Bliss!! Mango Banana Pie

First, I have to admit - I have never eaten a mango in my life.  Had no idea what it even tasted like.  Still can't really describe it - just a really mild fruit.   Anyhoo........Oh MY!!  If you want to put a bite of pure bliss in your mouth, make this pie today!

In the past month, we have been trying to eat much healthier, along with our daily Green Smoothies, I had read about Alissa Cohen and the great reviews on her book, Living on Raw Food.  You can only order it online and the cost is $29.99.  That really wasn't in our budget and I was thrilled when I found a copy at a second hand bookstore in Dallas (had a bonanza experience during the holidays!)  Not only was it half price, but there was an additional 20% off sale.  Woo hoo!

I had read online that one of the pies was amazing, and I had to try it.  So hubs and I got all the ingredients together and made it last night.  We just had our first pieces tonight with dinner and it was pure bliss.  We opted to freeze the pie, and it tasted like a popsicle in our mouths - so yummy.

Mango Banana Pie
From Living on Raw Foods, Alissa Cohen


Crust:

2 cups almonds
1/2 cup dates, soaked  (I soaked overnight)

Filling:

4 mangoes
6 bananas

For crust:

1.  In a food processor, grind almonds until fine.
2,  Add the dates and blend until smooth.
3.  Remove from food processor and pat down in pie plate.


For Filling:

1.  Peel the meat off of 4 mangoes and place in food processor with 4 of the bananas.  Blend well until smooth.
2.  Slice the 2 remaining bananas and place in bowl.
3.  Add the mango-banana mixture and mix well.
4.  Pour filling into crust and refrigerate for a few hours until mixture solidifies.  You can also freeze this for a frozen mango pie.


I didn't have enough almonds, so used 1 cup almonds, 1 cup pecans.  We chose to freeze our pie and it was heavenly. 

This is totally healthy, raw and full of nutrition.  Just mangoes, bananas, nuts and dates.  How simple is that?  This could be eaten for a meal rather than just dessert - totally healthy.

For more information on Alissa Cohen, visit HERE.   She also has a great forum to read and ask questions.  It is HERE.

Enjoy!

BlendTec Blender and Green Smoothies Again

We purchased a BlendTec blender a few months ago and we have had a blast using it!! Here are some photos - this blender is amazing!! We got ours at Costco and got a better price than is listed on the website. And a 7 year warranty (you normally get a 4 year warranty, but with Costco involved, they increased it to 7 years.) Also, if we had gotten home and not like this for any reason, Costco would take it back no questions asked. There was a demonstration one day, and that's when we saw it. We were in the market and considering a Vitamix until we saw this!

Here is a close-up of the buttons. You just push one button, and the blender does it thing. It speeds up, slows down, whatever is needed. Unlike the Vitamix, where you have to push different buttons during the blend process, this blender does it all for you.


The number on the display you see - 170 - is the amount of times we have used this blender since July!! I've made soups, dips, shakes, ice cream, sorbet and the most by far is the smoothie.

In my previous post, I showed the ingredients at that time. It is recommended that you trade out your greens occasionally, and change out the flavors for variety. This is my latest "favorite". One great thing about the green smoothie is that you can "drink" anything you really don't want to eat!! This smoothie is PACKED with nutrition, and drinking it in the morning is like drinking several energy drinks. You would really be amazed at how great you feel and how much energy you have. Your body is thrilled to have all this "live" food to assimilate!

What exactly is a green smoothie? It's a fruit smoothie that includes a big serving of dark green leafy vegetables.
Green smoothies are an excellent breakfast choice for many, as they provide healthy carbohydrates, along with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and chlorophyll. Green smoothies are also an excellent source of fiber.

My current recipe:

Grapes
1 frozen banana
1/3 cucumber, peeled
1/8 cup frozen raspberries
1 plum
1 Roma tomato, cored
1 or 2 Tbs. local honey (good for allergies)
3-4 cups of spring mix greens
1/2 to 1 cup water, to taste and texture desired

Here is a list of 70 Green Smoothie Recipes:

Green Smoothie Recipes


Here is a photo of the greens I've been using. This is Spring Mix from Sam's, organic and already rinsed. This first photo is how much I had in the container when I started. The next photo is how much was left. That is HOW MUCH lettuce I put in the smoothie!!! BTW, this is a type of lettuce I would NEVER want to eat in a salad.




The ingredients without the lettuce. With the Blendtec, we push the "Whole Juice" button and it blends it perfectly. First at slow, then faster, then it pulls "down" and blends everything, while most blenders push "up".

Here is a website for Blendtec. Click Here Be sure to check out the recipes. Recipes Demonstration Videos

Here is a Smoothie Video - Click Here

And have you seen the "Will It Blend?" videos? That is the Blendtec! Watch these to check out the power of this blender. Warning - don't do most of these at home, but they are fun to watch.

"Will It Blend" Videos?

Will It Blend an IPhone?

OK, be forewarned - with all those colors, this smoothie is NOT green. It is actually sort of brown. When you mix all those colors and that much purple, the brown color is common.


This is actually delicious!! I put it in this clear glass to show more detail.


But in reality, I drink it in this Oklahoma Sooner cup, all 32+ ounces. Each and every morning. You talk about nutrition!!


I have lost 25 lbs, my complexion is glowing, my energy and mood are excellent. And my cravings for sugary foods has been greatly decreased. It is the weirdest thing! And on mornings I skip this and eat something else, I feel like a slug. I happily go back to my green smoothie breakfast and enjoy the energy!

You really must try this - your body will be very happy. Mix and match any fruits and greens you want. Do not add starchy vegetables such as carrots, beets, broccoli stems, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, egg plant, pumpkin, squash, okra, peas, corn, green beans, and others to your green smoothies. Starchy vegetables combine poorly with fruit and may produce some unwanted gas. I also recommend using organic whenever possible.

To your health!