Not so arsey...

Ok.. a week and a bit into this Big Green Smoothie thing, and I have to confess... They don't all taste like arse. After a bit of trial and error, I have managed to find a couple of combinations that are actually very nice.

I think I went into this a bit gung-ho (who?? ME??!!). The key is to gradually up the green component. So I went back to basics with cos/romaine and watermelon

And It is really good!! You can't taste the lettuce, so it's pretty much a fruit-flavoured smoothie... that happens to be lurid green!!




Well whizzed, it's got a consistency of V-8..

Next, I bought a cheap blender, and I take my veggies and fruit to work, and I am replacing lunch with a smoothie.

Another winning combo was cos/romaine, grape and apricot. I find the fibre of the lettuce really fills you up, it's cheap and it's quick. I've also been adding a knob of ginger for kick.



And while it's probably nicer on the palate to eat all the different ingredients separately, I (for one) am highly unlikely to sit down to a lunch of a whole head of iceberg, an apple and 2 bananas.

But, my star-sign must clearly have Taste in retrograde right now, because on Sat night I had Mater Beige, Uncle Maximus, Auntie Linnie, Em and Stew over for dinner. I thought I'd do something a bit different, and cook Mater B's fave veggie.. the much maligned Brussels sprout. I've blogged about them, I've searched Chowhound for recipes to make these damn things palatable, and finally I went for the culinary concept of ETGBWB. (Every thing goes better with bacon)

Newp. Roasted in duck fat and bacon, until just caramelized, these things STILL taste like arse. Ask Em. She agrees.

you know that Pearl Jam song???

ohohohohohohoohohoh I'M STILL ALIVE, heyyyyyyy

Well just call me Eddie Freakin' Vedder, ok?

So, yes.. yet another post about my weight and weight loss.

leave now if you're bored.

Here's the thing.

I've been bemoaning my 15kg of lard since Ex-Mousse, and while I have changed a few things in my diet and increased my exercise a little, I really haven't seen much change in my weight.

And it's a little disheartening.

So, I've been listening to on-line friends talking up the benefits of eating raw food.

Don't panic, I'm not about to get all vegan on you, and I am pretty clear that my predilections lie in the "dead things on plates, with sauce" department, but I am willing to give anything a red hot go at the moment.

So I thought I'd give the Big Green Smoothie Challenge a go.

What is this, I hear you ask, fascinatedly?

It's the idea that we don't get nearly enough of the nutrients in green cellulose plants, and by turning them into a smoothie, and adding fruit, we can become healthier.

My luscious friend Lucy over at Rawkin' ("Goodbye Beer, Hello Broccoli!") has an awesome video on her site that explains more.

So off I toddled to my local organic grocer, and bought a bit of pretty much whatever took my fancy.

Did a handful of spinach, a stick of rainbow chard, some apricots, some blackberries, a yellow peach, a banana and some mango.

Tasted pretty much like arse.

Added another banana.

Tasted like thickened banana flavoured arse.

Going to try it AGAIN tonight with cos/romaine.

Cos it looked like end-stage ENT cancer mucous and tasted pretty much like you'd imagine blended spinach and banana would taste.




Like arse.

with blackberry pits in it.

So, once again, call me Eddie Vedder. ok?

Furry's agreed to do it with me.

For a fortnight.

Yippee... A fortnight of arse flavoured infected sinus coloured smoothies.

Yum