A Green Smoothie You'll Actually Enjoy Drinking

Green smoothies should taste good.

No really, they should.

Let me tell you, I've made my fair share that were downright disgusting. That usually happens when I end up winging it, and throwing whatever is available in the house into the blender.

Not a recipe for success. (Well, in the taste department anyway. The body is happy, but the taste buds are not.)

The other day I was at the Whole Foods in Tempe, AZ and visited the juice and smoothie bar. (I should note that only certain locations have the juice bar.) I had the tropical green smoothie and it was delicious. It was thick, cold, frothy, and made me take a sip -- hold out the cup -- look at it, and say "wow, that's good."

All of the green smoothies I've made prior to this Whole Foods experience lacked that smoothie quality that reminds you of a milkshake. And my friends, that is the difference between a green smoothie you choke down and one that makes you want more.

Let's be honest. Milkshakes are tasty. And so are the smoothies from those places that appear to be healthy. But the problem is that those choices aren't going to help you with your weight or give you any vegetable nutrients.

After tasting that tropical green and shelling out $6 for a small, naturally, I had to come home and make my own version. I just can't justify buying those all of the time. And unlike many of the tastier green recipes, this is one where there are more greens than fruit -- so you're getting plenty of plant nutrients.

Get ready, because it is good. Check it out.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
3 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup frozen mango
1 small frozen ripe banana
1 cup ice

Directions: In the order listed above, add all ingredients to blender. Start on low speed and gradually turn to high until consistency is smooth and well blended.

Notes: The frozen elements are what makes the thick and cold consistency. Don't swap frozen for non-frozen, it won't come out right. Also, you definitely want to use a ripe banana because it will make it sweeter. If the banana you use isn't ripe enough, it'll taste a little bitter.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Grilled Veggies and Chicken Sausage Lazy Omelette

When it comes to making omelettes, I love it when I can perfectly form them. But since that rarely happens, I don't even worry about it. Enter, my lazy omelette -- a bit of an omelette and a bit of a scramble. And perfectly delicious.

We had some Labor Day leftovers which was the inspiration for this recipe. I had grilled some veggies in my veggie grill tray as mentioned here. I used a mix of  sliced red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red onion, zucchini and yellow squash. All were tossed with olive oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper before grilling. Let me tell you, they tasted so good.

For the next day, I decided to throw them into an omelette with a few other ingredients, and seriously, I think this is the most tasty omelette I've ever made!

Check it out.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2-3 tbsp milk of choice
1/3 of one sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, sliced and sauteed (I used Aidells)
handful of grilled veggies
1 slice provolone cheese
handful of fresh baby arugula
non-stick olive oil spray

Directions:
In a bowl, beat eggs and add milk. Heat skillet to medium heat and coat pan generously with cooking spray. Add egg mixture, chicken sausage, veggies and cheese. Let set until edges appear firm (about a minute). Then take a spatula and gently flip sections. Let set for about another minute, then put on plate. Top with arugula.

Enjoy!