Building The Perfect Smoothie

Remember when I shared with you that I was starting to make smoothies? I promised some recipes once I perfected them and those are coming. Before I share some of my favorite concoctions I thought I'd pass along a few tips I've learned.

Above is a visual "formula" for my smoothies. I've detailed each "layer" below. Basically, I mix and match what I have (or what is in season)to come up with the daily smoothie. I love this method because I can customize it by making it low-oxalate (which I've been trying to follow recently due to some recurring GI/pain issues).

Chicken Millet Skillet

I had never heard of millet until I had to go gluten free awhile ago. Luckily my celiac test came back negative, but my GI doctor still had me go gluten free for 6 weeks to determine if I was gluten intolerant (turns out I’m not). 

I learned about a lot of alternative grains/pastas/flours while eating gluten free, millet being one of them. Millet is bland and I wasn’t even sure how to serve it to make it palatable. Desperate to use up some of my millet, I found this recipe on Whole Foods’ website. I made modifications to suit our tastes. I was surprised at how good this was. I really didn’t have any expectations for this, I just wanted to get rid of some millet, but wow, this was so good. Mr.Surly loved it and he requests it often, which I don’t mind because it’s so easy and quick to make.

You could probably use quinoa if you don’t have millet. If you don’t have wine, substitute with chicken broth and, if desired, stir in a Tbsp or two of white wine vinegar with the swiss chard. Kale could also be used instead of swiss chard. Next time I make this, I think I'll add some pinenuts or almonds as garnish before serving.