Smoothie Challenge Favorite: Berry Cherry Jubilee

Berry Cherry Jubilee, from the lades over at SimpleGreenSmoothies.com.

Longing for a change of pace, I decided to check out the recipes SimpleGreenSmoothies.com is offering as part of the April 30-Day Smoothie Challenge.

The Berry Cherry Jubilee piqued by interested, and just happened to include ingredients I already had on hand: berries, cherries, banana, spinach, chia seeds and water. It's sweet and refreshing, perfect for spring as the weather begins to turn warmer.

This was a family favorite with Lily rapidly slurping hers down. If you're looking for a sweet treat with your daily dose of greens, head on over to Simple Green Smoothies and check out this recipe and sign up for the challenge yourself.

Un-Green Your Green Smoothies

Green smoothies can be intimidating. Even I shied away from them for years. The idea of blended greens sounded weird. And if that wasn't enough, there was the color. How could anything that shade of green be tasty? Not only am I a convert, but I have become a loud evangelist.

Green smoothie with blueberries.

The undeniable health benefits I've received since incorporating one green smoothie a day into my lifestyle outweigh any possible aversion I may have had in the past.

Still, I can empathize with the odd looks and incredulous comments I get from others when drinking my smoothies in public. My carpool buddy says it looks like I'm drinking salsa. Other folks in the office can't even look. When it comes down to it, we are trained that green=mold and mold is nasty.

If you're averse to green drinks does that mean green smoothies aren't for you? Of course not, you just have to un-green your green smoothie? The "green" in the name doesn't really refer to the color anyway. It's about the ingredients. You can make green smoothies in almost every shade of the rainbow, depending on what you add in.

Green smoothie with beets.

My favorite add-ons to change the color of my smoothies to something more palatable by others are beets and blueberries. 

If you're not a beet fan, stick with blueberries. Blueberries are great because they mask both the color and the taste of the vegetables you're blending. This is especially great for winning over skeptical kids. Unless you have a Hulk fanatic at your house like I do. Then just make it as green as possible, call it a "Hulk Smoothie," and watch as they gulp it down in record time.

Other options include beet greens and rainbow chard in place of whatever greens your recipe calls for. Both will bring a bright pink/purple hue to your smoothie as they are pureed. 

Once the April smoothie challenge kicks off, I'll share some additional smoothie tips. Until then, start experimenting.

Join Me: 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge

When I recommitted to a plant-based lifestyle, my ultimate goal was a simple one: I just wanted to put more good stuff into my body each day to leave less room for bad stuff. I figured green smoothies would be a good start. I can drink way more vegetables over the course of a day than I could ever eat.

My all-time favorite recipe is Kimberly Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie, which is featured in "The Beauty Detox Solution." However, when setting out to do something consistently, you have to account for boredom. A quick search of the Internet let me to a 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge by Jen and Jadah over at Simple Green Smoothies. Joining their challenge was easy, and it meant weekly emails with shopping lists and recipes. Some I tried and some I didn't, but having access to them made a world of difference in helping me to successfully complete the challenge.

I'm still drinking one to two smoothies a day, sometimes in place of a meal. Other times, as a snack. It's been a great habit that has even rubbed off on others who have had positive results similar to mine. Jen and Jadah are at it again with another 30-day challenge, which kicks off April 1. I'm already signed up, and I'm looking forward to trying some new things and continuing my commitment to yet another month of healthier living.

Join me by signing up online and checking out the free eBook that comes with your registration. You still have a couple of weeks to get ready and plan to track your results.