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My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and talents.  ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Friday, March 1, 2013

Let`s Go Green!

It March 1st and to kick off "Go Green" month the boys and I had a great lunch!








Green smoothies (glowing green actually) and tuna with dijon and fresh chopped parsley on gluten-free "chia chia" bread from Silver Hills.  It was our first time with the bread that we found at Planet Organic at a reasonable price.  My son had been asking for some GF bread and I said I would check for something, but wasn`t paying over $5 for anything.  Honestly, I love(d) bread too and it`s texture, but I am sure we could bake something else that doesn`t have all types of miscellaneous ingredients just for the sake of being "free" of gluten.

With that said, I want to make a vital point that has been on my mind and will pertain to "Go Green" month.  What is meant in our family by "Go Green" is "Back to Basics".  Not consuming processed facsimiles of a food to support an allergy or belief, but to turn to whole, live, supportive foods that don`t come with added preservatives and chemicals.  There is almost nothing easier to prepare than fresh (raw even) fruits and vegetables.  They are my go-to "fast" foods.  And they build you up!  Many of the building blocks we need come from green foods, nuts and seeds, and high nutrient fruits and veggies, so they should be our first go-to foods and the ones we eat in abundance.  Then if you are to choose for meats (or not), try and consume then in the least "processed" manner possible.  For meats, the ideal that I would recommend is organic, free to roam and feed on grass and bugs, etc, and humanely treated sources (this is NOT common BTW, but an organic halal farmer would be good to know ;) ).  Much of my off-the-land experience was you raise your own food with a loving touch (my grandparents) or hunt and fish off the land.  And with other protein sources like nuts and legumes, I recommend soaking and even sprouting for their consumption or use.  Those are my back to basic tips stemmed from eating happy, whole, supportive foods.

The green smoothies I had been making for years and my kids have loved them (they have always helped me to make them and they enjoy them fresh or frozen as pops or cubes), but one recipe I tried a couple years ago has stuck in our house with special thanks to nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder. Not sure how I came across her and her info and recipes, but I am truly grateful for her beautiful influence on our enjoyment on all things green.  Her famed recipe is the Glowing Green Smoothie.  If you THOUGHT that you didn`t like vegetables, especially the green ones, then you MUST try this.  I even find it to be on the "sweet" side (being used to just drinking straight salad), so I put in less fruit.  I like the idea of drinking my veggie portions for the day, especially when they taste like this!  Now ideally, you would drink the GGS to itself and give it some time to absorb before having something else.  I also do the same with water....even spacing (has to do with maximizing the digestive acids in  our belly...and getting the most out of our food).  Kris Carr also has a green juice frequently and spaces her enjoyment of it in the same way (A peek at my plate...more on this later).

This month I will be pulling from all my favourite green food advocates (whole-food, raw, vegetarian, and vegan alike), so stay tuned :).

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