intimidated by these directions, this is just for example   I recommend organic produce because we have a wide variety of toxins that we’re exposed to every day.  Eating pesticides should not be in our dinner plans as far as I’m concerned.  Search ‘dirty dozen’ here

Green Smoothie Steps:

1. Rinse well, 2 stems of Kale and 3 sprigs of parsley.  You don’t want anything crawling up out of your blender!
2. Add Kale, parsley, 1/2 inch or more slice of fresh ginger root, T raw honey, t coconut oil (Nutiva rawks! Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil, 29-Ounce Jars (Pack of 2) ), a pinch of sea salt for mineralizing, t spirulina powder, t cacao to your high powered blender of choice (I love my Vitamix).  Blend thoroughly: this will resemble swamp water
3. Save half in a covered glass for later today (I’ve even had it the next morning).  I just use cling wrap– works fine.
4. Cut off outside of a fresh pineapple and quarter.  Add half of one of the quarters to the remaining half of green mix still in your blender.  (Store the remaining pineapple in a glass container in fridge.) Also add one frozen banana (if you haven’t discovered frozen bananas yet, you’re in for a treat!  Just peel ripe bananas and freeze in a gallon zipper bag.  Makes smoothies creamy and frosty.  Frozen bananas also make amazing soft serve when pushed through an auger style juicer with a blank plate attachment!) Blend on high til smooth.
5. Stop the blender– add ashwaganda extract,  1/4 cup dried coconut flakes (unsweetened!), and t flax and blend on low just until mixed in.  This gives you something to chew– because you have to chew your smoothie!  (Your saliva is the beginning of your digestive process, and you want to get all of the nutrients you can out of this amazing concoction!) 
6. Get ready to fly!  Yum…

Related articles:

http://freshblessings.net/recipe-directory/

http://freshblessings.net/raw-info-series/

After doing quite a bit of research yesterday for the Raw Foods and Hormones post, I have officially changed my thinking…  The research is overwhelmingly in favor of organics– and the harm that pesticides do to our systems is shocking.

• Obesity, Parkinson’s, cancer, even death are common results of long term ingestion of produce grown with pesticides.

• Children have been proven to be even more susceptible to the toxins than adults… and for longer…

• Some of the pesticides used on our food will never be able to leave your body.
  

I was under the false assumption that if you washed you fruits and veggies really well you would be fine…  Not so.   The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently carry much high levels of pesticide residues.

The good news is that we can avoid 90 percent of the pesticide exposure by only eating the 12 most contaminated foods if they’re organic!  You are reading that right!  Those top 12 contaminated foods expose you to over 20 different pesticides!   While the 12 least contaminated foods only exposes you to about 2.

So– while organics cost 50 percent more on average – consider this… What is your liver worth to you??  The only feasible alternative to buying the dirty dozen organic would be to grow them yourself… now there’s an idea!

12 Most Contaminated – Buy These Organic
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

12 Least Contaminated
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Peas (sweet)

Check out their site to download and print the handy wallet guide.

Random side note about chemicals:  Grrr… bad news about flip-flops, too!

Next week’s series will be about the Five Love Languages.  Tune in Monday!