I am not a big collards fan so for wraps, I like Swiss Chard. I have grown bright lights before but this year I opted for separate packs of a magenta variety and a golden variety for the pretty color combination. Kale makes an excellent smoothie with blueberry, banana, milk and maple syrup. For the summertime I grow Red Russian because it does not mind the heat and I grow dwarf and Italian varieties during the cooler times of the year. Curly varieties make good kale chips. New Zealand spinach is good for summer. I have not tried it in smoothies yet, but will once it starts growing. Sorrel is a favorite of mine, it sort of tastes like lemon spinach. Great for omelettes or in pasta sauces, etc. Last fall I planted red mustard near the front door because I did not have a plant for that spot yet. It grew well for grabbing handfuls hear and there to add to soups, beans etc. and this spring it started growing again very well. We seem to eat more greens when I have them growing. Most of the timethey do not appear impressive in the grocery store for the price. We do much better when we can go out and pluck them ourselves. This year I will be growing salad greens on my side porch where it gets sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon, hoping that it will keep the lettuce from bolting. I am looking for a low bowl type of container for my "salad bowl." I hope to then bring at least one ceramic salad bowl inside for the winter where they can be clipped for baby greens. Mache is a favorite of mine, but I have not had luck growing it, YET. The kids do not care for arugula so I have not bothered with it. This year I will also be trying a baby bok choi from Burpee called toi choi with a short growing time. Baby bok choy makes good salads with red peppers, peanuts, cukes and an Asian dressing.

Hi Reneea, I've cut & pasted a few recipes below- hope it's not too late. Goodluck with the visit. Nerry Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie (use a 3:1 fruit to greens ratio) Serves 2 2 cups spinach, fresh (tightly packed) or kale 2 cups water 1 cup mango 1 cup pineapple or papaya or frozen grapes 2 bananas- can sub 1 banana for 1 peach TIP #1: Remember to get the smoothest smoothie and to avoid leafy chunks, blend your greens and liquid first, then add the remaining fruits. TIP #2: Use at least one frozen fruit to make the green smoothie cold. TIP #3: If you aren’t a big fan of bananas, feel free to substitute for another fruit. You can even freeze the bananas first to reduce the flavor and also add some extra chill to your smoothie. Jackie’s recipe:- Here is one of my typical green smoothie recipes: ��" 1 cup grapes ��" 1 orange, peeled and seeded ��" 1 banana, peeled ��" 1 pear, cored ��" 2 handfuls of greens (I often use mixed greens or four leaves of kale) ��" 8 ounces of filtered water My favorite is 2 bananas, 1 large apple, 2 kale leaves, 6-8 dandelion greens, 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, some wheatgrass juice, 2 cups water and 1 cup of ice. Blend and I have breakfast and my afternoon snack. This great stuff and I will not ever go back to eating the way I used to with fast and processed foods Beet-Apple Smoothie 1 medium banana, peeled 1 large apple, cored and peeled 4 ounces fresh beet juice Calories: 245 : Fat: 1g (grams) : Protein: 3g : Carbs: 63g : Calcium: 9% : Vitamin A: 31% : Vitamin C: 335% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kale is a highly nutritious leafy green to use in smoothies and is an excellent source of plant-based calcium. Pineapple-Kale • 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped • 1 medium apple, cored • 2 cups kale, chopped • 8 ounces of filtered water Calories: 244 : Fat: 1g (grams) : Protein: 6g : Carbs: 60g : Calcium: 18% : Iron: 3.0 mg : Vitamin A: 693% : Vitamin C: 276% Orange-Peach-Kale • 1 orange, peeled • 2 medium peaches • 2 cups kale, chopped • 8 ounces of filtered water Calories: 253 : Fat: 2g (grams) : Protein: 8g : Carbs: 61g : Calcium: 22% : Iron: 3.2 mg : Vitamin A: 731% : Vitamin C: 293% Banana-Orange-Kale • 1 medium banana, peeled • 1 orange, peeled • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated • 2 cups kale, chopped • 8 ounces of filtered water Calories: 241 : Fat: 2g (grams) : Protein: 7g : Carbs: 58g : Calcium: 21% : Iron: 2.8 mg : Vitamin A: 701% : Vitamin C: 282% Orange-Kiwi-Kale • 1 orange, peeled • 2 kiwifruit • 1 small pear, cored • 2 cups kale, chopped • 8 ounces of filtered water Calories: 306 : Fat: 2g (grams) : Protein: 8g : Carbs: 74g : Calcium: 25% : Iron: 3.1 mg : Vitamin A: 703% : Vitamin C: 420% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Veteran green smoothie lovers will find this recipe delicious. However, if you are just starting out, I’d skip the cranberries, and I’d use a milder green like fresh baby spinach or romaine lettuce. This green smoothie recipe is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients. It has 45% of your daily recommended value of calcium, 7.8 milligrams of iron, and it has 23 grams of fiber. The nutrients in dandelion greens may help reduce the risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and stroke. Dandelion contains anti-inflammatory properties which may provide benefit to those with asthma and other inflammatory diseases. Apple-Dandelion Green Smoothie Recipe with Pear and Fresh Cranberries • 1 medium pear, cored • 1 medium apple, cored • 1 banana, peeled • 1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen) • 4 cups of dandelion greens • 8 ounces of filtered water • Start by adding the liquid to your blender (I use a Vitamix), followed by the soft fruit. Add the greens to your blender last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

"I WISH I could like the green smoothies but I just don't! Maybe I need to add more fruit to give it a sweeter taste." You could add more fresh fruit and/or dried fruit. An alternative is to give your tastebuds more time to acclimate to the "green" taste. When I first started making smoothies, they had quite a lot of sweeter fruits in them, and a lot of carrot juice. These days, I've not only increased the proportion of vegetables substantially while decreasing the proportion of fruits and sugary vegetables, but I've also switched to lower-sugar fruits, like berries, including unsweetened cranberries. What's interesting is that now, I don't like sweeter smoothies as much. For example, I made one a few days ago with unsweetened pomegranate juice, and it seemed like a dessert to me. golddust, you said this: "I can't believe the difference in my skin. It feels softer and less puffy." The same here. But there's more. How many of you have face creams, eye creams, special creams for nighttime, body creams and lotions? Special ones for feet, for cuticles. For every single body part or so it seems? I realized the other day that I'm no longer using anything. After showering, I always needed the whole gamut of creams and lotions; the same after washing my face, which always felt unpleasantly tight. These days, my skin always feels soft, and no creams or lotions are needed. Of course, I can't scientifically ascribe the change to green smoothies, nor would I. I also can't say it's because of what I now eat, or because of what I no longer eat. It's probably due to a combo of all those factors. (It might well be due to something else entirely, of course.) But whatever, I don't want to estimate the cost of all those partially jars and bottles! Because I doubt I'll ever finish up any of them.

Check out the movie "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" about a guy goes on a juice fast for 60 days to gain control of his health. Very inspiring! Some of his green juice recipes are here: http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/recipes/ Also, check out www.simplegreensmoothies.com. They have an Instagram page, too, where they share recipes. They have a 30 day green smoothie challenge (for free), where they send you shopping lists, recipes and tips to make one smoothie a day for a whole months (quoted from their web site).