Going Green

           When Kimmy got sick, and I began running marathons; Rita Ranch to hospital...back to Rita Ranch to pick up kids from school, back to hospital, footraces up the staircases (I still need a rematch with Heidi, the RN who thoroughly smoked me up to Kimmy's floor!)...Kimmy worried about me and my health.  Leave it to Kimmy, in her condition, to worry about my health!  If there were ever a more selfless, giving person...well, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting them yet. 
           But, I was always the one getting sick...mainly sinus infections, as I have a deviated septum (that sounds so cool!) and various assorted allergies.  And Kimmy never got sick, always joking "I'm waiting for the 'big one'".  Damn.  I told her not to joke like that - and I still am in disbelief, that with all of the advances in medicine, how young and healthy she was, that Kimmy couldn't be saved.  Have you seen that movie, "The Green Mile"?  One of my favorite Stephen King stories.  Kim and I watched that movie several times...at one point, when she was hospitalized,  I told her "if I could just do that thing that John Coffey does to sick folks in the movie and save you...".  Kim would giggle "I know Dave, you are saving me, but you need to stay healthy for the bambini."  Kim always took good care of me...
               Enter Lupe and Manny with the Green Drink!  They make this concoction in a blender, chock full of fruits and veggies, that looks like puffy, toxic waste from an old sci-fi movie, but actually tastes very good!  Lupe would be dropping her daughter, Monsi off at Mrs. Schrantz' class, as I was dropping Tonio off, and hand me a glass of the stuff - every morning.  I haven't gotten sick since.  Not a sinus infection - nothing.  I'm waiting for the 'big one'.  Just kiddin!
                Here's what you do:
 Ingredients
 2 cups spinach
 1 cucumber
 4 celery stalks
 1/2 tsp of ginger
  Handful of parsley
  2 apples
  Juice from 1 lime
  Juice from 1/2 lemon
  Small can of crushed pineapple

Just combine all of this into a blender (add water, or I like to add pineapple juice, as needed).  Makes 4-5 servings.  I just leave it in the bender pitcher, put it in the fridge, and each morning, blend it back up and drink it M-F.  And there are my veggies!!  It's pretty tasty, too!
  Lupe even got me one to the hospital Kimmy's last morning there.  We were still in the ER and Amy snuck in, saying she was my sister, and brought me a coffee and the green drink!  Amy had taken the kids to school for us that morning, and Lupe handed off my drink to her. Kimmy was pleased.

   And today, Lupe picked up the bambini's after school, helped them get their homework done, and her and Manny had us all over for a chicken tostado dinner (tostados are Autumn's favorite) complete with some smokin hot tomatillo salsa ( I forgot to get that recipe, but it's green!).  Everything was delicious!  And, it was a long day...so it was nice to unwind.

    That's a lot of green.  Green Mile.  Green drink.  Green tomatillo salsa.

Love,
        Dave