Yesterday was my dear, sweet Padre’s birthday! When I was in middle school, we had to take a foreign language class and my dad convinced me to take Spanish because he knew a bit of the language already and explained that we would be able to talk about my mom behind her back and she wouldn’t be able to understand us (sorry mom!). Needless to say, that was a pretty convincing argument, so I took Spanish that year and for a few years afterward. From that point on, my dad was lovingly referred to as “Padre.” The name somehow stuck and even my step-son refers to him as Padre now 
So, for my Padre’s birthday, we took him out to an amazing crab restaurant. Nothing fancy–more like the paper-on-the-table, eat-with-your-hands, and wear-a-bib variety. We all absolutely feasted. It was awesome! And then we rounded out the night with some yummy red velvet cake balls. The food was amazing, but I wasn’t feeling too well afterward. Looking back, ordering that second gigantic basket of sweet potato fries–which I hoarded all to myself–was probably not the best idea. Nor were the cake balls (definitely NOT candida friendly). Even though my food choices weren’t the best, it was totally worth it! Sometimes you just have to indulge.
Yesterday, I decided that my system needed some minor cleansing. Nothing serious, just something to help me get back on track. Since I don’t have a juicer, I figured smoothies would be the best alternative because they require less work on the part of your digestive system. However, I’ve always been wary of green smoothies that don’t contain any fruit. But, with my candida issue, fruit is not an option right now. So I decided to attempt a sugar-free green smoothie, sweetened only by stevia. I included avocado to make the smoothie more filling (avocados are packed with fiber) and to make the smoothie a bit, well, smoother. In the end, I was shocked how much I like my Mean Green Smoothie! I had it for breakfast and then again for lunch, along with some raw soup. I was pretty surprised by how filling the smoothie was; I wasn’t hungry at all after breakfast and lunch and didn’t feel the need to snack between meals. Then, my dinner was a light salad, some soaked oats mixed with avocado and stevia (sounds crazy, but absolutely delicious), and some chocolate acai chia pudding. This morning, I felt completely refreshed!! The swelling in my belly had resided, I had gotten a great night’s sleep, and I now have tons of energy! I think I’ll be including this smoothie in my diet more often…
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves*
- 1 Romaine heart or 5-6 large Romaine leaves, roughly chopped
- ¼ avocado
- 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup filtered water
- ¼ + ⅛ tsp. powdered stevia
- 3 ice cubes
- optional add-ins: a handful of cilantro or parsley
- Blend all of the ingredients together (except for ice cubes) until completely smooth. Then, add the ice cubes and blend again. Taste to make sure the sweetness is to your liking.
- Serve and enjoy!
*I’ve submitted this recipe to Healthy Vegan Friday
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Happy birthday to your Padre
This smoothie looks so amazing and I am with you, I am on a bit of a cleanse/detox myself after our weekend of “fancy camping” and my own birthday celebrations, too much cake, spiked rum and too many smores for this girl. I don’t regret a bit of it, but boy am I paying for it this week! Ouch. I may have to make this beautiful looking smoothie over the weekend! Yum.
Happy Belated Birthday! It’s obviously a great time of year for birthdays
I’ve never heard of “fancy camping,” but it sounds fabulous!! I grew up in Kentucky and went camping regularly, but there’s not a lot of places for camping around Dallas. Fancy camping and s’mores are right up my alley and I’m sure it made for a great birthday!!
This sounds so fantastic! I do have a juicer, but sometimes I prefer a heartier smoothie, and this sounds like the *perfect* detox-ish way to start the morning. I have a feeling I’m going to need that after Halloween. ; )
Ha, I’m thinking the same thing! I plan on making this for my post-Halloween detox, too
I’m seriously intrigued by this! My tummy routinely needs some TLC but I too have been afraid of fruit free smoothies. I am excited by your take on it!
When I was on an anti-candida diet, I started using psyllium to help thicken my smoothies and give them a smoothness without bananas. Just though I’d pass on the tip
Thanks for the tip! I use psyllium a lot in baking but I had never thought to use it in smoothies…I’ll definitely have to give that a try!
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