Green smoothies make an excellent, nutritious and tasty breakfast or lunch that is easy to prepare. One of my favorites is the one I had for lunch today:

1 Young coconut
1 Mango
1 Kiwi
2-3 cups raw Spinach.

In a blender, add the water and meat of one young coconut, mango, kiwi and 2-3 cups or handfuls of spinach. Blend on high until a rich, smooth texture. Enjoy!

I also like to make this smoothie with pineapple and orange instead of mango and kiwi.

If you want to add a little protein for a true meal replacement, I recommend NutriBiotic Vegan Rice Protein powder in the “plain” flavor.

See my other delicious green smoothie recipes!

I’m not a salad person. I find salads boring and monotonous. Last year, I made a goal to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. I discovered the Green Smoothie, and now I get 10+ servings of fruits and veggies every day, the easy way! Here’s how.

Banana-Green Smoothie

1 organic Banana
2-4 cups fresh, organic Spinach.
1 cup of Water.

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Drink and enjoy. (While this smoothie will be green containing lots of vitamin and antioxidant-rich spinach, you will only taste the banana.)

Tropical Green Smoothie

1 Young Thai Coconut
1-2 Slices of fresh Pineapple
2-4 cups of fresh, organic Spinach
3-4 Strawberries (fresh or frozen) – Optional

Cut open the young coconut* and pour the water and scoop the meat into the blender. Throw in the other ingredients and blend. This is a nutritious coconut-pineapple smoothie that will give you lots of energy. Add strawberries for a slight berry kick. You can even toss in an orange for a little extra vitamin C.

* Be sure to use the young coconut (white), not the brown, hairy kind you are familiar with. You can find young coconuts at most health food stores or Asian markets.

Big Blend Smoothie

1 Apple or Pear
1 Navel Orange
1 Carrot
1/4-1/2 Tomato
2-5 cups Spinach
1-2 slices of Pineapple or 1 cup blueberries
1 cup water

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Depending on your blender, you might want to blend everything except for the spinach, adding it last and pushing it into the mixture. You can experiment with this smoothie recipe as well. Use orange juice or coconut water instead of plain water, or try other fruits and vegetables. Snow peas are good in this smoothie as is a little avocado. Mix it up and change it up so it doesn’t get boring. Part of the fun is rediscovering the produce section of the supermarket. The best thing about these smoothies is that you are getting an extremely healthy shake that tastes like fruit, not veggies!

UPDATE:  I have launched a new website with over 100 delicious, green smoothie recipes.  Check it out at Incredible Smoothies.

I love my coffee. The stronger the better. However, my 12-year affair with “the bean” is over. I did this primarily as part of a Raw Food Diet trial I did earlier this month (more on that in a later post). I also wanted to free myself from my caffeine addiction. I was tired of waking up every morning with a headache, needing that first cup just to feel “normal” and alert.

I’ve read about how caffeine over consumption leads to exhaustion, fatigue and addiction. I saw parallels with my own experiences as an avid coffee drinker that I wanted to test this out for myself by going off coffee for a couple weeks.

I spent the last two weeks of December weaning myself from coffee to green tea, which contains a third of the caffeine as coffee. I’ve tried to go cold-turkey before, but the detox symptoms were excruciating and I could only last one day before caving in to my cravings. It felt like something was trying to split my head open from the inside. To reduce detox, I drank two cups of of tea the first week but I still had a mild headache for the first couple days. After the first week, I went to one cup of tea. Halfway through the second week, it was late afternoon before I realized that I hadn’t had my tea that day. On January 1st, I stopped drinking coffee and green tea every day.

Since quitting my daily dose of strong, black coffee, I have noticed an increase of energy (ironically enough) that lasts throughout the day. I am more calm and positive as well. Interesting!

Two weeks after going caffeine-free, I brewed myself a cup of coffee. What I experienced was not pleasant and I was amazed that I used to drink that amount or more every morning just to feel normal. That one cup had me feeling anxious, jittery and restless all day. I felt like my entire body was vibrating and my heart was pounding. I had trouble sleeping that night. This was from just one cup! This experience was a wake-up call. I wondered what this daily dose of stimulants was doing to my body, especially in the long term.

I don’t drink coffee every day anymore. I don’t miss it, really. I like being free and waking up without a headache. When I do have a cup now and then, I know I’m in for an anxious ride that reminds me why I gave it up in the first place.