4 Tips to Reducing Green Smoothie Foam

If you’re like me, you whip up your daily smoothies well in advance of consumption. Personally I like to make a bunch the evening before, after I finish up dinner, so they’re all ready to grab-and-go in the morning (and I can nibble on the leftover fruit for dessert!)

Yet come time to slurp them down I always wonder, when did this smoothie get so thick and foamy?

If you find your lots of foam after you blend, it can be accredited to insoluble fiber, usually found in the skin of fruits and vegetables. For example: apples, tomatoes and leafy greens like kale are all culprits.

Here are four tips to reducing and eliminating the froth from your daily concoctions.

1. Stir and ignore. I follow this method after learning to power through the foam – it doesn’t turn me off from the taste or benefits. Stirring it in makes it less noticeable.
2. Use soluble fiber fruits in your smoothies to get a more creamy texture. Mangoes, bananas, kiwis and avocados are all great options.
3. Use frozen insoluble fiber fruits and greens. This trick has been tested and proven to rid of foam. If you buy fresh (recommended), you can cut up large amounts and store in the freezer for long periods, saving you lots of time when whipping smoothies together later on.
4. Just avoid it! Insoluble fiber is such an important addition to your smoothies that instead of avoiding apples and kale, pour from the blender with a spatula covering the foam, serving the smooth liquid underneath.

Grapefruit Pineapple Kale

Today’s smoothie ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups kale
• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1 cup frozen, unsweetened pineapple
• 1 cucumber
• 2 stalks celery

Benefits:

• Kale: its oxalate content is very low which means that calcium and iron found in kale are highly absorbent in the human digestive system.
• Grapefruit: high in fiber and low in calories, they contain bioflavonoids that protect against serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and formation of tumors.
• Pineapple: keeps you looking young by boosting the collagen synthesis in your body.
• Cucumber: contain fisetin, an anti-inflammatory flavonol that plays an important role in helping to improve memory.
• Celery: at only 10 calories per large stalk, it regulates your body’s alkaline balance and aids digestion.

Nutritional information:

Calories: 267

Carbs: 59

Fat:1

Protein: 8

Sodium: 164

Sugar: 25

Strawberry Banana Ginger

Today’s smoothie ingredients:

• 2 cups almond milk
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 large banana
• 1 tbsp ginger

Benefits:

• Almond Milk: has no calories or saturated fat, but is high in healthy omega fatty acids which keep your heart healthy and prevent high blood pressure.
• Baby Spinach: one cup of fresh spinach blended in a smoothie provides almost 200 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K. Vitamin K contains bone-building nutrients that decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
• Strawberries: love the vibrant red color of this delicious berry? This pigment is because of anthocyanins which have been shown to display antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic activities.
• Banana: this funny fruit has high levels of tryptophan, which when consumed is converted into serotonin, a happy-mood brain neurotransmitter.
• Ginger: has a warming effect on the body and stimulates circulation in the bloodstream.

Nutritional information:

Calories: 311

Carbs: 60

Fat: 7

Protein: 6

Sodium: 388

Sugar: 33

Morning Must: Apple Cider Vinegar & Lemon Elixir

“You have great skin.”

Last weekend when I was able to leave snowy Boston to enjoy a relaxing spa weekend with my grandmother and sister I received this compliment from the esthetician, one that is never addressed to me.

In fact, I received this not just from the professional giving me a heavenly facial, but from my friends, my brutally honest family and even a handful of coworkers. Was my face really looking that great?

If you’re like me, you’re skin never finds the balance between too oily or too dry and always sports a constellation of pimples. One month ago, I added this elixir to my morning routine and all my skin problems faded away. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg; my entire body has never felt so good. I have more energy, better digestion and I even notice little things like no morning breath! Hey, celebrate the little victories in life right?

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups water at room temperature
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• Drops of stevia for taste
• Optional: if you have fresh herbs lying around, toss in some mint or basil to aid in digestion or inflammation support

Benefits

• Water: Drinking water first thing in the morning is the best thing you could add to your morning routine. While you sleep, your body slowly becomes dehydrated. A tall glass of H20 wakes you up, boosts your metabolism and flushes out toxins. Drinking at room temp. ensures the lemon enzymes can do their job.
• Lemon: While seemingly acidic, this fruit has astringent qualities and is extremely alkalizing. It fuels your body with vitamin C, which helps with iron absorption which will help with your energy levels later throughout the day. Lemons are also detoxifying, which will help give you that glow I was talking about!
• Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV): This stuff is magical, no joke. It contains acetic acid, which is a potent antimicrobial and kills bacteria and will deep clean your insides. ACV even has the power to help those with diabetes control blood sugar levels. While acidic, adding just a bit to those alkalizing lemons will clean you from inside-out with your radiant hair and skin as proof.

What I Have Learned From a Month Without Alcohol

“So why did you give up alcohol?” The answers varied:

• To be healthier
• To lower my tolerance
• To be more effective at work and using weekends to unwind will help that
• To reassure my ability to socialize without liquid courage
• To prove I’m not alcoholic

Okay so the last one, maybe not quite the case. But with college a fading mirage behind me as I waltz down the path to adulthood, grueling hangovers were ringing as a constant reminder that it was time I grew up a bit. It’s a harsh reality to accept, being that I turn 24 next month, but one that is full-heartedly embraced. I am fortunate to have the willpower to abstain from something I do truly enjoy, in my mission to unlock a greater purpose. Here are the main lessons to take away from the dry month of February:

1. Take off the mask. You don’t need that one glass of pinot to loosen up before a date or networking function. You are so much more than that liquored-down version of yourself. Have a little faith that people will see the value and beauty in who you.
2. Sober dates aren’t that bad. Sometimes all you need just something in your hand – a tea or coffee – to keep your fumbling hands busy. Or just a better date.
3. Not everyone will be supportive. Weird. If I was giving up smokes or soda, I’m sure the common response would be, “good for you, keep it up!” I don’t know whether I unleashed other’s insecurities, but this was an unfortunate discovery. Taunts to give in to temptation, being told to my face that I wasn’t as fun as when I’m drunk – it’s a little concerning. Also mind opening. This time allowed me to turn the dictionary to page defining “friendship” because I don’t need that negativity in my life and neither do you.
4. You can still party. Won’t lie and pretend I didn’t have a coffee before hitting the bars, but my dance moves were just as fabulous, if not more coordinated, than ever.
5. Mondays aren’t so bad. The only reasons for dreading a Monday the past couple of months was due to the consecutive massive snowstorms that locked me in my tiny apartment. Otherwise, I looked forward to starting the week with a clear head and a clean to-do list.
6. Alcohol feeds your sugar addiction. You might not realize when downing numerous ciders and margaritas, but I found myself literally crawling to get my sugar fix. My candy consumption skyrocketed and I blame it all on you, rum and coke.
7. No gym excuses. Get your ass to the gym. Seriously, what else do you have to do today? Clean your fish tank? (Shoot…probably should do that this weekend).
8. There’s more than drinking to pass the time. Join a book club. Discover an unearthed hobby. Explore new boroughs. Pick up the sport you played in high school that you’ve missed. Just a few of the things I tapped into February, as examples.
9. Get to know yourself again. Your ten year old wierdo self that was innocent, naive and honest. The one who collected beanie babies or Pokemon cards. The one who sang in the choir and thought that “Cotten Eye Joe” was ever cool*. Same one that didn’t think a night at home watching movies with the parents meant you’re lame. That person didn’t need to drink to define fun.

*PS – Did you know a Swedish band, called Rednex, introduced that hot sixth grade dance bit? Actually, for even more of a laugh, go Google the 1939 folk version of “Cotton Eye Joe” and imagine getting down to that at your friend’s bat mitzvah.