As I get ready to head outside on this beautiful November day here in Maine I'm making a smoothie for breakfast. I have mentioned these is a previous post but I have never shown you what I do to make them. So here is my method.
I start with my home made kefir which has been fermenting on the counter for 12 hours. I rotate between two pint jars. Each jar has kefir grains in them. Fortunately here in Maine I can purchase whole unpasteurized and not homogenized organic milk from a local dairy.
Since I am still working we do not have any dairy animals on the farm. There is a huge time commitment to keeping them healthy and milked that I just don't have right now. Our goal is eventually to have a very small dairy goat herd. Our land is much more suited to goats than cows.
I put one of the pints of kefir out on the counter in the morning and leave it the entire day. We have found that around 12 hours of fermenting creates the flavor of kefir that we like. In the evening the kefir goes into the refrigerator so it will be cold when I add it to the smoothie in the morning. The next morning I use the fermented pint for the smoothies and put the second one out on the counter for fermenting. After I pour the kefir into the blender I add more milk to the kefir grains and put it into the refrigerator.
To the kefir I add a pint of plain homemade yogurt. I then thrown in about a tablespoon of chia seeds. Chia seed are all the rage I know but they really are good for you. Chia seeds contain a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber both which are thought to help with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Now who couldn't use a little help in that direction? Besides if you don't drink your smoothie right away, I take mine to work with me, they get gelatinous and help to thicken the smoothie and I think it makes them easier to digest that way.
On top of the chia seeds I add greens. I am able to get an organic mix of spinach, kale and chard. A good handful is all that is needed. Then about a tablespoon of our raw honey is put in. I don't use it so much for the sweetness because the fruit makes it fairly sweet, but for the properties it has to fight allergies and strengthen the immune system. Besides what can be better than using some of your own (actually my bees) honey everyday.
Then in goes the fruit. I have used several combinations depending on what we might have in the house but there is usually a banana then some frozen strawberries and blueberries from the homestead. I have also used kiwi which adds a nice tang to the smoothie. Now that apple season is here I want to try a apple cinnamon smoothie which I think would be really yummy and cinnamon is really good for you too.
Ok, now for the "smoothie" part. Everything gets processed in the blender until smooth. I use the blender on medium speed at first to get everything incorporated. It takes a few seconds until the fruit make their way to the bottom of the blender to be chopped. I leave the blender at this speed until it looks like the fruit and greens are all chopped fine. I then turn the blender up to full blast for just a few seconds at the end. You don't want to leave it on high for too long because it blends air into the smoothie.
Put your smoothie in a sealed container and off you go with a nourishing smoothie to start your day. Well, I'm off to hang the sheets on the clothes line. This guarantees a good night sleep tonight on sheets fresh from the outdoors.