The weather is incredibly balmy today here in Toronto, Canada – it feels like spring! And thank goodness because I don’t know about you but I’m starting to feel the winter heaviness set in deeper. The perfect time to replace a few usual recipes with green detox recipes.

This blended green meal is made from powerful pomegranate seeds, walnuts and kale. The pomegranates make the texture of this gazpacho-like meal very chewy; so much so that you’ll find yourself quickly satiated.

The taste is very green and earthy, and while you sit there munching, think of all it’s living, raw energy course through your blood stream! It ain’t pretty but close your eyes, sup up your body machine and savour this natural `human nitro’ mixture.

Walnagranate Kale Detox Meal

Makes: 5.5 cups (1-2 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 apple, quartered and seeded
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 2 handfuls fresh kale
• 1 cup filtered water
• 0.5 -1 cup (to texture) pomegranate and lime Ceres juice

Preparation

1. Blend walnuts.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Blend until desired consistency.
4. Enjoy!

Tip for seeding pomegranates:

Roll the pomegranate on a smooth surface, a counter or cutting board will do, putting pressure on the fruit and squeezing it. You should hear or feel the seeds loosen from the rind. Cut the fruit width-wise (avoiding the top & bottom). Squeeze one of the ends over a bowl, collecting the juice and dislodged seeds. Take a spoon and scoop out the remaining seeds. Pick out the pieces of inedible yellow rind.

Who wants to live longer? This green detox blender meal is souped-up with powerful, age-defying antioxidants and phytochemicals!

The nutrients found in green cabbage and POMx Tea pack a powerful assault to disease and age-causing free radicals. Studies have shown that both these ingredients have cancer-fighting abilities. (Click here to access POMx studies which say it has more antioxidant potency than red wine, green tea, grape and acai extracts.)

The POMx Teas come in 5 flavours, I chose the delicious pomegranate blackberry for this green detox drink and just enough of it to lend the slightest hint of blackberries to this POMWonderful health concoction!

POM-Powerful Cabbage Detox Drink

Makes: 1-2 servings (4 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 cups green cabbage, chopped
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 apple, quartered and cored
• 3/4 cup POMx Pomegranate Blackberry Tea
• 1 cup filtered water (or to desired consistency)
• 1 tbsp almond butter

Preparation

1. Blend ingredients.
2. Pour and enjoy!

If you’re as much of a fan of POMx Teas as I am, join them on Facebook! And stay tuned for an upcoming review on their Pomegranate Lychee Green POMx Tea.

Still feeling a little sluggish from the holidays? Want to give your immune system a jolt of vitamin C through a low-calorie meal? Then plan to blend this powerful green detox meal sometime soon!

High in vitamins C, E, A and K, as well as potassium and fiber, this blender meal is packed full of detox-enhancing phytonutrients to keep you healthy now and in the future.

The tiny kiwi seeds give it a unique crunchy texture and between the kiwi and honey, it’s more sweet than green tasting. The finisher is the subtle cashew nut flavour, tying it altogether. Yum.

Kiwi, Kale & Kashew Detox Cocktail

Makes: 2.5 cups (1-2 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup cashews, raw
• 3 med celery stalks
• 2 handfuls of kale
• 1 ripe kiwi, peeled and destemmed
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1 cup filtered water, or to desired consistency

Preparation

• Blend the cashews.
• Add rest of the ingredients to blender and blend.
• Enjoy!

Please bookmark this post and let us know what you thought of the magical health concoction!

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and for all those who have extended family, you might be looking at several large meals and a bloated belly. Try replacing a meal or two with this green blended detox recipe to help ease your digestive system and clean you from the inside-out.

Completely balanced with healthy protein (Brazil nuts), fat (avocado) and carbs (greens, fruit and other veggies), this blended meal is as nutritious as it is tasty.

It ain’t much to look at but after a weekend of hard-core celebratory socializing and eating, you’ll certainly feel much lighter – I promise!

Gingerly-Cleanse-Yer-Insides Detox Meal

Ingredients

1/4 cup Brazil nuts
1/2 large Granny Smith apple
1 cup Spinach, rinsed
1 cup Swiss Chard, rinsed
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 Tbsp Avocado, fresh
1/4 cup Juice, berry or apple
1 inch Fresh Ginger, peeled
1/2 cup Filtered Water (or til desired consistency)

Directions

1. Grind nuts in blender.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Blend.
4. Enjoy!

It’s mid-summer and the gardens are in full bloom here in Canada. All those fresh vegetables are packed with nutritious vitamins and phytochemicals just waiting for us to consume them.

If you’re looking to get an easy-to-digest, large variety of nutrients in one light and cleansing meal, try this refreshing Live Lighter green detox blender recipe:

Garden Vegetable Detox Recipe

Makes approximately 20 oz. glass

Ingredients

1 big handful of spinach
3 lg stalks celery
1/2 English cucumber (peel on)
5 cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup carrot juice
1/2 cup filtered water

Directions

Blend until desired consistency.

Many people arriving here on the Live Lighter blog have come in search for detox drink recipes . It seems as if people all over the world are realizing the immediate and future health benefits of eating a diet high in veggies.

What are some of these benefits, again?

Veggies are nutrient-rich and calorie-deficient, which means they will help you lose weight and also help you maintain a healthy weight. We also learned a few days ago about how nutrition is integral to stress management . A few months back we found out how true the statement is, “we are what we eat ” in 8 Foods to Grow Yourself a Younger Bod . And what about their enormous cancer-fighting properties: phytochemicals (with antioxidant capabilities)?

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Feeling stressed? Uncomfortable, especially in the digestive area? These might be signs of toxicity or side effects of extra seasonal detoxing. Try a gentle cleansing but if you’re looking for something quick to make you feel better, replace a few meals during the week with green detox juice recipes.

There are a few green juice recipes floating out there that are perfect for juicing in a juicer. But the more I use my blender, the more I’m convinced that it is a better choice rather than just a substitute. Blending maintains the insoluble fiber in the greens (great for gently scraping your intestines clean), plus you can add tasty nuts to the green detox blender recipes for added flavour, substance and muscle building protein.

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The following recipes are safe if you’re on an elimination diet and the like, or if you haven’t been feeling quite like yourself lately. I’ve found replacing meals every now and again with a green detox juice drink helps me get back on track.

If you lack a good juicer, you can use a blender. Vegetables are often hard to digest but the blender does it for you! Plus you get the benefit of more fiber. The only problem for some is the consistency, but you can fix that as you become more accustomed to your blender.

The Walnut Apple Green Meal is sweet and tasty while the Fennel Cleanser requires a more…acquired taste.
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A friend recently complained that he’s been feeling full, bloated and generally uncomfortable for several days in a row now, despite being regular. He’s been super busy at work all of March and under a lot of stress due to tight deadlines.

From my observations and discussions with others, the seasonal transitions of both Spring and Fall here in the Northern Hemisphere seem to trigger extra detoxing in the body. I suspect that the stress my friend is experiencing has been inhibiting the body’s natural and rhythmic functioning.

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Spring is right around the corner and it’s time for a new beginning. Yes, I know fellow Ontarions, Nature dumped on us this weekend (30 cm or 1 foot of snow here in Toronto). But really, I promise Spring is coming. And it’s the perfect time to clean out your closets AND your body with some detoxing and cleansing.

If you’re experiencing signs of toxicity and want to start feeling better now, as well as ensure a longer, happier life, then start by helping your body detoxify. You might be surprised to hear that one of the easiest and healthiest ways to do this is simply through food!

Nature has given us plenty of food which helps our detoxification processes (more commonly known as super foods with anti-oxidant powers). Just to name a few (source: Life Peak magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 4):
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