12 Steps to Whole Foods

Bye-Bye, Stimulants — Hello, Green Smoothies
Protein in Green Smoothies
If you are looking to increase protein in your plant foods, consider that spinach and broccoli are over 40%
protein and so use them liberally in your green smoothies (while also getting a variety of other greens). Try to
make your smoothies as low in fruit as possible for your own taste, and consider the no-fruit smoothie in this
chapter.
You can certainly add protein powder, though most whey- and soy-based protein powders are fractionated, heat
treated, and not good for you. Whey protein is highly refined, and soy is too estrogenic—and we have far too
many refined soy products in our food supply, causing endocrine problems. The best protein powder, for
nutrition as well as taste, is Sun Warrior’s, which you can find online in the GreenSmoothieGirl.com store. One
variety is made from brown rice, and the other is a proprietary blend of hemp, cranberry, and split peas, with a
little coconut oil medium-chain fatty acids. These two proteins are the best, both taste-wise and nutritionally.
I often eat a handful of sprouted, dehydrated almonds (see Chapter 7 on page 199) with my green smoothie for
extra plant protein in a very satisfying lunch.
Money-Saving Tips
• A variety of greens can be harvested from empty lots in your neighborhood when the weather is warm.
Edible weeds include lambsquarter leaves, nettles, morning glory, and purslane (or even thistle) found
in most climates. Purslane has a very mild flavor and texture for addition to smoothies; it is an
unusually rich source of Omega-3s and iron.
Dandelion weeds can sometimes be bitter, but are plentiful in most climates, and I often throw a handful
in the blender. Avoid picking these weeds in areas next to busy roadways, as greens absorb the toxins in
car exhaust fumes. Also avoid any areas that have been sprayed with pesticides or weed killer.
• Wholesale membership clubs like Costco usually carry huge (2.5 lb.) bags of washed spinach at lower
prices than regular grocery and health food stores (only $3.99 where I live). That’s half of what you’d
spend on the 10-oz. bags of spinach for $1.99 at regular grocery stores.
• Spinach, chard, and kale are very easy to grow in backyard or patio gardens, and you can replant at the
end of the summer for a fall harvest that really explodes again in the spring right through the frost
season. Chard in particular produces a massive amount of green food and does not bolt easily in hot
weather—and by staggering plantings, I harvest it from a few weeks after the spring frost until well
after the last fall frost.
• Keep an eye on the contents of the health food stores in your area. At my local health food store,
although organic bunches of kale, collards, and chard are admittedly more expensive than conventional
produce, the bunches are much bigger, so the higher price is probably not higher per ounce. In this case,
paying more is warranted for more reasons than just nutrition.
• Buy fruit on sale and in season, and freeze it before it goes bad. I have never thrown fruit away in quite
a few years, because if I see the bananas are getting black spots and I can’t use them all, I peel them,
break them into chunks, and put them in sandwich baggies in the freezer. I buy a box or two of peaches
when they’re in season, and I wash and quarter them in baggies to freeze and last through the winter.
• Greens, too, while they can’t be frozen for salads and other purposes, can be easily frozen for later use
in smoothies. No one will be able to tell. So you never have to let the spinach go bad again.
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 41