Conscious of trying to consume as many vitamins as I can, while still enjoying food on the run, I asked myself this morning, why I couldn’t just pop all my salad ingredients into my Vitamix and have a salad in a glass. Green smoothies without fruit definitely have a different kind of taste than smoothies that include chocolate or banana or the addition of vanilla protein powder. They taste savory (salty or spicy) instead of sweet. So that can be an acquired taste.
I enjoy a salad with a lot of ingredients. So, I figured I should give it a try. I blend it all together on a fork; why not blend it all together in a drink? How bad can it be?
So, I tossed into the blender:
A handful of spinach
A handful of kale
A few leaves of romaine
About 6 olives
A handful of cherry tomatoes
A handful of baby carrots
Half of an avocado
Juice of half a lemon
1T of extra virgin olive oil
1T of apple cider vinegar
1 c of cold water
And a couple shakes of salt.
I blended all the ingredients for about 20 seconds in my Vitamix. No chopping or cutting, and in less than a minute you have a wonderfully healthy savory drink! If you are looking for sugar, you won’t like it, but with a mindset of health and adventure and ease, you’ll love it. I had mine for breakfast this morning, but you could just as well replace any meal or afternoon pick me up snack.
Other ingredients you could add or substitute:
Celery
Cucumber
Beets
Yellow Squash
Green Squash
Cooked acorn squash
Cooked pumpkin
Spices (fresh or dried):
Cilantro
Oregano
Rosemary
Basil
Parsley
Pepper
Truly, the options are endless. Just think of what you’ve recently had in a salad and toss it in. I’d love to hear what you’ve tried and how you like it.
[The Vitamix has been a wonderful addition to my kitchen. Yes, they can be pricey, but you can buy them reconditioned for much less, and it will save time by minimizing the need to cut and chop.]
Action Step: Think for a moment what kind of salad you would like, at toss all the ingredients into a blender…enjoy.
