All three of these side dish recipes are quick and easy to make.

The ingredient list is kept to a minimum.

Sure you could add a lot more stuff to any of these dishes to spice them up, but sometimes, quick and simple is best for people without a lot of time.

Grow Mint Indoors Video

Carrot Apple Raisin

• Stick carrots
• Raisins
• Apple
• Ginger

Minted Orange Snap Peas

• Snap peas
• Orange
• Mint leaves

Capri Salad

• Sliced Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Mozzarella cheese or substitute goat cheese for better alkaline diet choice
• Olive oil
• Cracked pepper and salt
• Balsamic vinaigrette

Please do share your recipe ideas, using the comment box below.

This smoothie recipe tastes really yummy and almost everyone is going to like it, even kids.

The bananas,  pineapple and mango make this smoothie actually taste great. You may not even notice the taste of spinach at all. This is one way to get a little bit of greens into someones diet.

People with blood sugar issues like diabetes, hypoglycemia, or other issues should be careful with this one, as it is sweet. Too much sugar is good for no-one, even if it is natural. This should be looked at more as a treat, than an everyday smoothie. It is still far and away better than a candy bar, ice cream cone or piece of cake.

Blend one up today and enjoy!

Ingredients

• Banana, frozen is good.
• Fresh mango
• Fresh pineapple, canned pineapple is nowhere near as good.
• Some water to help it blend
• A handful of spinach

Blend it up good, adding water to get the consistency you like. Feel free to substitute, or add other ingredients like apples or grapes, or kale.

I would love to hear about one of your smoothie recipes, please use the comment box below.

To add a little extra internal cleansing action to this or any smoothie, substitute 1 cup of chilled Iaso tea for an equal amount of water. Detoxification with herbal tea is one way to lose a few pounds in a hurry.

Yes organic food can be more expensive.

And people are on tight budgets, especially with the recent condition of the economy.  It helps to know which foods are the worst offenders when it comes to pesticides, and which foods are cleaner.

This video will show you the “dirty dozen” . Those foods that are worst offenders, when it comes to chemical pesticide residue on the produce. Look for organic versions of these foods whenever possible or choose something different.

Then take a look at the  cleanest fruits and vegetables. These are the ones that are sprayed the least, or have the lowest toxic residue of pesticide. Maybe even not sprayed at all. These are the ones you can buy non-organic and not worry too much about it.

The Dirty Dozen – Buy These Organic or Choose Something Different

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Kale/Collard
• Greens
• Potatoes
• Grapes (Imported)

The Clean 15 Fruits and Vegetables

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapple
• Mangos
• Sweet Peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Sweet Potato
• Honeydew
• Melon

This list if provided by the Environmental Working Group.

Check the video to learn about the criteria used to determine this list of foods contaminated by pesticides.

Love and Peas Protein Powder

• Provides 20 grams of vegetable protein per serving.
• Is free from common allergens, dairy, lactose and gluten.
• Contains a powerful antioxidant blend.
• Offers a balanced amino acid profile.
• Is certified vegan.

Buy direct from Nature's Sunshine

Garden fresh vegetables make absolutely the best smoothies, and the most nutritious.

You can’t get any more locally grown, than your own yard.

This recipe even includes some edible flowers.

Ingredients for this Vegetable & Fruit Smoothie

• Stevia, natural sweetener
• Lettuce
• Lemongrass
• Calendula flowers
• African blue basil
• Mustard greens
• Mint
• Sage
• Beet greens
• Borage flowers
• Swiss chard
• celery
• Almonds
• Ginger root
• Blueberries
• Strawberries – locally grown
• Cucumber
• Protein powder
• Liquid vitamin

Almost all ingredients are organic. Be sure to start with some purified water in the blender. Add the harder ingredients first, almonds, ginger root, then add the more tender stuff.

Protein powder and liquid vitamin go in last.

Love and Peas Protein Powder

• Provides 20 grams of vegetable protein per serving.
• Is free from common allergens, dairy, lactose and gluten.
• Contains a powerful antioxidant blend.
• Offers a balanced amino acid profile.
• Is certified vegan.

Buy direct from Nature's Sunshine

It is kind of funny watching her drink this green smoothie.

It’s not too bad! With banana it actually tastes good.

Green Smoothie Taste Test

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABBQ1CLymC8

She even does the green mustache at the end. Got Greens?

We talked in some of our other posts about how to adjust the sweetness of a green smoothie, so you almost don’t even notice the vegetables. Adding fruit can give the green smoothie sweetness and flavor to mask the greens. It is a good place to get started, if you are new on the journey toward vibrant health. Down the road, you can bump up the greens and scale the fruit down some.

Another good way to move toward vibrant health is to drink Iaso, herbal tea. It helps to detox the body. The directions say, mix one quart of the tea concentrate, with 3 quarts of other liquid. The Iaso tea just mixed with water is not half bad. Or you can blend it with many other beverages like sweet tea, herbal tea, or add a little lemon and honey. Even with juice. Use your imagination. The point is, make it taste good so you actually consume it. Getting it into the body is the key to getting results. Start somewhere and work from there. Good luck on your journey toward Vibrant Health!

Disclaimer: Yes I do make money from the sale of this tea. If you would like to make money too, check out http://GetCleanInside.com

The last thing you want to do is balloon up like an overgrown hippo during the Christmas  season.

Then come the New Year, you have to work extra hard to get back where you were.

Yea it’s ok to indulge a few times here and there, but the Holidays can get out of control, with feasting, office parties, Holiday meals, visits to and from relatives.

Here is a good list of tips:

• Be the designated driver. this gives you a good excuse not to drink. Wine, beer and liquor are all acid forming in the body,  as well as high in calories.
• Get some self control.
• Eat some high quality foods before the party, like a green salad. That way you won’t be tempted to over indulge by showing up super hungry.
• Scope out the food that is offered and pick up the healthiest choices first. Look for the fruits, vegetables and nuts. Try to make the best of the foods available.
• If you succeed at getting filled up on the good foods, you can take some of the cake and cookies home with you. This way you don’t offend your host.
• Focus on feeling your best and be the best you that you can be. You want to be healthy and vibrant, so you can be the life of the party.
• If you slip up, don’t beat up on yourself, just get back on your horse the next day and keep riding.

My personal strategy: Take extra enzymes. I’ll grab an empty vitamin bottle and throw in a few Systemic Enzymes so I can take some at the party. I also make extra sure I am drinking my Iaso cleansing tea everyday. This gives my body a fighting chance against Holiday junk food.

Love to hear your thoughts, strategies and tips. Please use the comment box below to fill us in! Thanks.

Disclaimer: Yes I do make money from the sale of this tea. If you would like to make money too, check out http://GetCleanInside.com

The normal recommendation is 5-10 servings per day, but if you expect to achieve alkaline balance you need to do better than that.

I have personally been drinking green smoothies almost every day for the last couple of years.

A Good Blender

You can make this in any decent blender. Sure one of those high powered blenders is nice, but they are way expensive. I wouldn’t recommend the cheapest blender available to blend vegetables, especially carrots and beets. One of the better models from the local store will do a decent job.

Most people don’t eat that much kale and collards and certainly not raw. I happen to eat some raw kale and collards from my organic garden, but then again, I’m not like most people.

Sweetness and Flavor of Your Green Smoothie

You can balance the sweetness and flavor of this green smoothie by the amount of fruit you add. Beginners will use a higher ratio of fruit, until taste buds adapt. Stevia and xylitol are healthy sweetener alternatives that don’t add many calories.

One Change – Flax Seeds, not Oil

The only thing I would change about the way this lady does it in the video is to use flax seeds instead of flax oil. More than one health expert that I know personally has said, flax oil goes rancid quick, Once you open the bottle the clock starts ticking. On top of that, flax seeds contain healthy fiber.

Feel free to make this with whatever ingredients you have on hand, or suites your taste.

Key Ingredients

• Kale
• Collards
• Spinach
• Apple
• Berries
• Flax seeds
• Stevia

A better way to detox and cleanse on the inside. Iaso tea. I have some everyday with my green smoothie.

Disclaimer: Yes I do make money from the sale of this tea. If you would like to make money too, check out http://GetCleanInside.com