I Missed My Vitamix on Spring Break

Can I lament for a bit?  I was on a trip with my daughter over spring break to re-visit two Colleges she is considering attending.  One of the Colleges was in Portland so finding plant based/vegan food was not a big issue.  The other was in Spokane and the search became a little more difficult and more "junk" vegan food was consumed than I like in my every day diet.

My main issue is that I just can't find the vegetable, seed, and nut content that I eat on a daily basis. Without my friendly Vitamix I can't consume my daily smoothie which is like drinking an amazing multi vitamin and mineral complex filled with fiber and soul in a quart jar!  Yes, I do drink about a quart of this stuff a day.

I did manage to consume organic apples, oranges, bananas, walnuts, and almonds every day for breakfast.  It's hard, though, to sit down and eat a fresh bunch of raw kale - so much easier to toss it into a smoothie and let it ease on down the pipes that way.

I was sooo happy to be back in my kitchen.  Our first dinner home was brown rice, kale, and tofu.  So simple and so amazing.  The next morning I made the morning drink that sustains us.   That particular smoothie consisted of the following:

water
banana
strawberries
blueberries
orange
parsley
kale
red beet
almonds
chia seeds
flax seeds
Vitamineral green
a plant based protein powder
maca powder

You'd be amazed at how much green stuff you can put in a smoothie.  I usually put in 8 - 12 cups of kale, chard, dandelion, parsley, lettuce, bok choy or whatever green I have in the frig or garden.  If we split the smoothie it means that we are imbibing in 4 - 6 cups of fresh green with each and every smoothie!

I drank this all morning and I was full until 2pm.  The chia, flax and almonds  have a powerful "filling" effect and they are loaded with fiber and omega 3's. Our stomach has something called "stretch responders" and those respond to food that is full of fiber, that bulks up and absorbs liquid as we digest it.  The only food on the planet that has fiber is plant food - nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, whole grains, and fruit.  EAT MORE PLANT FOOD - regardless of what kind of daily diet you eat: vegan, omnivore,zone, herbivore, paleo.... we've got to eat more plant food.  The average American is only eating a measly 8 - 12 grams of fiber a day.  We need gobs more of that good stuff!  Try a smoothie - it's a fiber filled meal in a cup.

No photo.  I drank it before I photographed it!