My Daily Smoothie!

I've been drinking these smoothies for a while now. They've helped me gain energy and really boost my normally terrible immune system. There isn't anything crazy in them, just some good greens and a few berries and a banana. I'll explain the benefits of all of those below. Sometimes I add more or less of one of these things because I don't measure for precision but the ingredients are always the same for the most part.

Alysea's Green Smoothie:

Kale- the benefits of green veggies are endless but being specific to kale, its benefits are : protects our cells from free radicals via antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, provides glucosinolates which have been shown to prevent colon, breast and many other cancers, high in fiber for the regulation of your digestion system, lowers cholesterol, high in Vitamin K to strengthen our bones, boosts immunity and lower blood pressure.

Spinach- aids in digestion, maintains low blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lowers blood pressure, protects the eyes from cataracts, strengthens bones, healthy skin, healthy nervous system and brain function.

Banana- keeps digestion regular, low blood sugar, lowers blood pressure, retention of calcium, breaks down bacteria in the stomach that causes ulcers, lessens your chance at getting kidney cancer, ensures the production of enough white blood cells to fight off infection in the body.

Berries- packed with antioxidants, lower blood pressure, decrease bladder infections, high in fiber, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, great source of Vitamin C, and reduce dental plaque.

I also add two tablespoons of ground flax seed to my smoothies when I have it on hand because flax is a miracle worker for the body all on its own! I even eat it in my oatmeal :)

For someone who finds herself not always able to sit down and have a bowl of fruit or a side of vegetables, this is the quick and easy and DELICIOUS way might I add, to get the vitamins my body needs. It's the perfect pick me up to start the day.

You can even as celery, even broccoli or cucumber and lemon or an apple etc. the concoctions are endless, this is just one of my favorite blends :)

Fear not, adding a very ripe banana (with brown spots is the best!) is an excellent way to naturally cut the bite of the vegetable flavor. Kale and spinach, however, are much milder in flavor than say celery.

Here are some photos:

Drinking to a healthier you,

xox

Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burger Recipe

A few weeks ago I made these Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers and they were the most delicious turkey burger that I have ever had hands down! They were juicy and very flavorful with that extra kick of spice from the chipotle peppers which I love! Where I live we are still in the Summer season, although we are pretty much wrapping it up--but I am sure that weather permitting, grilling season has at least 2-3 months to go which means you're in luck if you're reading this in hopes to find something delicious to whip up for your grill :)

Here is the rundown on how to get these burgers:

When using 1 lb. and depending how large you like your burgers, you can get roughly 4-5 burgers. I used a little more than 1 pound and I got 6 rather large burgers, portion size is up to you! :)

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey (we always look to purchase the most lean meat offered, better for you!)
• 1.5 teaspoons of freshly minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (chop these small so that you don't get that rude awakening as you bite into a large piece of onion! haha
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 chipotle chile peppers still in the adobo sauce (these can be found usually in the spanish food aisle of your supermarket)--you want to finely chop these up to add to your meat mixture
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Season the meat with a little adobo powder (goya) if you don't have this just add 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. onion powder in addition to your salt and pepper.  
• Slices of any cheese of your liking, we chose mozzarella and it was delicious! Use whatever cheese you have on hand!
• Your hamburger buns

The photo above is more or less what your meat should look like when finally done being prepared.

Once you are happy with the seasoning of your meat, divide it to be formed into burger patties. This is a trick I use to ensure that almost every burger is of a uniform size:

With your clean fingers, pre-divide the meat while it is still in the dish :)

Once you form them into the pattie size you want, grill them over medium-high heat until they are cooked to your liking.  I like to slice a little hole in the middle of the largest one to take a peek inside to assure that it is cooked thoroughly, we don't want anyone getting sick here! haha To give you a rough time it should take about 4-5 minutes per side before you flip for them to be cooked well enough. A minute or so before you are finished cooking them, add the cheese that you chose and as that melts down, you are finished!

Before I was able to capture a photo of what the finished product looked like for these, they were devoured! Shows you how good they came out right?! lol


Enjoy,

xox