Orangie Secret Green Smoothie (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

This morning's Orangie Secret smoothie is refreshing and sweet!  It has a secret ingredient (which you might have guessed by the silly name I gave it).  Put the following ingredients into your blender and whirr up a delicious start to your day!

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 C. Filtered Water
• 1 peeled, seedless Orange
• 1 Banana, chunked
• 1 handful fresh Chard (leaves and stems, if not tough-- thyroid-friendly green!)
• 1 T. Orange-Date Sauce <--- secret ingredient

Yes, it is true-- this Orangie Secret Smoothie contains a pancake syrup-- but do not fear, there are no isolated artificial sweeteners in here (such as "the usual culprits" that contain high glucose corn syrup) and when you are not spooning it onto your waffles or pancakes you can sip it back in your smoothie!  It's easy, peasy to make, too and you will love it-- click here for the recipe.

Fresh Fig-Peach-Banana-Chard Smoothie

Oops.. I forgot to take a pic of the fruit for this smoothie, but it is, when all whirled up, your basic lovely green smoothie.  It's an August smoothie in these parts-- when the Fig and Peach and Chard converge, invite in the tropical Banana, hit the local water hole, and cha cha cha.  Sweet and Peachy!

My neighbour came over with a bag of peaches (in exchange for watching her yard a bit while she is away), and I froze a bunch of those slices for smoothies.  Then, when we went into her yard we noticed that her fig tree was drooping with lots of figs, screaming "harvest me! harvest me!" So, we did of course.  These are figs far superior to whatever our fig type is.  Two owners back the couple were Mediterranean (he was Greek, she was Italian, or maybe the reverse) but they had figs and peaches all over the surface of their house, a huge grape arbour in the back, and a persimmon tree. The persimmon and the figs got routed out by the next owner who preferred asphalt RV pads to ripe fruit.  The present homeowner likes the peaches, but I'm not sure about the figs.  I'll make her some jam with them, anyhow.

So, if you have all of the above ingredients, here you go: (or feel free to do your own version)
*1 frozen Banana
*2 fresh Figs
*2 fresh Rainbow Chard leaves and stems
*1/2 C. frozen Peach slices
*1-2C. filtered Water
Spin it all up in the blender!

And if you are rather apprehensive about combining all the fruits above together, believing that such a fruit salad mix might be harder to digest than just one or maybe 2 fruits, read THIS article by someone who has been a fruitarian-hygienist type raw vegan foodie and has done lots of research into the matter!

"First Fruits" Blackberry-Apple-Chard Green Smoothie (Vegan, Dairy-Free, Thyroid-Friendly)

 I'm calling this "First Fruits" because it is the first picking of a sizable couple of smoothie servings of thornless blackberries from the overloaded bushes in my backyard.  There is a sizable fresh excitement to go along with this activity.  The flavour is delightful, although a little tart, so I added a little Xylitol to sweeten it up (and apparently to inhibit any nasties that are doing a number on my skin).  I also added a small Granny Smith Apple, cored, and 2 large leaves of Swiss Chard (one of the few big green leaves that is not goitrogenic, that is, not healthful for the thyroid gland). And of course I stuck in my usual Chia Seed Gel (homemade- learn how HERE along with some other yummy recipes using the gel).

So, here is the recipe.  You can vary the amounts to suit you:

2 C. Ripe Blackberries (or frozen)
2 Large Leaves of Swiss Chard
1 Granny Smith Apple, cored and chopped
1/4 C. Chia Seed Gel
1/2 tsp. XYLA Xylitol Sweetener (or ?)
2-3 C. Water (ice  cubes if desired)

Whirl until smooth and pour into a large glass or mason jar to enjoy while doing your morning computer tasks, or as breakfast, or maybe at the end of the day, or when you need a lift!