Sweater/Smoothie Part B + Who Needs Sorbet?

Can I write a blog in twelve minutes? The world is about to find out.
I have two blogs to finish from earlier this week. They both ended up being more in depth than I expected, so we're going to call this "catch up Thursday" and get them both done! There's always next week for the other two blogs I wanted to do to this week :) In case you haven't tuned in this week, we're going to finish the SMOOTHIE blog, which ended up being much more popular than I expected and also the OLD SWEATER blog.
First up? Smoothies.
So, as you know, I'm on a detox plan for January to try to get my body back in gear after the holidays. I'm trying to drink at least one smoothie per day. Done right, smoothies are super healthy. What is right? Let me tell you.
A) No added sugar.
B) All natural products (read: produce).
C) As a *replacement* for a meal, not an addition to one.

Cheater green recipe

Smoothies not only give the body a boost of needed nutrients (so many of us don't get the required amount of produce in our diet), they also are entirely raw (which is huge) and since they have been liquefied, they're easy for the body to digest. Our digestive system does so much work 24/7/375 that giving it a break now and then is actually very good for the body. Google the health benefits of fasting, ps.
We've established that smoothies are healthy, and really quite delicious as well. But there's one more thing I want to say... green smoothies are especially healthy. Green smoothies are made from veggies. I hate them. Today, in our part b, I want to focus on two ways to fake green smoothies that will boost your health without boosting your gag reflex.

Green cube recipe

The first is this: Half it. I know... there are people who will tell you about entirely green smoothies that are delicious, but I've never found one and I don't buy it. Mix half veggies with half fruit to make a smoothie that still tastes really good while giving you the benefit of all of those vegetables. Think of a summer salad. Strawberries... raspberries... oranges... lettuce... mmm. So good right? There's no reason why that same principle doesn't apply to smoothies. You can mix all kinds of sweet fruits into your veggies to make it taste good. Here's a suggested recipe below, feel free to sub in any of your favorite fruits.

Frozen, baby!

AUNA'S CHEATER GREEN
1.5 c. kale, washed and separated from the stems
1 large apple, diced
1 c. strawberries
1 carrot, diced
1/2 c. low fat, all natural yogurt
Toss everything in the blender and poof! Delicious but green. 

Green cubes + fruit smoothie

The second thing you can do is create green cubes. For this, you'll make an entirely green smoothie and then freeze it in your ice tray. Each time you make a fruit smoothie, toss in as many of these cubes as you can without compromising the taste. This is also a great way to save yourself from wasting extra vegetables. I buy a lot of green leafy goodness and can't always eat it all before it spoils. Just toss it in to the recipe before it's too late! Another bright spot is that you'll be more likely to actually have a smoothie because the time it takes to prepare one will be cut down. 
AUNA'S GREEN CUBES
1 lb kale, washed and diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 carrot, washed, peeled and diced
Blend! It should be easy to blend this in a blender, but if you're having a hard time (or using a hand blender) add in 1/2 cup of almond/soy/rice/coconut milk.

Smoothie Sorbet

Pour everything into a freezer tray, cover with aluminum foil and freeze. After they're done, empty the tray into a freezer bag. It should break apart once it's in the bag. Label the bag and stick it in the freezer.
Here's the last thing I have to say about smoothies (and it has been WAY more than 12 minutes!): who needs sorbet? In the picture above with the green cubes + fruit smoothie, I used entirely frozen fruit (except for the banana) and 3 green cubes + some more yogurt. I blended it in that bowl and because it was so thick, I ate it with a spoon. It tasted like a (slightly softer) version of sorbet! Instead of eating my lunch, I felt like I was getting away with dessert! I may never be tempted to buy or eat sorbet again. Hurrah!


And now that you've read a lifetime's worth about smoothies, let's finish that SWEATER BLOG. It technically won't be finished because I'm sooo out of time and there's one more thing I want to show you, but I can at least talk about the other image in the picture and explain it. Those are leg warmers/boot socks. They aren't my idea at all, I got it from THIS BLOG. But as a ballerina and avid (really, you have no idea) lover of boots... I was pretty excited. I have a huge collection of boot socks and leg warmers, but the more the merrier!

Stitching up the side

(1) I used the same sweater from yesterday's blog and cut off the sleeves for this.
(2) I flipped it inside out and stitched up the side to get rid of the tapering (they need to be more straight in order to stay on) and then hemmed the top. 
That's it. Pretty simple right? It's a great way to use up the sleeves as you upcycle your sweaters. It may make you think twice before giving a few away this season as well. 
I should mention that in the original blog, the wrist hole is the part that goes toward your knee. That way they stay up easier. However, I really liked the pattern on the sleeve, so I reversed it and they're staying on my leg without any problems. Your call. 
Unfortunately, there's no time for editing. My apologies in advance for all of the grammatical errors that may (or hopefully, may not!) be found! I've got to get moving. It seems like I'm late a lot lately? Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day and as always, thanks for reading! Pin It