Top o' the morning to ya.
Yesterday I posted a recipe for a Shamrock shake, so you have a green drink to celebrate today, but I thought I'd give you another green drink idea, one that really is green with greens (gonna get them at every meal this week, right? right.).
I don't drink, so I've never had a "real" margarita, but I've had plenty of non-alcoholic ones, and my favorite thing about margaritas (other than it usually accompanies and complements an spicy Mexican dish quite well), is the mix of sweet, a bit sour, and smidgen of salty.
Who doesn't love any excuse to drink out of one of these lovely glasses?
I know green smoothies are hot right now.
They're kind of the latest foodie trend. It originated in the raw vegan world, but now everyone from Paleo's and hard-core omni's to raw foodists are drinking the stuff.
The thing I think is great about them, is that it gets people to eat greens they might not eat otherwise and/or it gets them to get more of them in the diet (I have more thoughts on green smoothies, which I'll discuss in a future post).
The key ingredient to this smoothie, of course, are fresh limes.
You'll want 3 or 4 of them, depending on their size. If you don't have fresh limes, get some, because the bottled stuff just won't cut it for this drink!
Some other ingredients: an apple, an avocado. The apple contributes a fruity, tart flavor.
Avocado, other than adding more color, makes the drink silky smooth.
Kale is another star ingredient. I love the bagged kind I get at Wal-mart ($2.97 for a large bag, but I could eat a whole bag in a day, I'm crazy about it). Makes my life soo much easier. The fact that everything is washed and cut up makes eating greens a breeze and well worth the extra dollar (because it means I'm more likely to eat it, rather than let it sit in my fridge and die).
Another ingredient: Stevia. I like this brand and it comes in a big bag (Truvia is another favorite brand of mine).
Stevia in the raw (not traditional powdered stevia) and Truvia are not as sweet as sugar, and are better alternatives to Splenda.
I use them in everything from my morning tea and oatmeal to smoothies and even dressings. It cuts out sugar and excess calories, while helping me achieve a greater depth of flavor and sweetness.
Here's the recipe.Sweet Lime and Kale Green Smoothie Margarita
GF, SF, DF
Serves 2
You will need:
- 2 c. water
- 2 c. washed, chopped kale
- Juice from 3-4 limes
- 1 smallish avocado (or 1/2 of one large one, these vary greatly in size)
- 1 granny smith apple
- 2-3 TBS. agave nectar (more lessens the sourness of limes)
- 1/4 c. stevia in the raw (or 5 packets Truvia)
- 10-12 ice cubes
- Margarita salt
Put kale, water, and lime juice (I use a fork to juice my limes) in blender.
Blend until smooth (I ran through 3/4 a cycle on my Blendtec).
It should look like this, a nice shamrock green:
Then place all other ingredients in blender, and process (one cycle of smoothie on my Blendtec did it for me).
Then get your Margarita salt (I got mine for $2, and it will last you forever, a nice thing to have on hand, for special occasions). The margarita salt will add character to the smoothie, elevating it to just another green smoothie, to full-on margarita, so get some if you don't have any.
Get your glass (preferably something fancy schmanzy like these). If you don't have any fancy stemware, look into getting at least 2 (one for you and one for your significant other/spouse) so you can celebrate special occasions. They don't cost very much either--you can get a nice pair at Pier One for $5-15 (more on the types of stemware out there, here).
I really think these ones are fun (can you tell I'm a Pier One fan?). One of those necessary splurges of life, I say.
To get salt on your glass/flute, use a damp washcloth, wet the rim of your glass and dip flute in the salt.
Pour your smoothie into glass, and garnish with lime slices. Grab husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, friend. Sit back and enjoy!
Nutrition Info: Makes 2 servings. Nutrition info is based on 2 TBS. agave and does not include sodium from margarita salt. Per Serving: 271 calories, 4 g protein, 11 g fat, 8 g fiber, 37 mg sodium
Yesterday, I asked about your plans for St. Patty's day.
Here are mine:
- Try to fit in an at home workout in. I think I'm going to do a Brooke Burke DVD today.
- Have a green breakfast with my kids.
- Go to a library used book sale and buy more books that I probably don't need but can't resist.
- Take Hyrum to his first soccer practice. Joseph is his coach.
- Clean house and get it ready for Sunday. I always want my house to be clean before Sunday so I can really relax and enjoy my family on this day, doesn't always work out that way, but I try.
- Kick the soccer ball around with the boys, granted it's not raining outside.
- Go for a walk with my girls.
- Go on a date tonight with Joseph (we're going to go to dinner and then watch a friend play in this band).
Hope you have a terrific St. Patty's day and weekend, I'll be back here on Monday with more good things!
Question of the Post:
Do you have any special stemware?
How often do you use it and where's your favorite place to buy fancy glasses and dinnerware? (Mine is Pier One, if you hadn't figured that out yet :) ).
Just a question: do you have staining on your teeth from all the greens? I went to the dentist yesterday and she kept trying to figure out what I was eating that would case the stains (no coffee, tea, or tobacco). We figured it must be the green smoothies I drink regularly.
ReplyDeleteAlso: Kosher salt works great too. I'm not sure if it's cheaper, but I use it for lots of things and it would be perfect for a margarita.
What a FUN recipe! I really need to work on making my whole foods living more fun! Sometimes it seems I'm so focused on protecting my kiddos from all the junk out there that I forget to have FUN with all the wonderful, delicious, healthy foods we DO eat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder and inspiration!
Just FYI, Stevia is WAAAAY sweeter than sugar. Per the Stevia website:
ReplyDeleteQ) How sweet is Stevia?
A) The crude Stevia leaves and herbal powder (green) are reported to be 10-15 times sweeter than table sugar. The refined extracts of Stevia called steviosides (a white powder, 85-95% Steviosides) claim to be 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar. My experience is that the herbal powder is very sweet while the refined extract is incredibly sweet and needs to be diluted to be properly used. Both products have a slight bitter aftertaste, also characteristic of licorice.
Tia: Thanks for the clarification on Stevia. Stevia is more concentrated than sugar (something like 10X's more so, or that's what they say), but I know, that at least with Truvia and even my stevia in the raw, I have to put in more of it than I would sugar otherwise it's not sweet enough for my taste. But that's just my experience. This is part of the reason why baking with Stevia has been tricky in the past--it's been hard to convert from sugar ratios. I think this is what the stevia in the raw brand is trying to do (which is what Splenda has done), which is they say on their package--you can use cup for cup as a replacement for sugar, which is something we couldn't have always done (especially with the powdered green stevia, which I have some of that, too!).
ReplyDeleteI recommend trying it out for yourself, but the measurements I use in these recipes suite my level of sweetness desired, so if you're not sure, start out with less--you can always add more (especially since it's not adding any extra calories or sugar if you do!).
Again, thanks for bringing up the issue!
And just for further clarification--green stevia or stevia liquid drops have a much more concentrated sweetness than does Truvia and Stevia in Raw, which have been "diluted" to have a similar concentration to table sugar.
ReplyDeleteTry this if you can--compare one tsp. of Truvia to one tsp. table sugar, and see which you one you think is sweeter. This will help you decide how much Truvia you want to use in a particular recipe.
MommyD: Yes, excessive green smoothie (not greens, but green smoothie) intake can cause staining. I remember one summer, I'll call it my green smoothie summer, where I was drinking 2 or 3 green smoothies a day (no wonder I got burned out!), after about a month of this, I went to the dentist and same thing happened to me. The hygenist was able to get my teeth super clean and looking like new again, but yes, I can relate.
ReplyDeleteNowadays I don't drink green smoothies with regularity (like, not every day), so it's not an issue at all.
I haven't found that eating green foods (rather than drinking them) causes the same problem.
Thanks for the tip on Kosher salt!
Tina: Yes, fun, fun, fun.
You HAVE to have an element of fun in everything you do, especially with kids and getting them to eat healthy because you want them to intrinsically want to eat this way, not out of compulsion.
All: I have clarified the section on Stevia, per Tia's comment. Hope this is clear now, if not, let me know.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Thanks for the feedback! I really was mentioning it because I have such a hard time with "fake" sugars because I can't figure out how much to use! I haven't tried Stevia, but I have tried Truvia, and it was sickenly sweet (and I LOVE sugar). I didn't know about the difference between the raw kind. That's really helpful. Thanks! Can't wait to try this smoothie.
ReplyDeleteTia: (About the Truvia) Really? I don't think it's super sweet. I put it in my homemade hot cocoa, and I have to put 2-3 packets in a big cup, otherwise it's not sweet enough.
ReplyDeleteBrings up a good point, though, which is, we all have varying levels of a "sweet tooth."
I just know when I tried baking with stevia-in-the-raw, it definitely left a bitter aftertaste! Not a fun experience lol. Did you celebrate Pi day at all?? I made a chocolate pie (using a recipe from aforementioned Chocolate Covered Katie) and it was so good!
ReplyDeleteTEN: Yes, baking or cooking with Stevia is a whole other skill set. You have to know how to use it (usually I don't just use Stevia, I use it in combo with other sweetners, otherwise it will be bitter to most palates). It's a good ingredient, you just have to know when and how and how much to use.
ReplyDeleteWe made green pancakes. That was the extent of our family celebration. Maybe something more elaborate next year...
This looks refreshing! Bagged kale on the walmart list. Also, how about a recipe for that homemade hot cocoa you mentioned in the comments? It's still cold here :)
ReplyDeleteLindsay: Yes, homemade hot cocoa is on the list of upcoming posts. Somedays I drink several cups (it's kinda cold here too, but even if it wasn't I still love chocolate, especially this way).
ReplyDelete