#10 Detxox Smoothie - Orange Basil

Here is a great tasting Orange Basil smoothie to keep the detox going on and nourish you at the cell level.

We must give our bodies quality food if we want to build a strong immune system against present day toxins in our environment.  Much of our food has been greatly diminished and poisoned by chemicles to preserve them for long shelf life.  Supplements seem a necessary addition to our daily food intake.  When you look for the answer for rebuilding health and reversing disease process, look for a product line that has integrity in the health field, not just making money.  I have used  several quality product lines like Garden of Life and New Chapter and now have discovered Reliv.  I would be glad to discuss the pros and cons of each of these. 

 I believe Jesus Christ should be consulted first when His physical design begins to break down.  We must assume responsibility for maintaining health.  There are basic laws that govern all humans, however, there are unique paths to health and He wants to share your every concern.  Be prepared to consider internal stress generated by wrong thought patterns and destructive emotions.  How you think and feel offer huge red flags for correction.  Unresolved issues that protect feelings of resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness are precursors to disease process. 

Orange Basil Smoothie

1 cup of fresh squeezed Orange Juice
4 to 6 leaves of fresh Basil
Half of a frozen or fresh Banana
Half cup of water or crushed ice
I add my Reliv supplements to this mix.  No need for sweeteners.

Blend until smooth.  Remember that fresh is best.  Bottled orange juice or any juice is pasturized and therefore has no life in it. I call it dead because a fresh orange or carrot, if planted, will reproduce itself. A cooked orange or carrot can only mold and spoil.  Which do you think will help your cells reproduce themselves in a healthy manner?

You could take this recipe and add a small handful of Spinach or Kale for a green smoothie.  You can leave out the Banana if you prefer.  Of course, other fruits can be added, like Blueberries, etc.  And of course the Basil isn't essential, however, I love to add it when I have fresh.  I brought a pot of it back with me from Florida to plant in May.

#9 Detox Spritzer

I am excited about this health drink.  It may just be the simplest answer for replacing toxin laden sodas like Cokes, Mountain Dews, etc.  Get yourself off of these kinds of drinks.  They are very asidic, full of toxins and the cans and plastic are contaminated.  Ocassionally your strengthened body can handle them, but not daily or even weekly. 

Some of you know about the power of raw Apple Cider Vinegar to dissolve kidney stones.  Apple Cider Vinegar has many health beneifts simply because it alkalizes body acids.  It is a great prep for digestion taken about 30 minutes before a meal.  This is also a great tonic when you have over-indulged in a heavy meal and you feel sluggish.  Lemon juice does the same and adds it's own nutritional properties.   A glass of Lemon water or ACV in the morning before breakfast and evening before going to bed,  is an exceptional tonic.  Ginger Root is in most of my smoothies due to it's own healing benefits.  (google ginger root for information I can't provide in these short posts.)

Lemon Spritzer

6 to 8 oz Sparkling Water  like Pellegrino Mineral Water)
Half of a Lemon juiced
1 T. raw Apple Cider Vinegar  (not a distilled ACV.  All distilled vinegars are acidic)

I like to add grated Ginger Root and Mint.
 (Put Ginger Root in freezer to keep it fresh.  It grates easily.  Return it to the freezer pronto, because it will thaw out quickly)

If you do not like ice in your drinks, leave it out.  This is a great party drink when you don't want to endulge in "soft" drinks or "hard" drinks.  It will also cut your craving for sweets offered.

I gave one of these to Tal to test out.  He said, "It's not very sweet."  That would defeat the purpose.  Then I thought about adding Stevia, which does not raise the blood sugar level, does not lower the immune system, does not put more toxins to clean out, etc.  However, be aware that all stevia on the market today is not equal in quality.  Check out Truvia, for instance.  When a product becomes popular as a healh food, you can count on the food industries providing their own corrupted product.  For instance, soy beans are a great protein food in it's natural state, but by the time the food industry offers it to you, they have GMO soy and have added many artificial substances and processed it in a way to destroy it's value for human consumption.  Milk is another.  Raw milk has nourished populations for thousands of years, but homogenized, ultra pasturized milk is poison to the human system.  And now to get your hands on raw milk you have to purchase it with the lable "for animal's only" or "not for human consumption".  What a reversal of the truth!

Wow!  I have strayed from the subject, haven't I?

Hope this simple and very inexpensive stritzer pleases you.  I raise my glass to your health!

 

#8 A Detox Drink For A Healing Crisis

Detox #8  Is a drink for a healing crisis like cold, flu and sinus irritation.

When your body goes into a healing crisis you need to know how to help it do it's work.  That is what I want to communicate in this post.

A healing crisis occurs when your body senses the need to cleanse and the task is more than it can handle in the normal night-time hours.  Your physical design dictates cycles between food intake and digestion and assimilation for adequate fuel during the day.  At night it goes into a cleansing fast for 12 hours.  We call the first meal of the day breakfast, indicating that it is time to provide the body with more fuel for the day's activities. 

If we are over-eating regularly, you are putting stress on your body to maintain health.  If we are eating and drinking toxic non-foods, dead cooked foods or too many artificial  factory produced foods the body becomes exhausted and will then go into a healing crisis of some discription.

A healing crisis can be as simple as the common cold or flue or more complicated as allergies and inflammation of all sorts.   Americans are opposed to fasting from anything, but since fasting from food is built into your physiology by our Creator, it is also wisdom to set aside certain times to at least simi-fast.  In our over endulgent society, even those of us who really want to change our destructive habits find it an "up hill" battle, because we are so emotionally invested in the enjoyment of food and drink.

With that said as an explanation for today's posted drink, I want to share a way to very quickly help your body cleanse and recover it's balance in self-healing.  I dare you to try it.  Don't load your blender full of these ingredients until you have tried a small amount.  I don't like to be wasteful.

1. Bring out the green vegetables from your refrigerator and add a small amount of each to a blender.
        Spinach, kale, chard, cucumber, parsley, romaine letture, celery
2. Add a chunk of Ginger Root.  You can chop fine or grate it.  This is optional.
3. Add some water and start the blender.  Use as much water as you need to process these "life-giving" greens.    Blend until all are incorporated - no chunks.
4. Add more water until it becomes the dilution you can "enjoy". 

I can hear you laugh at the idea of enjoying this straight green elixir.  But you may be surprised.  I was the first time I tried it.  If you think it is bitter instead of mildly sweet, that is a good sign that you are too acidic and desperately need this drink.  This is a quick way to alkalize your system and help your body heal from the cold or flu.

If you drink half of it and want to add a little fresh orange juice do it, so as not to waste it, or add orange juice and banana.  That would make it a smoothie.   You may need to keep it stirred up or run it through a tight seive.  I hope you don't have to do this.  When you add banana it smoothes out the pulp of the vegetables.  This may be what Daniel and his Hebrew friends asked for.  

Be brave my friends.

#7 Detox Smoothie

This smoothie turned out to be more of a soft serve ice cream.  Being in Florida, I have been able to get Watermelon.  We ate some and I froze some in cubes for smoothies.  Watermelon is a very hydrating fruit, as well as many other nutritional benefits.  Even though it is too early for Watermelon at home,  I will give a couple of drinks using it.  This first one is good to add Reliv products or your brand of vanilla protein powder.

                                            Pink Vanilla Watermelon Slushy

1 to 1/2 cup Watermelon frozen cubes
Half to 1 whole frozen Banana
3/4 cup or more Vanilla non-dairy Almond Milk
1 scoop Vanilla Protein powder

Add several Strawberries for a more complex flavor. 

If both fruits are frozen, use
I also added a cube of Grape Juice that I had frozen and collected in a bag.  Fill an ice tray with juice to make juice cubes for adding to water or smoothies.  The Strawberries and Grape Juice deepened the color too.

The next drink does not use milk or non-dairy milk and will therefore taste a good bit differently.  The add-ins suggest several alternatives to this versital drink.

       Watermelon Frosty Basic

2 cups of Watermelon
Add enough Coconut Water  or Kefir Water to process in your blender.  Dilute it to your liking.

Add in:
     1. 1 to 2 Limes juiced       Half of a Frozen or fresh Banana      4-5 Basil Leaves
     2. 1/2 cup Strawberries   
     3. Grapes
     4. 1/2 cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice  or a whole peeled Orange (if you have a strong blender.)
     5. Swirl in 1 T. Chia Seeds for a protein that will not change the flavor of this refreshing drink.

#6 Detox Smoothie

Cucumbers, celery parsley, cilantro, ginger and lemon are all cleaning and alkalizing vegetables and herbs.  This is a strong alkalizing drink and strong flavor, probably too sour for most palates.  I will give you my basic recipe, then offer several suggestions that will sweeten it to the yummmy state.  However, if you are battling candida, I recommend you dilute this basic combination to reduce it's sourness.  Leave out the cilantro if that is objectionable until you reduce the acidity in your body, then the drink will taste quite refreshing.  Cilantro is a great heavy metal detoxifier.

Sorry I didn't get a picture of this PARSLEY GINGER CILANTRO cleansing drink.  But the color matches.

1 stalk of Celery
1 cup Cucumber
1 Lemon juiced
Nice chunk of Ginger Root
Handful of Parsley and one of Cilantro  (go easy on how much you use until you test this out.)
1 cup of water

Add ins that make it sweeter. 
Half of a slice of fresh Pineapple
Half of a frozen or fresh Banana
Chia seeds or Hemp Seeds can always be added for a bit of protein.

I haven't tried to use Stevia.  Liquid flavor Stevia is good to have on hands as well as the powder.  When buying Stevia pay attention to how it is processed.  This is one of the issues that make sugar substitutes so very damaging to your organic physiology. 

Remember also that a bitterness to foods indicates the acidity of your body.  As you achieve alkalinity, you will be able to taste the natural sweetness in foods.

#5 Detox Smoothie

This Strawberry Basil Margarita is delicious and tangy.  It is creamy due to the Avocado and flushy due to the frozen fruit and  anti-inflammatory due to the citrus and ginger.  
                                                                     

                               Strawberry Basil Margarita
1 cup Frozen Strawberries  (of course you can make this unfrozen if you prefer)
4 to 6 fresh Basil leaves
1/4 of an Avocado   (I often use frozen)
1 cup Water or mineral fizzy water    (I use my kefir water.)
Shredded Ginger Root    (I use about a Tablespoon of shredded or chopped pieces)
Half of a Lime juiced   (or you can use Lemon)

Note: I cut an Avocado into small chunks the size I use in my drinks and freeze them in a plastic bag.  I hate to allow unused Avocado to spoil, and freezing the leftover is a good way to save it for later use.  I also like to freeze half of a washed Lemon.  It grates nicely over cooked vegetables like Broccoli or Salads.  I shreedded some in this smoothie.

If your Lime is not juicy, you may want to use the whole Lime for this drink. 

Add ins are optional:
Aloe Vera plant jel
1 T. Chia or Hemp Seeds add protein without changing the flavor

Fresh Spinach or Kale will add to the alkalinity of your drink, plus add the green vegetables you need.  Try this drink without the Spinach first, then with it.  It ruins the pretty pink color of the strawberries, but if eye appeal isn't an issue . . . .

Blueberries might make a good substitute for the Strawberries.  That's a good idea Liz.  I will try it myself. 

If you do not use herbs like Basil, omit this herb or try Mint.                                                         

#4 Detox Smoothie

This meal smoothie turned out to be very tasty.  I often tweek recipes to suit my taste and ingredients I have on hands.  When you make a few of these smoothie combinations you learn what tastes good together. 

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                     http://lindawagner.net/blog/category/drinks/smoothies 

Orange Lime Spinach

1 Frozen Banana  or you may want to use just half of a banana
1 Lime peeled   If you blender won't handle the whole lime, juice the Lime.
1/2 Lemon juiced
2 Oranges juiced
2 handfuls of Spinach or Kale

I used a peeled Cucumber once instead of the Oranges and it was good.  Add some water or ice if there is not enough liquid.  I added Water Kefir.

I have some standard add-ins that I use from time to time.
Aloe Vera goes in all of my smoothies now due to digestive issues.  Here in Florida I have access to all the Aloe Vera I want, so I cut off a large piece and use the gel.  Google it for yourself.

I usually add my powder supplement to my smoothie.  Reliv supplement powder actually boosts the flavor and sweetness for me.

 Your body will heal itself if given the proper nutrients and not overloaded and exhausted that it can't do it's job of cleansing and rebuilding.  There are lots of good product lines for you to choose from that give good results.  So if you are using a protein powder, you may want to add it in your detox smoothie.  This makes it a meal substitute when you are wanting to cut back and give your body a chance to catch up./

Post # 3 of the Detox Smoothie

Today I want to share with you a very good smoothie using fresh Orange juice, frozen Pineapple and Spinach.

                                            Orange Pineapple Green Smoothie

1 1/3 cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice
1  handful of Fresh Spinach
4 or 5 Basil leaves    optional
1 inch of Ginger Root    or less. 
1 cup or more Fresh Frozen Pineapple chunks.

I add my Reliv powder supplements in my smoothies at times.  This was my breakfast.

You could add 1/4 of a piece of Avocado to make this thicker. 
If you don't have frozen you could use 1/2 cup of ice to chill your drink.

Tip:  I chop leftover fruit and freeze in bags.
        Left over Avocado frozen in a bag in portions I will use.
        Put your Ginger Root in a plastic bag in the freezer.  You can shave it with a knife or shred it still frozen.  Be sure to put it back before it thaws too much.
      Also freeze leftover fresh juice like Lemon and Oranges, etc. in ice cube tray.  When frozen, they are popped out and collected in a bag for use in smoothies or the flavored water drinks.

Fresh greens like Spinach and Kale are not strong flavored in raw form and blend with other fruits and vegetables in a very pleasing way.  If you are doubting, try a few leaves.

Ginger is good for digestive issues, as is pineapple.  Unless you gave a candida problem you are treating, pineapple and bananas are full of nutrients.  Greens are power foods in themselves.

However, if you are taking some pharmaceutical drugs or have certain conditions that prohibit using certain foods, you will know what foods to avoid.  I will probably give a few smoothies or drinks that can be used by you.

Swarming Honey Bees

This visiting swarm of honey bees were looking for a home or a resting place, but they provided me with a bit of excitement.  I was sitting on the dock enjoying the quietness of the lake with my quart jar of Lemon/Lime/Ginger Water.  (Recipe provided on the previous post)
I became aware of a humming sound off to my left side.  The sky was dark with some kind of flying insect or bee.  I quickly saw that it was in my best interest to get back to land so I could run for cover.  They followed me up but stopped at the live oak trees in the yard.  Tal saw my distressed body language and opened the door for me.  When we realized they were not after me, we got brave and carefully walked back to get a better look.  The swarm was like a cloud around a mass of spanish moss hanging from the branch above.   

As we waited, they began to form this tight clump in and around the moss hanging from the branch.  We called a bee keeper here where we get our honey and he said the queen was in the center of that mass.  They would probably move on in several days, but they haven't as yet.  They are very quiet now. I hope they are not going to die.  Bees are dying from environmental pollution.  So sad.

Post #2 of the Detox Smoothies

Giving your body alkalizing foods and drink relieves the stress of toxic overload.  Toxic overload is one of the contributing factors in being overweight and in pain and degenerative disease.  The body creates fat as a storage for acid and acid accumulation equals pain, according to Dr. Robert Young.   Do a little google searching and read several sites on acid/alkaline balance so you will know how to help your body do it's work.  We must begin to take responsibility for knowing how our Creator designed these amazing bodies we live in.  You do not have to buy the  products sold on websites to have good health, because you can usually find simple inexpensive ways.  For instance, you can buy bottled Aloe Vera juice and jel or you can grow your own plant.  You can buy drugs for heartburn or use Baking Soda.  You can buy probiotic food and pills or you can make your own.  You pay dearly for convenience, however there are some situations that demand emergency help and/or the conveneince is worth it to you.

The drink I am presenting today is an example of a quality alkaline hydrating drink.  When you drink one quart, refill with water and drink another one and you will probably have an adequate amount of water for the day.  If you have city water with clorine and other acid additives to make it safe, then I advise bringing it to a boil, cool it and use it for your drinking water.  Or buy pure water.  This is another subject for another time.  There are other ways to provide yourself with alkalizing, life giving water.

Here is what to do:

Fill a quart jar with water and ice if you like it cold. 
Add slices of cucumber and Lemon/Lime.  I often add thin slices of Cucumber. 
Cut a long sprig of Rosemary, Basil or Mint and plunge into the jar. 
I amost always shred frozen Ginger Root to the water and to my smoothies for digestion.   

I like the ice because it holds the slices in suspension.  Take a wooden spoon or spatula and mash the slices against the ice or the jar to release their life giving properties.  I also squeeze the lemon or limes or eat them  some time before the end of the day. 

Lemons and Limes are very alkalizing to the body.  Ginger Root aids digestion and many other benefits. 
Google Ginger Root and read about the health benefits.
Also Aloe Vera, Cucumber, fermented foods like Kefir, Kombucha to use as pro-biotics for intestinal health.

Here is a website for more ideas for flavored water drinks.   http://www.theyummylife.com/Flavored_Water

Detox Smoothies For Your Spring Cleanse

Spring is on it's way and it is time to make plans for the Spring Detox.  I have been using smoothies for breakfast and noon, then eating a normal meal for an early supper.  I want to share these detoxification smoothies with those of you who are interested in a simple and delicious way to accomplish your Spring detox.  You may find a few of these helpful as suggestions and of course, you can substitute ingredients to fit your taste and physical needs.

Everything we consume by mouth, every thing we breath in our environment, everything we put on our body (as in creams, perfumes, toothpaste, deoderant, etc) has the potential of either contributing to the daily toxic load or to healing and vitality.    We live in a very toxic world and we are moving further and further away from a life-style in harmony with nature.   Instead of organic and natural, it is chemicle and artificial.

As you know, our physical body has an impressive capacity to move a lot of toxic waste.  However, if we do not co-operate with it's process, it has many unpleasant ways to store it and we begin to suffer in various ways as the body gets sluggish and degenerates from exhaustion.  Spring and Fall are good times to shift gears and give these wonderful, amazing bodies the help it needs to catch up or stay on top of thing.  Your liver, kidneys  will thank you.

In this series, I plan to share with you smoothies that detox and nourish.   All of the ingredients contribute to strengthening the detox organs of the body, aiding digestion and providing anti-oxidents to slow down degeneration.  To increase the effectiveness of this process, I would advise you to cut out all meat and bread the first week.  Eat only lightly cooked and raw vegetables, some brown rice, and smoothies.  Drink alkalizing water to help flush out the toxins as the body begins to release them.  If you decide to continue using meat once a day, reduce the amount.    Some of you will have other plans going and just be interested in the smoothies.  Others, of course, may be on restrictive diets and foods for medical reasons. 

Here is the first Detox Drink

                                                  LEMON GINGER ZINGER
1 stalk of Celery    cut in chunks
1 frozen Banana
1 cup of chopped Cucumber   
1/2 of a Lemon     peel and remove seeds or juice it and use some of the zest.
1 inch of Ginger Root     place remainder of the root in a plastic bag in the freezer.
1 cup of liquid      this could be water, coconut water, kefir water, a mineral water like S.Pellegrino

Place all ingredients in a good blender or Magic Bullet.  Blend until smooth.

The frozen banana add creaminess, sweet and lots of potassium.
Celery helps lower  blood pressure, aids in proper matabolism, and high in B Vitimans.
Cucumber, and lemon are alkalizing and cleansing agents.
Ginger aids digestion, cleanses and sooths the digestive track.

After you  have made of few of these and know how they taste, we will add other things to one like this basic one; like fresh spinach and basil leaves.  Or you can taste this, then add a few fresh Spinach  leaves.  It is too early for you in the cold country to have Basil growing.  I love Basil in food.