Raw Food Green Smoothie Challenge

10-DAY RAW FOODS GREEN SMOOTHIE CLEANSE CHALLENGE!  PLUS 10 GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPES
By Melanie Mediate, weightloss chef

WHY SMOOTHIE CLEANSE? – When it comes to losing weight, the number one concern is hunger.  Being hungry and experiencing cravings is something we all can deal with for a short period of time, but after a few days of dieting, the hunger takes over and we generally will all fall off the weight loss wagon only to regain the weight we have lost and a few extra pounds to boot.  The Smoothie Diet offers a hunger-reducing plan that ensures you never feel those extreme hunger pangs and never fall off the weight loss wagon.

HOW IT WORKS – A green smoothie first thing starts off the day filled with protein, fiber, natural sugars for carbs – and is all raw, creating the perfect mix to naturally battle morning fatigue and hunger and is all hidden in a tasty treat that we all love, fruit smoothies!

BREAKFAST:  START THE DAY A FAT BURNING MACHINE – Breakfast the most important part of the day.  It is the time when the metabolism kick starts for the days calorie burn.  The trouble is most people leave their breakfast meal filled with quick burning carbohydrates, which leads to rushed unplanned choices and poor snacking only a few hours later.  This clogs up the system with a huge amount of unneeded and for the most part unnatural calories.

YUMMY SMOOTHIES ALL DAY! – Great for just one meal replacement; but the smoothie diet recipes available both online and in my personally written samples below offer a huge range of flavors to keep you interested every day of the planned time you’ll be cleansing.  So find your favorite mixes and learn the ratio of hidden greens you’re comfortable with adding, and get rocking with this awesome weightloss tool!

WHAT ABOUT GETTING ALL THE RIGHT NUTRIENTS? – The method of combining just the right fats, proteins and natural fibers helps the dieter fights the urge to eat later in the morning.  The stomach feels full straight through lunchtime, eliminating the extra calories consumed during those mid morning snacks.

WILL I BE HUNGRY? – NO!  At the heart of fighting the hunger is the diet smoothie recipe itself.  Each is filled with combinations that include carbohydrate, good sugars and proteins that actually increase energy and fight hunger; here’s why:  The slow metabolizing carbohydrates offer a blood sugar balance that keeps hunger away.  There are no quick burns and crashes like those experienced with the more traditional high sugar, high simple carbohydrate breakfast choices.  When glucose or blood sugar levels are balanced, hunger is kept at bay allowing for quicker weight loss results.

THIS IS AN AWESOME TOOL FOR CLEANSING YOUR SYSTEM, LOSING A FEW POUNDS AND REALLY CLEANSING YOUR SKIN AND BODY FROM THE INSIDE OUT!  I LIKE TO DO IT ONCE A YEAR TO CLEANSE MY SYSTEM AND THEN START FRESH.  I’M EXCITED AND NERVOUS ALL AT THE SAME TIME BUT WILL BE SO HAPPY ONCE I’VE SUCCEEDED AND PUSHED THROUGH THIS CHALLENGE; SO JOIN ME AND YOU WILL BE SO HAPPY YOU DID THIS!!

IT’S JUST 10 DAYS! LETS GO!..

FIND RECIPES BELOW…AND CHECK OUT THE ROCKBODYFOOD FACEBOOK PAGE  FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES!.. =)

RECIPES – Here are some recipes I’ve created over time and time again of having done these smoothies.  Get creative and try your own mixes after trying a few of mine.  Start with these to get used to the ratios and what fruit and citrus fruits cover which veggies band their taste the best, because for me that’s the most important part.  If it taste like a smoothie and it fills me up, than what’s better!  Love these!  Enjoy!

CREAMY BANANA-ALMOND (GREEN) WHEY BREAKFAST OR PRE WORKOUT SMOOTHIE

• 1 ½ bananas
• 1/4 cup organic raw almonds
• 1/4 cup whey protein powder (good quality brand, unsweetened, unflavored)
• 1/3 cup spinach, stems removed
• ½ cup nonfat greek yogurt (you can also just sub the protein powder entirely for the yogurt or visa versa.  Both have great quality protein)
• 1 cup reduced fat or nonfat milk (preferably organic)
• 1 cup ice

Optional:  I like to put a few dashes of vanilla extract (this is because I buy unflavored powders.  I like to know what’s going in. But if you’re using flavored protein powder probably skip this.)

Directions:
First in blender you will want to blend the spinach and about ½ of the milk with the almonds to ensure these get blended very smooth. Blend until smooth for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the ice, blend another 30 sec to a minute, the add in ice at end, blend and serve!

WILD BERRY-BANANA

• 1 banana
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen boysenberries (or blackberries)
• 1 carrot (peeled & sliced in 4 pieces)
• 2 cups spinach
• 1-2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (or simply orange juice/no additives or sweeteners)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until completely smooth; about 3 minutes (May take a while to completely blend the carrots.) Blend longer if needed until all lumps are gone.  Now add ice cubes and blend until desired thickness.

PEACH-ORANGE

• 2-3 cups frozen peaches
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup baby bok choy, or regular bok choy (use mostly leafy green tops)
• 2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• ½ banana

Directions:

Use same method as above.

 BREAKFAST PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Jump-start your metabolism with a protein rich fruit and yogurt shake.

• 2 frozen bananas
• 2 carrots, peeled, ends removed
• ½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. whey protein powder (good quality, unsweetened, unflavored)
• 2 handful ice cubes
• 1 cup (plus more as needed) nonfat milk

 PEACH- SPINACH

• ½ bag peaches, no sugar added (organic)
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup of orange juice
•  handful of ice cubes

Blend the first 3 ingredients very good, then add ice after the greens are fully blended.

STRAWBERRY-BANANA KALE

Why Kale? – Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.  Helps support weight loss.

• kale
• strawberries
• bananas
• fresh squeezed orange juice

BLUEBERY-BANANA

• banana
• blueberries
• organic spinach
• fresh squeezed orange juice

BERRY-KALE

(Antioxidants (ie:berries): help to counteract and neutralize oxidative stress in the body – which has been proven to lead to a variety of diseases such as cancer and increased aging of the body and skin.)

• raspberries
• blueberries
• strawberries
• boysenberries
• green leaf kale

PINEAPPLE-BOK CHOY

(Why Bok Choy? –  Bok choy is rich in fiber, potassium, folate, and calcium. “Bok choy is by far the healthiest type of cabbage you can eat,” – Dr. Barry Sears in his book The Top 100 Zone Foods.

• pineapple
• bok choy (great for your skin)
• lemon
• green apple

STRAWBERRY-BANANA SPINACH

• spinach
• strawberries
• bananas
• fresh squeezed orange juice

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Melanie is a San Diego native, a lover of outdoor activities, cooking, friends & family, & is an entrepreneur at heart.  As a personal chef and fitness coach, she has been able to combine her two career passions – which has proven to be an exciting journey.  Inspired by a love for cooking & entertaining, Melanie attended the Art Institute of San Diego and in 2006, she became a personal chef.  Ever since been then, she has been preparing nutritious gourmet meals (personal meal deliveries & private party catering) for residents in La Jolla, Carmel Valley and all over North County San Diego.  Melanie is NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified and is the founder of Rock Body Food.  Melanie truly loves her job of teaching others how to do what she loves & lives herself!