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5 Juicing & Smoothie Recipes to Kickstart Healthy Habits

My first-born would eat anything I put in front of him, from eggplant to tofu, he would happily try anything when he was little.  As our family has grown in children, so has their pickiness.  Though my third child at two is just now cooperating with eating vegetables, I've not really worried too much when she was rejecting the hard vegetables at 18-months.  My trick has always been to load up the vegetables in smoothies and more recently, I've tried juicing for even more vegetable variety without any complaints on pulp that now come from the oldest child.

A friend of mine from Hawaii, Blake Brutus La Benz, has done a lot of juicing and smoothies this year, and always makes posts of pictures and video on his social media to encourage others to live healthy. Though I've shared some smoothie recipes we use in our house, Acai Smoothie, Vitamin C U Later Sickness Smoothie, and Immunity Packed Pumpkin Smoothie, I was so excited when Brutus generously shared some of his personal recipes for you all. And if you think his name sounds familiar, you might be right.  We've shared about his fame in the list made about the 36 Best things about Hawaii, check him out

Chard-a-licious: A Juice Recipe: By Brutus

Any type of juicer can be used.  For best results, chop larger/wider items into smaller pieces.  For leafy greens, fold the stem into the rest of the leaf and roll leaf tighter before inserting into juicer.  Once juicing is complete, stir well to mix the layers of juice, and enjoy!  Makes between 20-30 ounces.

-4 big leaves of chard (any color)

-4 carrots

-1 medium beet (beet greens optional)

-half lemon

-half orange

-half medium tomato

-half large cucumber

-1 granny apple


Collardy Apple: A Juice Recipe: By Brutus

Any type of juicer can be used.  For best results, chop larger/wider items into smaller pieces.  For leafy greens, fold the stem into the rest of the leaf and roll leaf tighter before inserting into juicer.  Once juicing is complete, stir well to mix the layers of juice, and enjoy!  Makes between 20-30 ounces.

-7 collard leaves

-3 granny apples

-2 celery stalks

-half lemon

-half large beet (red or golden)


Green Goodness: A Juice Recipe: By Brutus

Any type of juicer can be used.  For best results, chop larger/wider items into smaller pieces.  For leafy greens, fold the stem into the rest of the leaf and roll leaf tighter before inserting into juicer.  Once juicing is complete, stir well to mix the layers of juice, and enjoy! Makes between 20-30 ounces.

-3 medium leaves of chard

-4 or 5 medium leaves of kale

-1 medium cucumber

-1 medium tomato

-2 granny apples

-half lemon

-1 handful of spinach


Kalepaya: A Smoothie Recipe: By Brutus

Any type of blender can be used, although I find that the premium blenders (Ninja, Vitamix, etc.) make much smoother smoothies.  Remove seeds and rinds from fruits and vegetables as desired; and use organic or local produce whenever possible.  Makes approximately 25-30 ounces.   Enjoy!

-half medium papaya

-half orange

-2 medium leaves of kale

-1 banana

-1 level table spoon chia seeds

-8 to 10 ice cubes

-1 cup water


Mint-Anana-Kale: A Smoothie Recipe: By Brutus

Any type of blender can be used, although I find that the premium blenders (Ninja, Vitamix, etc.) make much smoother smoothies.  Remove seeds and rinds from fruits and vegetables as desired; and use organic or local produce whenever possible.  Makes approximately 25-30 ounces.  Enjoy!

-3 medium leaves kale

-2 small/medium banana

-1 stalk celery

-1 medium carrot

-1 apple

-1 4-inch mint stalk and leaves

-8 to 10 ice cubes

-1 cup of water

Acai Smoothie

I love antioxidants, especially as a boost to my kids' immunity during cold and flu season.  I pack extra ones in smoothies and love that even my pickiest eater, under 2, eats them up, when I know she wouldn't touch Vitamin E rich, antioxidant filled spinach if it was just sitting on her plate.

Topically, antioxidants are especially great in the summer as they help protect skin from sun and cell damage.  We've had it in our seasonal specials - Hunny Ginger and our upcoming Pumpkin Pie body scrubs, as well as our always available Golden Pineapple scrub.  

While blueberries, mangoes, papayas, and spinach have been my go to antioxidants in smoothies, this summer's World Cup got us hooked on Brazil's superfood, acai berries.  They are espoused to be richer in antioxidants than blueberries and so we ventured to try it as a blueberry replacement in our smoothies.  With the upcoming fall soccer season (insert here, is there really an off-season to soccer?), I thought I'd share one of our favorite acai smoothie recipes.

Acai Smoothie

Package of frozen acai berries (~3.5 oz)

1 mango

1 banana

Handful of spinach

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds 

Pineapple Juice (Amount depends on preferred consistency)

Blend until smooth!

Vitamin C U Later Sickness Smoothie

It seems like everywhere you turn this time of year, there's someone you hear about that has a cold or the flu.  And if you've got an earache coming on, you'll definitely want to try the audiologist recommended tip I've shared on melting coconut oil, placing a few drops in your ear and leaving it in your ear for 15-20 minutes- antifungal and antibacterial properties. 

My family was sick after the holidays so since then I've been pumping them up with Vitamin C with one of my favorite sources...Pineapple.  Not only does it have more Vitamin C than an orange, but it also is an anti-inflammatory, which helps you to recover faster from a workout and is why it's good for people with arthritis or gout.  Plus, there's no simpler way for me to get nutrients as smoothies, great for a meal replacement on the go or for the kids to get involved in the kitchen and eat up their vitamins in real food.

In addition to my love of Pineapple, you know there's going to be some coconut in there (because it's just a superfood) and if you remember from my Immunity Packed Pumpkin Smoothie, there's also going to be some of my other favorites.  There's another boost of anti-inflammatory from spinach, a great source of plant-based protein providing your body with energy.  I even get some omega 3s in there for heart health with ground flax seed.  I will give you a quick side note here before getting to the good stuff.  I interchangeably use chia seeds and flax seeds for heart and digestive health, but used flax seeds here for more of the aesthetic purposes. If you're looking at boosting protein, you should include chia seeds in your diet because they're a complete protein.

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Last couple notes on the smoothie.  If you're lucky enough to grab a fresh pineapple and let it ripen, I definitely recommend that.  If it's not too ripe, you can always add a teaspoon or two of honey. Also, if you really wanted an extra boost of vitamin C, you should probably replace the spinach with kale, in which case I would definitely recommend the honey.  And finally, if you want something a little thicker, add some ice.  I wanted something my 16-month-old could suck up a straw, so it was a little on the juice vs. smoothie side.

~Have fun and live healthy!

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Vitamin C U Later Sickness Smoothie

~Makes approx. 32 oz.

1 can Pineapple in juice

1 can Coconut milk

1 handful of Spinach

1 Banana

1 Tbsp Lime juice

1 Tbsp ground Flax seeds

Place all ingredients in the blender until combined.  Enjoy!