In three days we ring in the new year.  I know that means many of you will have a New Year’s Resolution to eat better, lose weight, exercise more and hopefully eat more whole foods including more fruits and vegetables.  One way that I’ve found to get in a good serving (or two) of vegetables and fruits is by enjoying a smoothie each morning for breakfast.  It fills me up and starts my day off with a great dose of vitamins and minerals.

I received a free copy of the book, Green Smoothies for Every Season, to review on my blog.  It’s nice to change up your ingredients from time to time so you don’t get bored with your meals but more importantly, it’s a great cost savings to your pocketbook when you chose products in season.  I hear people complain all the time about how expensive it is to eat healthy and clean.  If you work your menu around the growing seasons and what’s on sale at your local grocery store or farmer’s market – then it’s not expensive to eat healthy.

Here’s a list of vegetables and fruits in season for each part of the year (locally grown suppliers will depend on your growing season):  Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Spring:  oranges, mangoes, pineapples, radish tops, watercress, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce
Summer: berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, dandelion greens, chard, beet greens, lettuces, basil
Fall: apples, pears, figs, kiwi, grapes, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon,  beet greens, kale, endive, chard and asian greens
Winter:  pomegranates, grapefruits, oranges (all kinds), fennel, spinach, celery, kale

There are so many health benefits of drinking a green smoothie.  First is the fiber – it’ll help make you feel full, longer and help regulate your digestive system. Next is Antioxidants – they help balance out the free radicals that our body produces. Then Minerals and Vitamins – things most of us are aware of but don’t always make sure we get naturally for our body.  Don’t rely on a “vitamin” from the drug store to provide your body with what it needs, eat it instead.  Lastly is Alkalinity – our body needs to maintain a certain level of pH.  Eating more vegetables help our body maintain that pH balance easier so our body can focus on other areas to spend it’s energy on.

So now that you know WHY it’s good to eat  more vegetables and HOW it can save you money by eating fruits and vegetables in season – let’s show you some of the yummy combinations you’ll find in the book, Green Smoothies for Every Season.

You’ll need to get the book to see the proper amounts of each.  🙂

A Star is Born – star fruit, coconut, coconut water, butter lettuce and cilantro
Strawberry Sensation – strawberries, cashews, coconut water, strawberry leaves and basil
Detox Diva – nectarine flesh, banana, lemon, ginger, water, endive leaves and medjool dates
Green Machine – pineapple, banana, lime juice, water and cilantro

There is some great information in the beginning of the book of why Green Smoothies as well as some natural sweeteners information and the benefits of adding in nuts and seeds.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking at adding smoothies to your daily diet.

52 Smoothie Recipes – One for each Week of the Year!

Disclaimer:  I was provided a free copy of the book for review.  All opinions are my own.