Cranberry-Apple, Green Grape and Chia Christmas Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This Cranberry-Apple, Green Grape and Chia Smoothie is tart, but refreshing!  I add a packet of stevia (Sweet Leaf brand) just to give  it a little extra sweetness.  But otherwise, it is dyn-o-mite!  I'm kicking off the Christmas Smoothie Week here-- we will start every day with a lovely, high antioxidant smoothie to fend off the bugs and do some mild detox.  Hope you will join in!  If you are not already on the list and would like to be over the 7-Day Christmas Smoothie-ton, please just sign up below the recipe!
Cranberry - Apple, Green Grape and Chia Christmas Smoothie Recipe: This recipe makes enough smoothies for 2 - 4 people depending on how much smoothie you imbibe! Put the following in your blender carafe and whirl up:

• 1 - 3 C. Fresh Cranberries
• 1 - 2 C. Frozen Seedless Grapes (mine are Green, but any table grapes will do!)
• 1 - 2 Apples, cored and chopped (washed well but not peeled)
• 1 T. ground Chia Seed (grind it in a Coffee Bean Grinder)
• Filtered Water to the 1/2 Mark on your Carafe
• 1 packet Sweet Leaf Stevia with Inulin (Optional)

To Your Health AND Merry Christmas!  ~Cynthia

Here are the other 6 Christmas Smoothie Recipes for you to sample!

Cranberry Lassi with Coconut Milk, Cumin, Chia and Ginger Smoothie

Mandaringo-Ginger Smoothie

Christmas Cake Smoothie

Luscious Eggless Nog Smoothie

Sweet Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Chocolate-Mint Smoothie

Mango Coconut Chai Smoothie

Mango-Coconut-Chai Smoothie

This lovely bright yellow (thanks to the superfood, turmeric) Mango Coconut Chai Smoothie is just the thing if you are looking for a bit of sunshine in a gloomy morning-- or even a way to celebrate a gloriously sunny morning!  And, of course, this is a super-healthy smoothie!  The phytochemicals and vitamins in the fruits, the medium-chain essential acids in the coconut, and the antioxidants in the spicy chai add up to a powerful start to your day!  It doesn't hurt, either, that this smoothie is one of the most delicious ones you'll ever drink!

Chai tea is an ayurvedic drink traditionally made with milk (vegan milks work fine) and some combination of black, oolong, or green tea, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and/or fennel.  At the very least, chai is found to be a great drink for the digestion, and recently scientific research is suggesting that chai is high in antioxidants and as such, is offering yet another tasty, healthy preventative for cancer.*

If you are planning to try this smoothie in the morning, pop an ice cube tray of cooled chai tea into your freezer to freeze overnight.  You can also just opt to use individual herbs, such as fresh-grated ginger and a couple of cloves ground up in your coffee bean grinder.  You might even just try 1 - 3 drops of a therapeutic essential oil, such as cinnamon bark, clove or cardamom. (Caution: use only oils that are designated safe for human consumption, that have not been processed to include harmful solvents and other chemicals, and that do not contain the disclaimer that they are only for "external use".)

METHOD:

Put the following into the carafe of your blender:

• 1 Banana, chunked
• 1 C. Frozen Mango
• 1/2 C. Coconut Shreds (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 3-4 Chai Tea Ice Cubes, or desired Chai herbs and spices as mentioned above
• 2 - 4 C. Coconut Dream or other vegan mylk
• 1 packet "Sweet Leaf" or other natural sweetener (optional)

Spin up and enjoy your healthy, sparky start to the day!

Thickalicious Exotic Tropical Green Smoothie With Cardamom

Today's lovely Thickalicious Exotic Tropical Green Smoothie is fragrant, sweet, delicious and packed with a ton of nutritional benefits.  The mango, pineapple, and banana are all fruits with endorsed health recognition, as well as the delightful flavour that you expect from yummy tropical fruits.  I use organic frozen fruit from Costco.  A half-cup of pineapple from a huge bag goes a long way and makes smoothies for two adults in our house, so don't be freaked out the initial output of $$.  Believe me, buying organic is worth it if you don't have access to local unsprayed products (many organic growers choose not to pay the rather exorbitant cost of registering their operations, but will advertise as 'unsprayed', etc.  If you shop at the 'farmgate' or a farmer's market, you can ask all about how they grow their fruits and veggies).  

I'm pretty sure you will also love the other items in this smoothie: the chia seed is one of the highest sources of balanced Omega-3 essential fatty acid (meaning that it is not overpowered by Omega-6, a not-so-useful fatty acid, very plentiful) which is great for hearts and brains of all family members, and provides good energy, as seeds often do, packed as they are with everything a plant needs to grow.

   Turmeric is used in a lot of our food prep these days since my husband took a longevity class at the local Elder College and learned about ayurvedic herbs, like turmeric.  Besides a whole list of impressive benefits, turmeric is a mild digestive, always nice to have when you are eating a variety of foods like a smoothie contains.  

Today's 'new' smoothie addition is the cardamom pod-- $150/k at our local health food store, so we didn't buy much (and it is light-weight).  You can read a little about it on the sidebar.  

And of course, the lovely sweetening coconut shards and the rolled oats that get imbibers of Thickalicious smoothies through from breakfast to lunch without cravings!

METHOD:

Layer the following in your blender:

• 1/2 C. organic Rolled Oats
• 1 T. Chia Seed (ground with Cardamom in a Coffee Bean Grinder)
• 5-6 organic Green Cardamom pods (ground with Chia in a Coffee Bean Grinder)
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 C. Coconut Shreds (organic, unsweetened preferred)
• 1/2 C. Frozen Organic Mango
• 1 organic Banana, ripe, chunked
• 1/2 C. Frozen  Pineapple
• 1-2 Handfuls of Tender Green (what makes it a Green Smoothie)
• 2-? C. of Filtered Water
• small packet of Sweet Leaf Stevia or other sweetener of choice (optional)

Let it sit in the carafe for a few minutes just to allow some soaking by the seeds and oats.  Then whirl up and enjoy!

Blueberry Ambrosia Green Smoothie

I got a little carried away with social networking this morning and forgot about eating.  Now, that tends to sound like a good thing for someone who could likely live on a desert island (but not a dessert island, haha) off the resources of several years of eating well, but what generally happens is that I get really hungry later into the evening and risk going into the *see-food diet until I finally haul myself off to bed. (*I see food, I eat it)  I am 64 years old.  I know now that if I skip meals, I end up hungry and hunting.

So, the best fast meal that I know of is a green smoothie.  And the most satisfying for me, in the place where I am at, sort of craving to feel full, but also wanting that not-too-sweet, fruit-and-greens combo, is a smoothie I refer to as Blueberry Ambrosia.  It has that plump silky yumminess of the old "fruit ambrosia" salad recipe that I remember from afternoon teas at some church as a young person.  My own mom actually never bothered fussing with dainty, yummy recipes, so I know that she didn't send it along with me (I was an inveterate tea-server as were all the young teens in my day who had any church connection in small-town Saskatchewan). But someone else's mother or grandmother took the time to make it, repeatedly, and I salute them with this thick smoothie (no, it is not 'thickalicious'-- there is no trademark oatmeal in this one).

INGREDIENTS:
1 Banana, Chunked (organic)
1 C. Frozen Blueberries (organic)
1 C. Frozen Mango (organic)
1 T. Chiaseed, ground in Coffee Bean Grinder
2 Handfuls of Tender Greens
2 C. Coconut Dream

Whirl up in your blender until thick and silky smooth.  Blueberries let no green shine through, so it will be a dark purply, brown colour.  The fruit and berries are filled with health phytonutrients that most of you are aware of, so don't be worried about "nasty carbs".  The coconut milk has medium chain fatty acids that help pump up the immune system, and the chia seed is the highest plant source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids, good for heart and brain health.

I think you'll love it!

Thickalicious Classic Tropical Green Smoothie Plus

This Thickalicious Classic Tropical Green Smoothie Plus is everything you expect when you think "Aloha" or "Muchas Gracias"-- tangy, yummy, refreshing, zesty, what you really wanted when you ordered those alcoholic cocktails with the little umbrellas.  No, there is no Grenadine or any other high fructose syrups in this baby... just the real fruity thing PLUS some great "superfood" herbs that will give you the gusto for the day (and maybe even a longer, happier life if my husband's class in Ayurvedics was correct).

Layer your blender carafe with the following and cover with filtered water; soak for at least 15 minutes:

• 1/2 C. organic Rolled Oats (the Thickalicious factor to get you through until lunchtime)
• 1 tsp. ground Chia seed (grind in your coffee bean grinder)
• 1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. Ashwagandha
• 1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. Turmeric

After soaking the above in the carafe for at least 15 minutes (to improve digestability), add in:

• 1 C. Frozen Mango chunks
• 1 C. Frozen Pineapple chunks
• 1 Banana, chunked
• 6 Dates
• 1-2 Handfulls of Tender Greens

Whirl up and Enjoy!