Lately, I have been doing green smoothies for breakfast. However, today I had some coconut milk and a banana that needed to be used, so I decided to indulge in a more dessert-like treat for my first fuel of the day.

Since it was totally tasty and so quick to throw together, I thought some of you might like to try it too!

11 ounces coconut milk
1 banana
1 scoop Vega Protein & Greens (I used the vanilla flavor)
1 handful of pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon chia seeds

Simply throw it all in the blender and blend it with a few ice cubes (if you prefer a thicker smoothie).

This took only a couple of minutes to put together and blend, which makes it great for when you need a quick breakfast smoothie to take with you as you head out the door in the morning.

There are lots of household and personal care uses for lemons, including making your own cleaning products, concocting time-proven health remedies and mixing up do-it-yourself skin care products. Most of these uses require lemon juice, but what can you do with leftover lemons that you have already juiced?
 
If you use lemons frequently for juicing, tea or making lemonade, you likely have lots of leftover lemon halves and might be wondering how to reuse lemons instead of sending them to the landfill.
 
In our house, we go through at least one lemon each day when I make my morning green smoothie – two if my wife also makes one. Right now, I’m only using the juice from the lemon, but I’m considering including more of the pulp – or even a little peel – to reduce waste and see how it affects the flavor.
 
In the meantime, I have at least one whole, leftover lemon to somehow reuse every day. While most of them are still going in my compost bin, I have been trying some new ways to reuse lemons after I have juiced them. So I thought I would share them with you...

1. Add them to your compost bin.

Used lemons and lemon peels can be added to your compost bin to provide you with nutrient-rich compost for use in your vegetable garden. However, you do not want to add too much citrus to your compost pile, so this option is best for folks who occasionally have some leftover lemons.
 
2. Slice the halves and use them in tea.

Although you may have already juiced your lemon halves, they likely still have a bit of juice left in them. If so, you can slice the halves and keep them in a mason jar or other glass container in your refrigerator to use in your tea throughout the day.
 
3. Deodorize your refrigerator with used lemons.

If there is still some pulp left in your lemons, you can simply set the used lemon halves in the refrigerator to remove odors.
 
4. Deodorize your litter box area.

I live with five cats, so we are always happy to find new ways to keep our cat room odor free. Aside from constantly cleaning multiple litter boxes, we also reuse lemons by placing the leftover lemon halves in a bowl near the cat boxes.
 
5. Deodorize your recycling bin or trash can.

You can also reuse leftover lemons by placing some slices in the bottom of your recycling bin or trash can to ward off odors. Just remember to change them out regularly, since they will decompose.
 
6. Deodorize and kill germs on your cutting boards.

This is one of my favorite uses for lemons – mostly because it is so easy and I always have a cutting board out right at the moment when I make my morning juice and end up with two lemon halves to somehow reuse. I don’t generally notice much of an odor coming from my cutting boards, but I do chop a lot of garlic and onions, so I’m sure the lemons are helping.

All you do is take one of your lemon halves and rub it (cut side down) all over the cutting board. Wait for a few minutes before rinsing and drying your cutting board to let the lemon’s antibacterial qualities work their magic.

7. Clean your microwave.

I usually clean my microwave by microwaving a bowl of vinegar, and then wiping it down with a rag. However, one day I had a couple of lemon halves sitting on the counter and wondered if it might work just as well. After all, lemons are used for all kinds of cleaning purposes, so it made sense that they might also work for this.
 
To clean your microwave with leftover lemons, simply place them in a microwave-safe bowl about half filled with water and microwave it for about thirty seconds. Carefully remove the bowl and use a rag to wipe down your microwave.
 
This also works to deodorize your microwave.
 
8. Remove hard water stains and soap scum with lemons.

We have hard water and we have decided not to install a water softener. So, while that means that we, our furry friends and our plants can all enjoy using water right from the tap, it also means that our fixtures get some serious hard water stains. I have not found a perfect solution for this, but my leftover lemons do help. They are also particularly good at just general cleaning of my stainless steel kitchen sink.
 
9. Clean and shine chrome fixtures.

Another of the many uses of lemons is to clean and shine chrome fixtures around the house. To do this, you just need to rub the lemon all over the kitchen or bathroom fixture – which may include a bit of scrubbing if you have hard water – then rinse and dry with a soft cloth or rag.  
 
10. Shine your stainless steel silverware.

For some reason, my stainless steel silverware gets spots on it, which I’m pretty sure are rust spots. I have used aluminum foil to scrub these spots off before, but lately I have been trying a little salt and lemon, which seems to do the trick. I just sprinkle some salt on the spot, and then scrub it with one of my juiced lemons.
 
11. Clean your coffee pot.

Long, long ago when I worked in a restaurant, we used to put salt, ice and lemon wedges in glass coffee pots, swish it around for a couple of minutes, and then rinse them out and let them air dry. This helped to sanitize them and was great for getting that pesky brown ring that always seems to form about halfway up the side of the pot.

12. Eliminate kitchen odors.

Toss your used lemons in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and then set it to simmer for a few hours on the stove. This natural deodorizer will freshen the air while allowing you to get a second use out of your lemons. You can also do this on a stove used to heat your home by placing the lemon pieces in water in a cast iron kettle or pot.
 
13. Deodorize your garbage disposal.

This is an oldie but goodie and is worth mentioning – just in case you have not yet heard of this household use for lemons. All you need to do here is drop your leftover lemon pieces in your garbage disposal to be ground up next time you turn it on. Keep in mind that your garbage disposal may not be able to handle lemon halves, so you may need to chop them up smaller before dropping them into the disposal.
 
14. Ward off ants.

I have only seen this used for ants, but I have heard that it also works for fleas. All you need to do is slice up your used lemons and scatter them around anywhere ants might be coming inside your house, such as doorways and windowsills. You can also scatter them outside around food prep areas or entertaining areas to keep ants away.
 
15. Make lemon twists for water or cocktails.

Slice off the peel, toss the pulp in your compost bin, and slice the peel into thin strips. You can then save these strips to use as lemon twists to garnish cocktails later that night or to make your water bottle look extra fancy throughout the day.
 
Bartending helped pay for my undergrad degree, so you can trust me when I tell you that twisting the rind to release the citrus oil -- and then rubbing it around the rim of a cocktail glass before placing it inside or on the edge as a garnish – can do amazing things for a drink.
 
16. Make infused water.

While we are on the topic of enhancing drinks with lemons, it is a good time to mention that you can also make lemon-infused water with your leftover juicing lemons. Simply slice your used lemon halves thinly, place them in a mason jar or glass pitcher, fill the jar or pitcher with water and put it in the fridge for a few hours.
 
You can also make lemon-infused water in a drink dispenser by adding water, sliced lemons and ice, which you can then use as your drinking water throughout the day or for serving guests. If you are not a huge fan of water, you might want to try adding lemons to water and leaving it to infuse overnight in the fridge for a refreshing, flavored drink to enjoy the next day.
 
17. Heal rough or cracked heels.

If cracked heels are an issue for you, try reusing lemons to soften them. To use lemons to soften heels, you cut them in half, squeeze out most of the juice, and then keep the lemon half intact to cup your heel and let it work its all-natural, heel-softening magic. Since we are talking about how to reuse lemons you have already juiced, this is perfect (since you would have to juice them anyways).
 
The trick is keeping the lemon halves on your heels for an extended period of time, because you will need to have them on for at least an hour each time you do it. Of course, if it better if you can leave them on for a few hours – or even overnight.
 
The only way I have found to effectively do this is to put heel socks over them to hold them in place. The problem is, it is very difficult to find this type of sock without that annoying gel in them. I occasionally find them on Amazon, so you may want to try there.
 
18.  Make natural potpourri and sachets.

To make all-natural potpourri or sachets, you first need to remove all of the pulp from the lemons. Then cut the peel into strips and dry them. You can dry lemon peels by laying them out for several days or by using your dehydrator. Take your dried lemon peels and mix them with cloves, dried flowers, cinnamon sticks and other aromatic herbs or spices. If you want to enhance the fragrance further, you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils – such as orange, lemon, clove or cinnamon. Put your potpourri mixture in a mason jar or another sealed container and leave it sealed for at least a few days (but preferably longer for a stronger scent) before placing it in baskets, bowls or sachets to use around the house.

Okay, what did I miss?

What are your favorite ways to reuse lemons after juicing them?

Lately, my morning smoothies have included things like rice milk and bananas, but after our latest road trip, we both felt the need to detox a bit. We actually ate some great vegan food on the road, but we also ate some junk food, so I'm amping up my juicing this week.

I tend to add a lot to my juices and smoothies, such as chia seeds, protein powder, pumpkin seeds, maca powder and such, but I'm going basic for my morning smoothies this week and enjoying some nutrient-packed juices without the extras.

Here is this week's morning juice recipe...

What you need:

1.5 to 2 cups of coconut water (or just water, if you don't have coconut water)
1 big handful of spinach
1 cucumber
3 stalks of celery
1 apple
1 lemon
A few sprigs of parsley

What you do:

You can use an extraction juicer or a blender to make this juice. I have an extraction juicer, and I do use it, but I generally prefer the blender method to get all of that plant-based goodness.

1. Wash and cut your produce into pieces that work for your blender. (For example, you don't have to chop celery when using a Vitamix, but I like to chop it to avoid sucking random celery strings through the straw.)

2. Add the coconut water or water to the blender with the spinach, cucumber, apple, celery and parsley.

3. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the blender.

4. Blend, pour and enjoy!

This makes enough to have one juice in the morning and save some left over for a mid-afternoon energy boost.

These are my first carrots of the year and I can't get over how cute they are!

Last year was my first year growing in our coastal Oxnard backyard after moving back to SoCal from Seattle. Since Oxnard is filled with farms and known for its agriculture and a climate that lets you grow just about anything, I figured having my little backyard vegetable garden (mostly a juicing garden) would be a total breeze.

Ugh, I was so wrong!

Last year was my worst gardening year ever. First I had fungus on every squash plant in my garden, then I had aphids like you wouldn't believe, then Samson kept eating all of the strawberries and knocking the peppers off the plants to play with them, then I had some night-time visitors demolishing everything, and then I had blossom rot. But that wasn't all.

My plants suddenly started dying and not doing as well. It took me a while to figure out the problem, but when I went to test the soil, I found a grub. So then I did a little digging and found disturbed root systems and so many grubs that I couldn't even count them if I tried.

So, after finding the grub infestation and not being able to find a cruelty-free way to save my garden without killing the grubs, I basically gave up.

...Until winter...when the grubs go deeper into the soil and wouldn't be so interested in my roots. Come winter, I planted lettuces, kale and chard. They took forever to germinate, but when they did, they did just fine. As you can see, they are still producing.

I've planted lots more since then and everything is going well, but it is almost time for the grubs to return to the surface and get ready to become beetles. So that means they are probably going to be feasting on my roots again. I'm crossing my fingers that they let my garden live! 

Here are some more garden pictures and updates on how things are going so far this year:

I have never grown radishes before, so I was super excited to see these little fellas popping up so soon after planting the seeds! As you can see in the front row, my parsley seeds are still deciding whether or not they feel like germinating. I'm giving them another week, and then I will be replanting that patch.

In the back row behind the radishes, those are cherry tomatoes and kale.

Last year, I planted marigolds in the open spaces in the cinder block garden borders. The hope was for them to work as natural, cruelty-free pest control, but I feel like I only had so-so results. So this year, I went ahead and planted kale, chard and lettuces in the open spaces.

If you are planting in cinder blocks for the first time, I recommend planting kale or chard in every other hole (instead of every hole) to give them more room to grow and to make sure no one is blocking anyone's sun.

I'm trying corn in one corner of my garden this year. Somehow this bean sprout is mixed in with the corn planted along the borders in the cinder blocks. Well, at least beans and corn get along!

My night-time garden visitors were demolishing my collard greens this winter, but they seem to have moved on, and we are now getting some good collards!

The lemon tree (in the middle) is the most productive of our younger fruit trees. We have an old orange tree that was here long before we were, but we planted the other trees. So far, we have lime, lemon, plum, kumquat and pomegranate.

The kumquat tree gave quite a bit this spring (even with a significant caterpillar population munching on the leaves), and I'm hoping for another harvest in summer. The wind blew away all of the plum blossoms, so I don't know how that might affect pollination (I need to look that up). The lime tree gets lots of blossoms but very few fruits so far.

We also have an avocado tree out front, which is technically a sucker off of an old avocado tree that was chopped down before we came along. It gets blossoms but no fruits. We aren't expecting it to ever fruit, but we are keeping our fingers crossed, since it is the size of a tree, so I hate to kill it to make room to plant another one. My Dad -- who has about 150 avocado trees on their ranch -- thinks it is quite humorous that we won't give up on our sucker, but we aren't losing hope yet!

I really want some more fruit trees, but I don't think we have any more room.

What I love the most about the above picture is that little parsley plant right in the middle. I didn't plant any parsley in this bed. As you saw, I planted it in front of the radishes. However, I did let my parsley go to seed last year, and I think we can all see where one of those seeds ended up.

So the parsley I planted is still not doing anything, but this little gal is coming up just fine. I also found another one in the gravel by the fire pit. Letting stuff go to seed can lead to fun garden surprises!

Rather than giving up on growing strawberries (since Samson loves them), I decided to try growing them in containers this year. While they are out of reach for Sam, now the birds are feasting on them. We have managed to each eat one strawberry from the garden this year. They were delish. I hope I can come up with a way to save a few more of them from the birds.

Rather than using the trellis you see in the background for beans this year, I am using it to try to keep Samson out of the corn. We will see how that goes!

Other stuff I have planted so far that I will have to post pics of soon include chayotes, jalapenos and cucumber. I planted a few pumpkin seeds, but I'm losing hope that they will germinate.

How is your garden going this year? I would love to see pics -- post them on the Facebook page!

Oh -- and tips! Do you have vegan gardening tips, organic gardening tips or tips for making the most out of a juicing garden? Please share them with us!

In a recent post, I talked about my super-sneaky way to get more greens into my daily diet. While I will keep using my fave vegan greens powder to add more greens on the cheap, I have now found another cheap trick with which I am quickly falling in love: frozen spinach.

Fresh spinach is a pretty common ingredient for green juices, since it is quite the nutritional powerhouse, but not everyone can afford to buy organic fresh spinach for their daily juicing needs.

Conventional spinach just has way too many pesticides -- landing it on the Dirty Dozen list of foods to buy organic -- so I really can't recommend saving money by going non-organic on this one.

But I can recommend going frozen. Sure, fresh is better when you can, but frozen can be cheaper and way more convenient, and I'm all about making it easy and affordable to eat as healthy as possible.

I picked up the organic frozen spinach pictured below for $2.49. The conventional store-brand option was $1.99. I am more than happy to pay an additional 50 cents to go organic here.

I've been throwing a handful in my daily smoothies -- like this one and this one -- and loving it!

I dig how I easily upped the nutritional value of each smoothie, and they still taste fantastic.

Here is the recipe for the Spinach-Strawberry-Pineapple smoothie I whipped up today:

Spinach-Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

11 ounces of coconut water (juice or regular water can substitute for this)
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen spinach

You can stop there, but I also added:

1 tablespoon flax seed meal
2 teaspoons chia seeds (pre-soaked)

If you don't have a powerful blender, you may need to add a bit more liquid.

Here's what it looked like in the blender...

On a side note, this entire vegan smoothie was pretty cheap to make. I found the frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, flax seed meal and coconut water at the dollar store. The bananas came from my fave roadside produce stand where I get them six for a buck, and the chia seeds came from the bulk bin at Winco -- where they are about half the price I've seen them selling for elsewhere.

Do you have cheap tricks for adding more greens to your juicing? If so, let us know in the comments below!

I recently decided that my lofty goal of drinking at least one organic green smoothie packed with fresh leafy greens and other wholesome goodness each day just isn't going to happen. I'm a busy girl with tight deadlines and a tighter budget, which means I needed to find a way to sneak in some greens on those days when I can't get away to my favorite roadside produce stand or when I feel the need to stretch my grocery budget.

When I started flirting with the idea of relying on a superfood powder to get at least some of my greens, I felt like I was cheating on my health and betraying my body. But I decided that getting in some greens any way I could was better than going a day without them, so I did a little research to convince myself that this was a healthful choice.

At the same time, I was looking to add a probiotic supplement and maca root powder to my daily routine, so I headed over to my fave discount supplement and health food site to see what they had. That is where I discovered Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder by Nature's Answer.

Some of the features that initially drew me to this particular powder supplement was that it includes both maca root and a probiotic blend, it is significantly more affordable than some of the other vegan options and it is packed with a bunch of other good-for-you awesomeness.

Here is what the powder looks like...

I mentioned this product in a previous post, but I wanted to use it a bit longer before I did a full review. Now that I've used it for about a month, and have tried it in several different concoctions, I can fill you in on whether or not I think it was a good purchase -- and worth the money.

So let's start with some of the goodness you will find in this superfood powder supplement...

As I mentioned above, it has a probiotic blend and maca root. It also have a 1,000mg fiber blend, a 250mg antioxidant blend, digestive enzymes and an immune-enhancing blend with CoQ10. The 4,000mg superfood blend includes organic spirulina, broccoli, organic alfalfa, organic barley grass, organic wheat grass, chlorella, organic spinach and kelp.

I posted a couple of pics below to show the supplement facts, but I will list some of them here in case it's hard to read:

Vitamin A - 100%
Vitamin C - 417%
Calcium - 50%
Iron - 25%
Vitamin D2 - 250%
Vitamin E - 780%
Vitamin B1 - 200%
Vitamin B2 - 118%
Niacin - 100%
Vitamin B6 - 250%
Folic Acid - 110%
Vitamin B12 - 500%
Biotin - 100%
Iodine - 100%
Manganese - 100%

There's even more goodness inside, but that gives you a pretty good idea of how this greens powder can be used as a dietary supplement that can be particularly beneficial to folks on a plant-based diet.

Here are pics of the back of the container with the supplement information...

Before doing a Greens Today Vegan Formula review, I wanted to make sure I tried it a few different ways so that I could also make some suggestions on how best to drink it.

The directions on the package say to mix one scoop (for adults) or 1/2 scoop (for kids) with eight to 12 ounces of water, juice or plant milk. You can go right ahead and do this, if you'd like, but be prepared for a very green-tasting drink that might take a few tries to get used to. I started out mixing it with water and just told myself that it wasn't supposed to taste good -- it was just supposed to be good for me -- but I pretty quickly decided that adding more greens to my diet in this way would be a lot easier if I actually enjoyed drinking them.

If you are going to mix it with juice, I recommend trying pineapple juice. While the powder smells like alfalfa (and kind of tastes like it), blending it with pineapple juice makes the taste far more pleasant.

However, if you really want to make this a lasting addition to your daily routine, I recommend going the smoothie route.

I first tried adding Greens Today in a smoothie with coconut water, banana and blueberries. It came out all right and was drinkable, but it still wasn't something I actually looked forward to drinking.

I experimented a bit with different frozen fruits -- resulting in various levels of drinkability -- and then came upon what I consider the perfect, nutrient-packed green smoothie recipe for thoroughly enjoying this easy way to add more greens to your diet.

Actually, I have two favorites.

Here is the first one:

Potassium-Rich Smoothie with Greens Powder

11 ounces of coconut water (I use single-serving packs from the dollar store.)

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (from the dollar store)

3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks (from the dollar store)

1 scoop of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder

I sometimes also add two teaspoons of chia seeds and about one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds.

This vegan smoothie recipe is super easy to throw together and tastes great! The blend of pineapple chunks and the greens powder creates a cool, refreshing, delish flavor that I look forward to -- particularly now that the weather is heating up around here.

Here's the other healthy smoothie recipe I use for my superfood powder supplement...

Banana-Pineapple-Greens Smoothie Recipe

11 ounces of coconut water

1 banana

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 scoop of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder

Again, this makes a really refreshing smoothie that I love to sip on while I work.

I pretty much always use coconut water as the liquid base for my smoothies, since my particular health situation calls for an emphasis on getting enough potassium, but you can also use water or juice.

Nature's Answer says this vegan greens supplement is "designed to provide a health promoting, energizing, cleansing, immune enhancing, alkaline promoting, complete daily nutritional supplement."

While I haven't been using it long enough to really comment on whether or not I think it has given a boost to my immune system, I definitely would report more energy and agree that it seems to have a cleansing effect. This, of course, makes sense, since it has a fiber blend, probiotic blend and all sorts of detox-supporting nutrients.

As for its immune-boosting abilities, what I can say is that I have mild rosacea that seems to have improved since I've been taking this supplement. I can't really say that it is because this is enhancing immune system function, but it might be. Or, since we don't really know what causes rosacea, it could also be that it promotes alkalinity. Either way, it seems to have had an effect.

I haven't stopped taking my other daily vegan supplements yet (including calcium, magnesium, turmeric, omega-3 DHA and a multi-vitamin), but it does feel like I could cut back on some of them now that I use this vegan greens powder daily. My reason for continuing the others is that I'm still in the process of learning how to best manage that pesky neuro disorder I have, but I think someone in good health following a plant-based diet could successfully use this as a fresher, healthier option for the vitamins and minerals included.

Speaking of fresher -- I really like the fact that Greens Today has to be refrigerated after opening and that the company says to discard it after 90 days. That helped to alleviate some of my initial reservations about using a powdered greens supplement on days I can't easily include more fresh greens in my meal prep.

You may be able to find this product locally using the  store locator on the Nature's Answer website, but I tried their store locator and couldn't find it my area.

You can purchase an 18-ounce container of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder on the company website for $42.00 (at the time of this writing), but you can get it way cheaper at Vitacost.

That is where I buy mine for just $24.49 (a 42% savings), plus I get free shipping, since I order it along with other supplements, organic hair and beauty products, and vegan foods, and Vitacost offers free shipping on orders that total more than $49.00.

You can go to www.vitacost.com to sign up for a free membership, but you can also get a $10.00 credit from Vitacost to use on your first order if you sign up for that free membership using an invitation link from a current member.

So...here's your invitation link -- you are going to love all the organic, natural and vegan awesomeness they offer at discount prices!

I have more reviews coming (next up are raw, vegan bars and an organic brown rice protein powder), so check back soon!

Sign up for the email list, or follow CVC on Twitter or Facebook, to make it even easier to find out about new posts!

I've already talked a bit about why I'm always on the lookout for easy ways to increase my potassium intake and why most people probably need more potassium in their diets.
You can read about that (and get another potassium-rich smoothie recipe, a list of potassium-rich foods and some more info) here:

Vegan Juicing: Potassium Power Smoothie with Coconut Water

But don't go running off just yet, since I have a recipe for you here too! Plus, the other blog post doesn't tell you about how I cheat to get more nutrients from greens.

So let's get right down to it...

I'm not really one to measure as I'm adding ingredients to my blender, so these measurements are estimates, and you may want to add a little more or less of the frozen stuff to get your fave smoothie texture.

Here's what I am currently doing for my daily potassium-rich smoothie:

11 ounces of coconut water (I got these single-serving packs at the dollar store.)

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (from the dollar store)

3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks (from the dollar store)

2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional)

1 scoop of vegan greens powder (This is optional. I use Greens Today Vegan that I get cheap from Vitacost.)

Let me sneak in here with a quick tip: Your chia seeds need to soak and get all gooey before you blend them up in your smoothie. To have one less cup or bowl to wash, just put them in your blender with your coconut water about 10 minutes before you plan to whip up this delish drink.

Of course, this vegan smoothie offers much more than just potassium and is packed with other vitamins and minerals. This is particularly true is you opt for adding a scoop of something like Greens Today to seriously up the nutritional value.

As I'm sure you have guessed by now, that is how I'm sneaking more greens into my diet. I throw one scoop of vegan greens powder in the blender and instantly add 1500mg of organic spirulina, 1000mg broccoli powder, and a seriously respectable amount of iron, vitamin E, B1, B6, B12, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D2 and much more.

What happened was...I was looking for cheap maca root and some kind of probiotic to add to the supplements I take each day. While I was searching on my favorite site for discount health foods and supplements I came across Greens Today, which has both a probiotic blend and maca root, as well as a ton of other good-for-you stuff.

Do I feel like I'm cheating when I use a powder instead of fresh greens?

Yes.

Am I going to keep right on doing it?

Yes.

Here's the deal: I am both busy and cheap. While I recognize that fresh, whole foods are the way to go whenever possible, there are lots of days when I will miss out on green goodness simply because I don't have time to sit there and wash and prepare a bunch of fresh produce when I'm working against tight deadlines. I do, however, have time to toss some frozen fruit and a scoop of greens powder in a blender.

I know that most of you are super busy too, and I think relying on this sort of backup is definitely better than just going without greens completely when we don't have a lot of time to dedicate to healthy eating.

Folks (like me) who can't always afford to purchase all of the organic produce their heart desires can also use this as an affordable way to keep working towards good health, even when you don't have fresh greens in the house.

There are several such products available, but Greens Today was significantly cheaper and looked just as good when I compared the lists of ingredients and supplement facts. I have been using it for about two weeks now, and I love it. I will get around to putting up a full review with more information, but I at least wanted to mention it now, since it is helping me easily increase my nutrient intake.

This is what the package looks like:

You may be able to find this locally. If not, you can definitely get it online. I buy mine from Vitacost, which is an awesome website where you can find all sorts of vegan supplements, hair and beauty products, organic and gluten-free foods, spices and more. You do have to sign up for a free membership, but that only takes a minute and is SO worth it.

Now, if you want, you can go right over to www.vitacost.com and sign up, but you can get a $10.00 credit to use on your first order if you sign up via an invitation link from a current member.

So, because I love y'all (and because you and I both get a $10.00 credit if you do it this way), here is an invitation link for Vitacost.

If you have been in the market for a Vitamix, but the price seems a little overwhelming, today might be your lucky day!

I just found out that the Today's Special Value on QVC is a Vitamix blender!

The Vitamix Creations GC 48-ounce 12-in-1 Variable Speed Blender to be exact...and it's at a special price of just $379.90.

If you run over and get one today, you get free shipping and handling -- plus the option to make five monthly payments (instead of one lump sum)!

I absolutely love my Vitamix and don't know what I would do without it. If you need a blender, and can swing this deal, I definitely recommend it!

If you are in need of a new juicer, head over to Groupon to check out this deal for a 51% discount and free shipping on a Dash Premium Juicer.

The list price for the Dash Premium Juicer (JB001CM) is $139.99, but you can save 51% and pay just $69.99 if you grab this deal within the next two days. Plus, don't forget about that free shipping!

Some Highlights:

• 3-ince feed tube
• High and low speeds
• Includes 32-ounce juice pitcher
• Disassembles easily for cleaning

Read more about this juicer, or grab this deal at Groupon.

I'm experimenting with increasing my potassium intake to combat some of the symptoms that come with the lovely neurological disorder that is always trying to mess up my day. As part of this, I recently picked up some Naked Coconut Water, and today I decided it was time to put it to good use in a potassium-packed smoothie.

Now, while my reason for looking for easy ways to increase potassium intake is specific to what I've got going on, pesky neuro disorders are definitely not the only reason to make sure you are getting enough potassium every day.

The average adult needs about 4.7 grams of potassium per day, and lots of folks don't come anywhere near that mark. Plus, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking certain medications or are an athlete, you might need even more than that.

On the other hand, folks taking potassium supplements or certain medications that can increase potassium levels, such as some blood pressure medications, blood thinners, ACE-inhibitors and whatnot, should definitely chat with their healthcare provider before partaking in self-prescribed potassium loading.

With all that said, let's get to the vegan juicing recipe!

Vegan Smoothie Recipe: Potassium Power

What you need:

1 Naked Coconut Water Single-Serving Pack (11.2 ounces)
1 banana
1/2 to 1 cup mixed berries (or other fruit of choice)
2 teaspoons chia seeds

What you do:

1. Combine the chia seeds with a bit of the coconut water, and let them sit for about five minutes or so to get their goo on. (I'm still working on getting used to the whole gelatinous thing with chia seeds, but if you are already used to it, you can use 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in this recipe instead.)

2. Toss all ingredients into your blender and whip up your awesome, potassium-packed smoothie.

3. Enjoy!

I also added about a 3/4 scoop of Tru Food Vegan, but this is optional, and there's plenty of potassium in this vegan smoothie without adding a nutritional supplement.

Here's about how much potassium each ingredient delivers:

Naked Coconut Water + Pineapple Juice - 510mg
If you use the unflavored Naked Coconut Water, it has 650mg.
You could also use 1/2 cup orange juice instead and get 236mg.

Banana - about 425mg for an average banana

Chia Seeds - one ounce (just over 2 tablespoons) has 45mg

You also get a bit of potassium from your berries, which will vary depending on the type of berries used.

Here are some other good sources of potassium:

• Avocados
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Raisins
• Pears
• Cantaloupe
• Mangos
• Papayas

 
Notes on going greener with this smoothie:

1. If you get larger containers of coconut water, there's less packaging waste.

2. Use organic produce when you can.

2. Glass drinking vessels, mason jars and the like are better options than plastic cups (like the one in the picture). I swear I don't break glasses, but my neurological disorder does (and she knocks things over every chance she gets). That's why I usually use plastic cups with lids...which we call my sippy cups. =)