Detox Smoothies Challenge: 7 Recipes For Each Day Of The Week
Detox Smoothies Challenge: 7 Recipes For Each Day Of The Week
High-powered blenders are more widely available than ever before, and with that availability, there's a boom in smoothie popularity. One of the earliest manufacturers of this type of machine claims their product breaks food down to the "cellular level," making it more bio-available. Enthusiastic users embrace its value for weight maintenance as do those who use it to support healing from digestive issues.
Blenders are key to a good detox program. Unlike juicers, they retain all the fiber in food, so important for detoxing. Although rumor has it that regular blenders will work for smoothies and puréed soups, high-powered blenders produce a more satisfying result.
Ice thickens these smoothies, but that thickness won't last long, so enjoy your smoothie right after you make it. If you prefer not to use ice, be sure you include the type of fruit or veggie that will provide some body and creaminess (banana or avocado).
The ingredients in these smoothies are widely available. For all smoothies, start the blender slowly, and increase speed, allowing all items to move into the vortex. Run for 1 minute or until smooth.
And now . . . take the inKin Detox Week Challenge and enjoy these daily detox smoothie recipes, one for each day of the week.
Sunday - Green Smoothie
High-powered blenders are perfect for creating delicious green smoothies that even finicky eaters who aren't into the whole health thing will love. The secret to making wonderful green smoothies is to choose light-colored, sweet fruits to keep the green color bright and beautiful and the taste sweet enough that it's familiar and comforting. A smoothie that people won't drink, no matter how healthy it is, will just contribute to food waste.
• 8 ice cubes
• water, seltzer water, unsweetened pomegranate or cranberry juice, or apple juice to one cup mark (after adding ice)
• 4-6 chunks of pineapple
• 1 banana
• 1/2 apple
• 1/2 small peeled orange
• 1-2 cups chopped greens, as much as you can add to a 2-quart high-powered blender
Regarding your greens, remember to mix it up, sometimes using kale, sometimes spinach, sometimes Romaine, sometimes chard or collard greens. You can even use a little of all of them together instead of just one in a smoothie. All of these greens are high nutrient density greens, although each has a somewhat different nutritional profile. A variety of greens provides the best nutrition, but there's another reason to mix it up. Too much of one kind of greens can cause alkaloid poisoning. Alkaloids are a protective device in the plant to prevent its over-grazing and destruction. True, you'd have to eat a LOT of one kind of green to get there, and the symptoms are mild and likely to go away in a day or two . . . but why risk it when there are so many fantastic options out there?
Monday - Chocolate Smoothie
This smoothie is a surprise, but it really works!
• 8 ice cubes
• water, seltzer water, unsweetened pomegranate or cranberry juice, or apple juice to one cup mark (after adding ice)
• 1/4 cup powdered cocoa - no Dutch cocoa!
• the flesh of one small avocado and the pit
• 12 oz. organic tofu OR 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut and/or 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup dried or pitted frozen, fresh or canned cherries (alternatively one peeled orange or another whole fruit that you think might taste good with a strong chocolate flavor)
Tuesday - Cucumber Smoothie
You can pre-cook the cucumber and onion in this recipe, or leave it raw.
• 8 ice cubes
• 4 pickling or small cucumbers, peeled (or not, if organic & well-washed) and chunked
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chunked
• salt, to taste
• 8 oz. organic yogurt
Garnish with cucumber and tomato slices and a little chopped mint.
Wednesday - Bugs Bunny Smoothie
• 8 ice cubes
• unsweetened pomegranate juice to one cup mark (after adding ice)
• 4 pitted dates
• 1-2" chunk of banana
• 1/4 apple wedge
• 1/4 orange wedge
• a few washed spinach leaves or a chunk of white cabbage
• a large handful of frozen organic berries
Thursday - Chia Smoothie
Chia is superb nutritionally, with protein and calcium, and it's great for digestion. Chia seeds absorb liquids and expand up to 12 times their size, so experiment a little with the liquid to get the thickness you like for your smoothie.
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds, soaked overnight or boiled briefly to soften
• 1 cup frozen organic berries (if the berries aren't frozen, reduce the water by 1/2 cup and add 8 ice cubes)
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups water
• 2 TB chia seeds, ground in coffee grinder or soaked in the smoothie mix for a while before blending and drinking
Friday - Tomato Smoothie
This "smoothie" is an incredibly easy and delicious soup when hot, but if you chill it, it becomes a delightful smoothie.
• 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 Spanish onion, rough cut
• 8 plum tomatoes
• 1/2" piece ginger root
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. hot paprika
• 1 TB water (you may not need this)
Place all ingredients in a pot, turn on the heat, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes. Move mixture to a high-powered blender, start blending on slow, increase the speed and blend for one minute until smooth. Add in 2-4 leaves of basil, rough-chopped, and pulse a few times. Drink warm, as is, or chill and enjoy as a smoothie.
Saturday - Beet Smoothie
• 8 ice cubes
• water, seltzer water, unsweetened pomegranate or cranberry juice, or apple juice to one cup mark (after adding ice)
• 1/2 peeled orange
• 1 cup mixed frozen organic berries
• 1 beet, lightly cooked, peeled and rough cut (about 1/3 - 1/2 cup)
• 2 TB flax seeds
• 1/4 cup peeled, blanched (or soaked) almonds or 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
None of these smoothies include added sugars or sweeteners, including no-calorie sweeteners. Two toxins in your diet are added sugars and commercially created "food products", so it's best to leave them out. If you can't live without more sweetness than real fruits and some veggies offer, there's no reason to waste money on "raw" sugar -- just use a little regular sugar, as little as possible, unless you're vegan. In that case, you will need to use unfiltered sugar, probably organic.
If you can, though, give yourself this week without the sugar. You can retrain your taste buds and learn to enjoy the amazing flavors of real foods.
