People are curious about eating a vegetarian diet. I get asked frequently “what do you eat?” So I have decided to start a new blog category called What I Eat. Even if you aren’t planning on becoming a vegetarian you might get some good ideas for reducing your use of meat. That would be great.

The first entry in my new category is the breakfast smoothie. Paul and I share one nearly every day. I am lucky to have the best blender in the world, the Vitamix – which can easily blend nuts, seeds, big hunks of frozen fruit, and more. I brought it with me when we moved here and am so glad I did!

To start with I put in the blender some kefir, kombucha, and green or red tea. The kefir and kombucha are great probiotics and the green or red tea is an amazing antioxidant. There is also some thinking that green tea can actually stop angiogenisis, or the ability for a tumor to reach out for more blood supply. There is a great TED talk about the topic here if you’re interested. I believe my addiction to tons of green tea every day is why my very large ovarian cancer tumor had not spread at all.

Next I add seeds and nuts. I will change what I put in every day except I always use flax seed. I forgot to include pumpkin seeds in the picture above.

Then I add some dry goodies. A bit of maca powder, chia seeds, blue agave inulin, nutritional yeast, and cinnamon. Both Paul and I have issues with our cholesterol so I add about three teaspoons of cinnamon every day.

Next I add some parsley and cilantro. I keep these in water in the door of the fridge so I can yank off a bit whenever I want. Both are very nutritious and are good to eat every day.

I bet you were wondering when I’d get to the fruit?!? Well I also put in veggies, as you can see above. I change what is in there every day but there is always a piece of apple, a piece of fresh ginger, and some carrot.

Next comes the frozen stuff. This changes daily, too. The only constant is a piece of turmeric, an amazingly healthful root. My freezer is full of all kinds of fruit that I rotate since having a spectrum of foods gives you more and different vitamins and minerals. Right now in my freezer I have pomegranate, guanabana, banana, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, bitter melon, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I should mention that I have a new way to break down pomegranates that is so easy. The video as to how to do it is here, and it really works. I de-seeded four pomegranates in about five minutes.

Then WHIRRRRRRR! Your smoothie is ready!

Now, what about nutrition? FANTASTIC! Below is the breakdown of the smoothie above. Since Paul and I shared it (three glasses, we were stuffed!) we each had a breakfast of 302 calories. And what great nutrition, don’t you think?

But how about we have a little fun? Below is the calorie and nutrition breakdown for two slices of bacon, two eggs, and two slices of toast! 416 calories and way less nutritious, don’t you think?

Having a smoothie in the morning is just like exercising first thing in the morning in my opinion. You know you’ve already done something good for yourself, and that’s a nice way to start the day. Buen provecho!