Day 7 - Drink a Green Smoothie

First of all - a warm welcome to our friends visiting from www.vegsource.com , referred to our little corner of the world by Queen of the Vegans, Sarah Taylor.  To our guests - not to worry, we don't make you fill out visitor cards or anything.  Feel free to stick around.  Now that people who aren't actually related to me are stopping by, I'll have to up my game.

You may recall that yesterday I wrote that I was dreading, dreading, dreading today.  Today is....wait for it....SMOOTHIE DAY.  I'm not a smoothie fan.  It's a texture thing.  I think that beverages should either be the consistency of water, milk or a milkshake.  I don't do "froth."  "Froth" is not a natural beverage condition.  You get it in your mouth and then what...are you supposed to chew?  This is why people who drink smoothies always have a rather disconcerted look on their face.  Seriously.  Watch somebody drink a smoothie.  I can't make this stuff up.   And if froth isn't bad enough - there's the ice crystal issue.  Again - what do I do?  It's not a liquid - it's not a solid - I'm befuddled.  And GREEN.  Shudder.

I'm pensive and unwilling - but above all, I'm a scientist, and want nothing more than to expose myself to these exact types of situations for your edification and entertainment.  PLUS, Sarah says so.  So here we go.

I got home from work tonight and spend, oh, 15 minutes or so trying to remember where I had stashed my blender.  I have a TINY kitchen, and every inch of cabinet space is utilized to its maximum potential.  Stuff that rarely gets used, like "blenders," "turkey roasters", and "pots and pans" are stashed away in the dark recesses, to make room for the more important stuff, like "Pop Tarts" and "wine glasses."  The entire time, I'm positive talking myself into this..."Hey!  I get to make a green smoothie!  It's going to be my dinner!   It's going to taste really, really good!  Golly!"  It reminded me when my kids were little, and would inevitably fall and crack their heads on some piece of furniture, and there would be that moment when their little wide eyes would search you out, and you could see them processing the moment..."Should I bawl?"  So what does Mom do?  "Oh, HA HA!  UH OH!  OOPSIE DAISY!" all the while smiling and laughing some some sort of maniacal carnie in a slasher flick, so your kid doesn't start screaming his head off.  Same theory.

Sarah says to use spinach, because of its "mild" flavor.  I'm all about mild.  So into my blender goes the following:
-a big handful of spinach (it started out bigger, but I had to pick out all the slimy leaves, so it shrunk a little)
-a fresh nectarine
-a ripe banana
-orange juice
-a couple ice cubes

And this is what it looked like:

Boy!  I get to drink a green smoothie!  Golly!

You aren't going to believe this...
It's freakin' awesome.
Seriously.

The texture thing is bugging me, but since I didn't put much ice in it, I don't have to deal with crystals, just froth.  I'm thinking if I had a straw, I'd be happier.    I'm also thinking that putting OJ in it was probably a little over the top calorie-wise, but have you ever seen a fat vegan?  They must burn it off or make up for it elsewhere.

Now, my little chickens, time to recap our first week.  To date, we've:
1.  Decided why we want to be vegan
2.  Learned what 'vegan' means
3.  Done a fruit and veg cleanse (ahem)
4.  Eliminated red meat
5.  Researched substitutes
6.  Filled up a fruit basket
7.  Drank a green smoothie

I think we are doing well.  Let's hit the town!  Seriously, I'm sitting in my living room on a Friday, alone on my futon with chunks of blended spinach in my teeth.  I really need to get out. 

See you tomorrow, when we get up close and personal with Foghorn Leghorn.