Acai Berry Super Green Smoothie For Your Good Health My Sweet Super Friends

Super smoothie? Oh yes! Of that have no doubt! Acai berries are a great antioxidant source, as are all the colorful blue, purple, and red berries. Add to that the super powers of the the following greens: kale, dandelion, pea sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts! Throw down some chia, hemp, golden flax powder, and un-hulled sesame seeds, to add more super-food goodies to your morning smoothie! I am not fooling around when I use the word "super-foods" in my smoothie recipes. Too many bloggers bandy that word "super" around on those sugar-laden dessert-looking smoothies with nary a green leaf in sight. No, I don't use that word lightly, cause' just about everything in this baby will rock your inner world! Oh yeah then there is the magic of electrolyte filled coconut water. Plus I also add turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, vitamin D drops, and dha/epa drops! You know I mean bizznazz my super friendzzz!

We always add some type of berry, such as blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and sometimes black berries, into our morning smoothies. These help to fight off the free radicals in our cells. So while I was in the organic freezer section of our market this week looking to refill my selection of organic berries, I found a new berry product to add to our rotation...acai. Actually it is the puree of Acai and Guarana. Although I was not aware of what Guanana was when I purchased the product. Apparently it is a form of caffeine that some people like to use for energy. It is supposed to be less than 0.5% of the acai frozen puree so it is not present in a high amount. Personally I avoid caffeine and would prefer that my food market offered the caffeine free version of this product. 

I intend to write to the store and put in a request for them to carry the Sambazon 'plain unsweetened acai smoothie packs,' in the future. Live and learn and try new things! In researching the Sambazon company they seem to have a wonderful attitude towards organic, fair trade, and doing the right things in business within the Brazilian rain-forest community. You can read about founders Ryan and Jeremy Black on the Sambazon website, get product info, as well as recipes. You may also wish to view a large info-graphic about their sustainable practices, and check out the blog. Now to my acai smoothie recipe!

Acai Berry Super Green Smoothie

1 cup coconut water

1-2 tsp chia

2 TBS fresh ground golden flax powder

2 TBS hemp seeds

1 tsp unhulled sesame seeds

small handfull pea sprouts

small bunch alfalfa sprouts

small bunch dandelion leaves

3 dinosaur kale leaves

1 banana peeled

1 kiwi unpeeled

1 frozen acai berry smoothie pack

Optional

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

For me:

1 Vitamin D drop added to smoothie serving glass.

Dr. Fuhrman's epa/dha drops added to smoothie serving glass.

Wash produce. Most ingredients are organic; be sure to peel anything that is not. Add each item to the blender in the order listed. Blendo-rama and pour! Taste your sensation! Oh that is sooooo delicious!

This Acai super green smoothie was so creamy and tasty that I wanted more! Mmmm Indulge in something super healthy, and super yummy in the morning! You will probably have super powers, you super-natural being! Oh yeah, we be feeling it! Be happy! Be healthy! Be peace! So says the Queen!

An Heirloom 'Pineapple Tomato' Sandwich With Avocado And Purple Onion!

Ahhhh the simple pleasures of life! Mmm mmm mmm Are tomatoes a gift from heaven or what? Just finished gobbling down this "Pineapple" heirloom tomato avocado sandwich. Excuse me while I float down from the clouds. I think I tasted a bit of citrus in that last bite. Oh man I want more, and that was the last tomato! Give up your garden fresh tomatoes! I need another 'samich' now!

The warm fresh summer garden tomato sandwiches are the best! When my kids were young and we were monetarily challenged, one summer we only ate the tomatoes from a neighbors garden for our meals. I thought my children would turn red, like those folks who turn orange from only eat carrots for a long period of time. We all survived. And guess what? I never got tired of tomato sandwiches! These days I rarely eat a full on sandwich to avoid the grains, but when I do I make it an awesome experience! So I thought I would share a photo, of this simple lunch or dinner option to get your mouth watering too. It's the simple easy pleasure of fresh organic food.

We used a large beefsteak size heirloom 'Pineapple' tomato from Farmer Tom at our local organic CSA. Looks like a brain, right? Anyway, I think it does. Well... that's because it's smart food! haha! 

The bread came from our local Wegman's food market, an organic nutty seedy bread called 'Marathon.' Wow! That's the best! We buy the sliced version and keep it in the freezer for those times one of us would like to have a sandwich. Just slide the frozen slices in toaster oven for a minute or so and it's ready to go. If you live near a Wegman's market you must check out this bread.

Instead of using mayo I opt mashed avocado. Oh my! "My favorite food in all the world!" Just repeat that sentence like a song!!! I also like to add thin slices of purple onion. This sandwich is a delectable winner. Every single item about this sandwich is made of my favorites! I loved this sandwich so freaking much!!!

Hubby still likes his "Mato Samiches" with mayo, although it is a non-GMO version. Here is a shot of his version of this mighty combo of goodies or goldies! Hope this temps you to enjoy one of the great pleasures of summer before the fall takes hold, and our fresh tomato supply dwindles till next growing season. Add Himalayan salt and some pepper grinds to taste. Big Yum! Big Love! Be happy! Be healthy! Be peace!

What's That? Rambutan

Yes, that's one hairy looking little creature. Sitting coyly in a wooden bin at a large supermarket, I brought two of these unusual and crazy Rambutan fruits home to taste test. What to do next? 

I searched online for information on how to open these strange little buggers. Seems the people in Southeast Asia who live in the actual areas where Rambutans grow, are able to twist them open easily. Perhaps after all, they are eating them fresh from the tree, or from a recent harvest that the spiky casing is not hard. Then I found out that the really fresh Rambutan actually are red or yellow, (just look at the photo below) not brownish black like the ones from the local supermarket that I purchased recently. Darn!

To open the tough skin of what we bought, I scored around the hairy outer shell to pop it open and reveal the inner fruit. The soft insides are much like a large translucent grape. Many say it is reminiscent of a lychee. Tastes like a mild grape to me. Since we do not get fresh Rambutan here where we live, I doubt I will be getting this tiny fruit again unless they are brightly colored and there is a greater quantity. A bunch of grapes would be less work and more abundant in taste opportunity. I admit that since our fruit was not very fresh it probably lost much of the flavor. If I vacation in a tropical area then that would be a more suitable situation to eat Rambutan. Still I try to be Ms.Adventurous and sample the exotic fruits when available at the market. Makes food fun!

The name Ranbutan is Indonesian/Malaysian, and means 'hairy, or messy hair.' Makes sense. Although I would name mine 'creepy hair.' As I opened the Rambutan, the glistening white fruit inside had me imagining painting the pupil and iris of an eyeball on the flesh, and then partially closing the outer shell down. You could scare the bejeezers out of someone in the dark on Halloween! Just sayin'! This could be really creeeeeepy! Am I the only one thinking this? Per chance I was pranked at a party as a young girl, and while blindfolded, was doused in a bucket of room temperature plain slimy pasta. Told it was worms.

Considering our Rambutan's were not fresh is perhaps why they looked so menacing to me. The red and yellow Rambutans are actually pretty, even though they have quite a bizarre rubbery hair-raising texture.

Inside the grape like interior there is also a seed. Most people do not eat this seed, although it is said that you could do so without harm. It is recommended you buy Ranbutan with the branch still attached as that protects the fruit from rot and damage from pests. I would recommend they actually have some color too!

The lesson in this post is to buy much fresher Rambutan than I did, or visit a tropical area where you can have access to these fruits in a more abundant manner to make it worthwhile to enjoy this strange sweet fruit. Otherwise you may get an outrageous looking Halloween prop like I experienced! Could be cool!

Here are is a video showing how to eat a Rambutan.




Credits: Some photos in this post use creative commons photos available from Wikipedia.