Plant-based Summer Berry Smoothie

Smoothies, especially in the summer months, are a great way to get in all your vitamins and keep your calories up, when you're appetite is less than normal because of the heat.

I love to start my mornings with a nice cold smoothie when I'm not pounding back a 15 lb watermelon!

My newest obsession is my Summer Berry Smoothie which I whipped up on a whim while trying to jazz up my standard "Dateorade" of dates, water, dash of cinnamon or a few drops of Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia Drops, and a bit of ice.

Give this once a try too! Dates make the BEST base for a smoothie because they are sweet and their texture, when blended, makes for a frothy/milkshake like consistency. Mmmm mmm!

This particular blend of organic mixed berries is blackberry-free which makes this the perfect berry mix in my opinion -- too many seeds that never officially break down in the Vitamix which makes for a less than enjoyable smoothie experience because I'm constantly biting down on tiny seed particles. Just not a fan..

It's SO good, I just had to share it with you guys so you can try it too!

Ingredients:

1 lb of your favorite dates

1.5 cups of Sunrise Growers Organic Berry Mix 

(Can be purchased at Costco in the frozen fruit section!) 

24 oz-32 oz of water depending on desired thickness 

Make Your Smoothie:

Blend your dates and water in your high speed blender until fully combined. Next blend in your frozen berries.  Blend for 30 seconds and taste to make sure consistency is to your liking. 

Poor into your favorite smoothie glass and slurp it up! 

(P.S. Don't forget to chew your smoothie for optimal digestion!) 

I will be back early next week with another Tour de Cane Juice update for Week 2 so make sure to check back! 

And don't forget to "like" my Facebook Page, Positively Plant-Powered, check out my website, and follow me on Instagram @RawFoodNerd! 

Breakfast of Champions

Ok, let's talk bananas...

As a high carb, predominately raw, fruitarian I eat a sh!t load of bananas.

What people think ripe bananas look like:

WRONG!

What RIPE bananas ACTUALLY look like:

If your bananas are green, then they aren't ripe, If your bananas aren't spotty, then they are not ripe. If your bananas don't effortlessly break from the bunch, then they are not ripe. Unripe bananas = constipation and indigestion. Unripe fruit is starchy and unpalatable, whereas ripe fruit is sweet and delicious- full of easily absorbable fructose that your cells just soak up!

There's a lot of fruit-shaming going on in our world today and often people blame the fruit they eat for sour stomaches and poor digestion when really the fruit was just an innocent accomplice to poor food choices, combinations, and lack of ripeness.

Why you should eat bananas: (Preach!)

• Bananas (other than being incredibly delicious) are actually great for soothing an upset stomach and aiding in the correction of poor digestion since they are high in fibre and actually function as a natural anti-acid. Have an ulcer? Really hope you don't, but if you do, bananas coat the lining of the stomach creating a barrier against corrosive acids. 
• They contain a great deal of pectin which helps move degenerative toxins and heavy metals out of the body
• Full of tryptophan, which gets converted to serotonin, they help combat depression and elevate mood.
• High in potassium, they are a sure-fire solution for cramps
• Bananas also help increase calcium absorption 
• They are also full of B-vitamins, manganese, and a host of disease-fighting antioxidants! 
• Great source of ENERGY! Bananas are the original protein-brotein shake! Easily assimilated, digestible workout/post-workout fuel! 
• Bananas are the ultimate weight loss fruit! They keep you satiated and carbed-up which will prevent you from reaching for unhealthy, oily, fatty, salty snacks throughout the day. 

And it just wouldn't be right for me to leave you without a banana recipe so you can begin to include some 'nanners into your daily diet! This is a personal favorite of mine and I typically have it for breakfast and/or lunch when I am not digging into some super, sweet melon. It's a staple in my 'diet' because I can pack in a lot of carbs that won't leave me feeling weighed down. I tend to have this on days where I know I am going to be doing Bikram yoga AND running later in the afternoon. 

Banilla Kreme Smoothie

optional, to add some variety to your budding banana relationship: include a handful of pitted dates, carob powder, cinnamon, or all of the above!

15 Organic, ripe spotty bananas 

3 drops Stevia Sweetleaf Vanilla Cream drops 

2-3 cups of distilled water 
(depending on desired consistency)

Blend until creamy perfection is reached! 

Unripe bananas? Ain't nobody got time for that! #7 baby, for the win!

Spotty ripe banana chart and unripe banana picture from google images 
Banana facts from food matters.tv