KOMBUCHA GREEN SMOOTHIES WITH MY NINJA MEGA PRO 1500W

Blending my Kombucha Green Smoothie with my Ninja Mega
Kitchen System Pro 1500W.  

Good morning everyone, and Happy New Years Eve to you  all.  I  pray and HOPE you make the best out of this new year!  Anway with that... I just made this tangy Kombucha Green Smoothie drink.  What I like about this recipe is, there are no set rules.  What I had on hand is what I used.   Adding homemade kombucha has made it so much more alive with it's probiotics.  What can I say, for me, probiotics and solulable fiber found in vegetables has helped me so much in my recovery to wellness, and a 50 lb. weight loss without dieting is just a plus!  I just add drinks like this and other probiotics foods to my daily diet  (See my blog, "What Probiotics Have Done For Me, part 1, 2. if interested)  Anyway for me, as long as it is green and alive, I am a happy camper.

 Well it's breakfast time and usually I don't go big on breakfast early in the morning.  I will save the heavier meal for brunch, lunch or dinner.  However I feel the need for energy now.  What better way to wake up every thread in your body with with some homemade kombucha, a beautiful green salad, seeds, and some fruit.  Only problem is I have a busy morning schedule and don't have time to sit and properly chew a salad in the morning.  That's great if you do but most folks don't have time or take time to properly feed your body REAL NUTRITION so early in the morning.

I turned simple green salad turned into a liquid
smootie to get all the nutritional benefits
I could HOPE for.  See Brenda Watson
on PBS.  She's so full of HOPE.

Taking the time to chew you food is so important for proper digestion, and better nutritional absorbtion.  Take the tiny but powerful sesame seed or flaxseed.  We know they are very good for us as they are loaded with calcium, protein, and omega 3's.  However the shell of the seed is so hard, it's just fiber if we don't chew it to breakdown the nutrition.  They are so tiny they either get swallowed whole by eating fast, or caught between your teeth.  Right?  Also, it works only if you have the teeth to chew right? Listen up seniors! The whole seed gets passed right out without any nutrition being absorbed.  What a waste of money.  Non GMO seeds can get quite pricey too.  Well anyway, lucky me I have my Ninja 1500W,  However, my son has the Ninja Pulse  and it does the same to help breakdown those tiny nutty seeds. Enough said, let's get busy.


I just made this tangy Kombucha Green Smoothie drink.  What I like about this recipe is, there are no set rules.  What I had on hand is what I used for my Kombucha Green Smoothie.  Adding homemade kombucha (see my blog on how to make homemade kombucha) to my drink has made it so much more alive with it's probiotics.  As long as it is green and alive, I am a happy camper.

Ingredients:  Remember no rules

Actually this 16 oz. single serve can
serve two 8 oz glasses.

• Kombucha GT, 1/4-1/2 cup  (Can use water, or juice)
• Green Organic baby Arugela, washed.  1/2 cup
• Green Apple, 1/3 (any kind)
• Mango, one slice
• Cabbage heart, small slice 
• Ginger, 1/2-1 inch slice
• Celery, 1/2 stalk
• Flax seeds,  1-2 teaspoons
• Sesame seeds, 1-2 teaspoons
• Tumeric, 1 teaspoon
• Water to max fill line

Instructions:

• Put all ingredients in the blender
• Add water to Max fill line and close carefully.  The good thing about the Ninja is if it is not closed properly and tight, the machine will not start.
• Blend with SEVERAL SHORT PULSES then  a few long pulses until desired smoothness is obtained.  Make sure the seeds are ground up well.  It might take a minute...or two.

Now that you have this recipe, I feel great.  I just drank up, to my health and feel like I had a jump start today.  Nice:)  It's so easy to make.  No need to spend a lot of money elsewhere, when you can get this wonderful Kombucha Green Smoothie right at home.  I might add, that that it has all the ingredients one can "HOPE" for.  Brenda Watson a world known natural health practitioner who I heard on tv's PBS station said "for optimal health we must have HOPE".  HOPE stands for...

H... High Fiber    (check)   Solulable fiber in fruits, vegetables, and oats, etc.
O... Omega 3's    (check)   Nuts, fish, and healthy oils
P...  Probiotics    (check)   Kombucha, kifers, and yogurts, as well as fermented foods
E...  Enzymes      (check)  Raw foods.

Please join me on this journey into wellness, by trying a few of the recipes I have posted here on my blogs. Feel free to share whatever you like. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.  If you don't like the taste try adding another fruit or veggie until you do find what works for you.  Just don't give up.  After all, there is HOPE.  So till the next, Many Blessings to all, and again Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

LOOK WHAT PROBIOTICS HAVE DONE FOR ME WITH A LITTLE "HOPE". PART 2.

Happy New Year from Mary Helens Test Kitchen 2013!! I want to share with you some "HOPE".

H...High fiber.
O...Omega 3's
P...Probiotics
E...Enzymes

My bottled water kifer soda.
I bottle myself.  Once 
capped, it becomes
naturally carbonated, and
more probiotic

"HOPE" was said by Brenda Watson, a famous natural health practitioner who was recently on PBS television.  I got the main message, .  It was "HOPE".  It caught my attention, because in the beginning, all I had was hope.  I still do.  HOPE, for me plants a good seed.  And with that is my desire to plant this seed with you.  But before I continue... 

Mint Kifer Ice Cream.   Made
with milk kifer and mint
herbs.  Yes
I have total control.  It's
all good and probiotic.

I want to take this time to pray you have a wonderful new year with all that you "HOPE" for.  I "HOPE" you are blessed with all that you need in the future.  I "Hope" for a cure for all that ails you. I Hope for Love, World Peace, and True Happiness.  And with that said, I will continue.

Actually it wasn't just probiotics that has helped me with my wellness.  It was healthy oils like coconut, real butter, extra virgin olive, and grapeseed oils, etc.  I also give credit to fiber.  Not just any fiber.  Soluble fiber that comes from fruits and vegetables.  I also thank my Ninja blender, my kitchen assistant for making a lot of my work easier. I realized I was following Barbara Watson and her "HOPE" plan without even knowing who she was until the other day.

H...High fiber....  Not just any fiber.  Solulable fiber like fruits and vegetables, oats, etc.
O...Omega 3's...  Fish, Oils, butter, olive oil, beans, and walnuts, etc.
P...Probiotics...   Milk, Kifer, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented foods like sauerkraut, etc.
E...Enzymes...     Raw foods again!  Including Sushi etc.

Fermented Cabbage
Kombucha Green Tea drink.
So tangy, so tasty...so probiotic.

It was then I realized I really had to share this great news full heartedly.  It's all good, but, it was probiotics where I began to see a difference with my health.

PROBIOTICS and MY RECOVERY

To begin with I am a 64 year young woman, getting better every day.  One day it hit me that food can either harm me or help me.  I got to choose which direction I wanted food to take me.  I realized I had more control over my body than I realized.    I also realized that food was medicine and with that I began my journey into wellness.  One and 1/2 years later after including water kifers, milk kifers, kombucha's, as well and venturing on to other probiotic fermented foods, and the implementation of the "HOPE" plan (didn't know it at the time though).  Today, I am still free of over 300+ pharmaceudical medications.

Milk Kifer Grains for milk
 kifer, cheeses, ice cream
and desserts.  So good, so
probiotic.

Also, I am so glad to say I show no sign of diabetes after being so out of control, and in and out of hospitals for years.  My blood pressure and cholesterol are very much in control.  My doctors visits are less frequent.  My hospital visits are down to zero except for an episode of shingles. This is a big difference from before, because hospitals had become a home away from home.  So sad, I was always depressed.  I feel so much better now.  My energy level has increased by 50%, to the tune of "I have so much energy, I lost 40 lbs. the first year, and another 10 lbs. these last 6 months without dieting".  Did I mention how much softer, and healthier my skin looks and feels?  What a plus at 63!  I'm not saying life is perfect, or I am the perfect size...but life is better today without all that baggage. What a load that was.

Coconut Water Kifer soda.
Naturally carbonated,
naturally good and,
loaded with probiotics

I know I am headed in the right direction.  Did I mention how cheap it is to brew/ferment your own probiotics at home?  It is really cheap to get healthy.  No need to pay for all those pharmaceudical pills that help mask what ails you, but does not cure you.  Let's plant that seed of "HOPE" in all of us. Let's get busy, and check out my other healthy but truly tasty recipes here on Blogger.  Feel free to share my posts with your family and friends.  My last words for your today is to...have"HOPE".  Remember food is medicine, and it doesn't take a lot of money either, just a little "HOPE".  So till the next time, I will keep on doing what I am doing.  To you all, many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

Grape Kifer Soda, another
naturally carbonated
probiotic drink

Fermented Lemons.  The
rinds are so tender and tasty
they just fall apart.  Also
probiotic.

Rosemary Green Tea
Kombucha. A
probiotic tasty drink

Spicy Fermented Green Apple
Pickle, Indian style.  Oh
so tasty, made with lots'
of herbs and spices.  It's great
and great for the
winter months.  Also rich
in probiotics

Milk Kifer Cheese Spread
with coconut and honey
and spices.
Another healthy,tasty
alternative.  Again,
more probiotics

Strawberry Vanilla Kombucha
Green Tea Icee.  So
Probiotic and so
refreshenly tasty

Carbonated Kombucha
Green Tea
Antiseptic/astringent
for my face and cuts.
P. S. It's so
tenderizingly soft.

Homemade Kombucha Green
Tea .with the mother SCOBY
on top.  Yes it's probiotic

Homemade fermented sauerkraut
loaded with probiotics.
Folks, if you haven't had
homemade sauerkraut...
you don't know what your missing.

Yummy milk kifer Mayonainse
that melts in your mouth

CARBONATED KOMBUCHA GT HERBAL FACE AND BODY TONER/ASTRINGENT

Carbonated Kombucha Gt Herbal Face And Body Toner/Astrigent.

Introducing, Carbonated Kombucha GT Herbal Face and Body Toner/Astringent.  It leaves your face feeling tingly clean and fresh.  Great antiseptic for minor cuts, and scrapes...

It is  made with raw kombucha vinegar.  Adding green tea and cloves makes this a powerful natural antibacterial as well. It leaves your face and body fresh and clean.  My face feels slightly tighter, pores smaller.  And I am naturally protected with salicylic acid to help ward of blemishes.

Lucky me.  I've been brewing Kombucha GT for over a year now. Within days the excess Kombucha GT turns into vinegar.   Drinking Kombucha GT and it's probiotics daily, I feel the difference in all that ailed me.  Because all that ailed me, no longer ails me like diabetes and high blood pressure.  Another benefit of Kombucha GT is, I've lost weight and kept it off without dieting too.  Good news is  I am still losing weight slowly and again without dieting.  Well I know if it could balance my inner organs than it should do wonders for the largest organ of my body... my skin. 

I really like anything to do with Kombucha GT probiotics and their ph balance.  I figure if folks drink it, bathe with it, shampoo with it, and use the mother SCOBY (SYMBIOTIC CULTURE OF BACTERIA AND YEAST) to make face masks like I do.  Then Kombucha GT Face Toner/Astringent should be great for the face as well.  Fact is, ancient medicine have also used the Kombucha GT SCOBY (SIMBIOTIC CULTURE OF BACTERIA AND YEAST) aka known as the "vinegar mother", as band aids because the SCOBY is thick and similar to skin.  It shrinks as it dries which also helps seals and shrink the wound and keep unhealthy bacteria out.  Raw kombucha GT ferments into a vinegar has a ph of 4 or less.  Your skin would love this ph balance.  Now  combine Kombucha GT with herbs like green tea and cloves, and you have  a perfect marriage for an astringent.  Besides nourishing and cleansing the skin, it would help shrink enlarged pores, and reduce oil, and or acne. 

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA AND CLOVES.

There are a multitude of benefits in green tea and cloves besides vitamin C. Including many micro phyto-chemicals, a rich nutrient good for cellular rejuvenation   Polyphenols and their anti-oxidant benefits are also a natural astringent.  However, it would be to your benefit you research them for yourself.  Right now I am only briefly stating a few benefits. about the astringent  properties in these two herbs.  My goal is to show you how easy it is to make with my recipe.

Astringents:

• contain  plant based micro phyto-nutrients and  polyphenols. like tannic acids and salicyclic acid.  These are powerful antioxidants that your body needs both internally and externally.
• 
  

• Astringent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AstringentShare

  An astringent (occasional alternative: adstringent) substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical ...
  You visited this page on 11/30/12.

Tannic Acid:

Tannic acid is plant based micro-poly-phenol, another antioxidant. In the 1920's Tannic Acid was used in medicine to treat burns.  They applied tannic acid to the dressing and applied the dressing to the wound/burn.  They were able to reduce the mortality rate greatly. Tannic Acid  aka Tannins can be found in many plants including green tea and cloves.  Green tea, and cloves have a lot of other poly-phenols including one called, called salicylic acid.  

Salicylic Acid:

Salicylic Acid is known for its drying and tightening properties.   Salicylic acid can be found in many plants, but it is now chemically made. Many anti blemish face products, including the famous Pro-Active, and Neutrogena contain salicylic acid.  However, most over the counter products have salicylic acid, but it is chemically made, and not natural.  

Personally I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.  I know that my Kombucha GT Herbal Face and Body Toner/Astringent works just as well, perhaps better, and without all those additional chemicals. So, with all this in mind, I've come up with a Kombucha GT Herbal Face and Body Toner . Here is an easy recipe using a few herbal ingredients, I present to you my...

KOMBUCHA GT HERBAL FACE AND BODY ASTRINGENT/TONER RECIPE

(By the way this is safe enough to drink.  Great way to help you lose weight)

Ingredients:

• ** Kombucha GT 1 bottle to make kombucha vinegar (See **note, below.) or Kombucha GT Vinegar 12 oz.  (Great ph balance for skin)
• Green Tea 2 tea bags  (Great antioxidants like micro- polyphenols to freshen and tighten the skin.)
• Cloves Ground 1/4 teaspoon (Also contains polyphenols, and a heating element which stimulates blood flow necessary for cellular rejuvination.
• Oil light  1-2 teaspoons (I used Jojoba oil:)
• Jar 10 oz sterile jar with non metal lid.

Instructions:

• Put Kombucha GT vinegar in jar.
• Add cloves and green tea bags and keep in a dark warm place for at least 3-5 days. (The oven is a great place to keep it.
• Remove tea bags 
• Strain with a fine cheesecloth to retrieve tea bags and ground cloves.
• Pour into sterile container with cap
• Add oil  cap and shake well. Shake well over the sink as it will fizz IF Well Capped.  (give it a couple of days in the new capped container.
• Apply to face or body with a soft cloth or a cotton ball.

**Note  
If you do not have kombucha vinegar you can purchase a bottle of kombucha.  Open it, cover with a paper towel.  Set undisturbed in a warm spot for a week or so,or until you see a SCOBY floating on top.  You can now use this to brew your next batch of kombucha.  All climates is different so just be  patient.  You can tell when it's ready by the smell and taste.  So easy to make.

Live Kombucha GT vinegar is a natural low ph astringent on it's own.  It's an antioxidant, antibacterial, and an antiseptic.   To add to the already awesome astringent are the natural  polyphenols like tannic acid and salicylic acid found in green tea and cloves. We already know these two are also astringent based plants.  They too, alone help tighten, clean, heal and freshens the skin.   Isn't that great news. They marry well together.  That means that this is a great combination.

I've been using Carbonated Kombucha GT Herbal Face and Body Toner/Astringent, a few weeks now. Yes, it smells like vinegar, but the smell evaporates rapidly leaving only a hint of cloves.  Each and every time I use it I feel like my skin is softer, more tender.  My pores have shrunken.  I no longer have dry patchy flaky spots.  My face feels cleaner and more rehydrated, healthier.  If you have it, don't be afraid to try it.  If the ph is  is too strong you can always dilute it with tea or water.  I also used it on a cut as an antiseptic.  Works great.  As for me... I am really a happy camper.

So here you have it.  Another recipe created just for us.   It has no preservatives, or other harsh chemicals to strip our face and body.  It's cheap, safe and effective.  It only cost about $2.00 for a bottle of Carbonated Kombucha GT to make your kombucha, and a couple of tea bags and cloves.  It's time to keep your money in your wallet. Sorry Pro-Active.  I make my own.

Well, that's it for now.  Be good to yourself. So till the next time... don't forget to share.  I hope this post/blog was helpful.  If so please click the yes box on the right.  Again,  I am open to all questions.  Goodnight and many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen