On Life As A Picky Foodie

Dear Friends --

Well it’s official – Spring has sprung; and with it -- alongside the flowers -- come bunches, bushels and forests of green.

Green, green and more green!

What do you think is the number one food missing in most people’s diets?

Yup, you guessed it – greens!!!

Green is the colour of spring, it is the colour of life, the colour of renewal.  The green in plants comes from chlorophyll – and the greener the plant, the greater the amount of chlorophyll.  Chlorophyll purifies, rejuvenates, it stops bacterial growth, eliminates odours and bad breath, and de-activates carcinogens, combats inflammation, builds blood, promotes a healthy gut, improves liver function, aids in the production of Vitamins E, A and K -- and that’s only a fraction of what Chlorophyll can do.

But mother nature ain’t no fool: every green plant offers its own unique range of benefits and properties.  In addition, all greens contain a minute amount of toxic alkaloids – and each green plant has its own variation.  So instead of having that same spinach salad for lunch every day, consider rotating your greens.  And there are so many to choose from!  Try some steamed chard, sautéed kale, tangy watercress with avocado, couscous and rocket, romaine on your sandwich. 

Still on the fence?  Well, one tried and tested way to get your greens is to blend them.  Combining greens and fruit can really help soften the blow for even the most reluctant green imbibers.

Need more proof of how amazing greens are?  My husband doesn’t need his cup of coffee on mornings when he has a green smoothie.  You may not know him, but trust me, that’s saying something. 

To get you inspired, here is my current favorite:

Blue Crush

(adapted from “Becoming Raw” by Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD with Rynn Berry)

1 ¼ cups water
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 cup frozen blueberries
½ bunch watercress or 1 bunch rocket
1 banana

Blend thoroughly and drink immediately.  

With love and crocuses,

Gabriela

P.S.  Have you secretly been lusting after a casserole for decades now?  Well lust no further!  That elusive nineteen fifties icon is back in style!  Check out my recipe for a white bean and parsnip version in this week's happily-ever-after Friday Night Dinner Blog.

P.P.S. Thanks to all of you who sent along friends.  Keep 'em coming!  The free Picky Foodie one-on-one counselling session offer is still valid for the next little while.  Here's a reminder of how it works: get five friends, co-workers, family members or strangers to sign up to the On Life As A Picky Foodie newsletter, and you will receive a free forty-five minute consultation with yours truly.  Simply ask anyone signing up to email me and let me know your name.