Make your own Mango Parsley Smoothie!

Yeah, it’s PARSLEY!! You haven’t read it wrongly.

I love vegetables, but I do not take parsley due to its taste. Before I start devouring my chicken rice, I always make sure I place the nice small bunch of parsley aside on my plate so it doesn’t interfere with the rest of my meal. But guess what? This smoothie has a terrifyingly exotic taste with a good blend of mango and parsley. Moreover, I made it with my man in mind and not myself. He loves mangoes so this recipe that I found online on food.com is a sure winner. Determined to surprise him, I started to shop for fresh parsley, sweet mangoes and ripe bananas…

In total, the ingredient cost price was only SGD 4 for 2.5 cups. That's less than 50% of the price for a smoothie drink (after GST and service charge, around SGD 9++ for one cup, which are so often not worth paying for!) that I buy from a beverage stall. Hence this was a bargain for me! I got these ingredients from NTUC. If you wish to get the same from Cold Storage or atas supermarkets, note that the price may increase. Make sure that you choose your mangoes well too!

A generous handful of selected parsley leaves.

Soak the parsley in about 2 drops of fruits and vegetables detergent for about 10 minutes.

That's 2 mangoes.

A comparison between the colours of a frozen banana and an unfrozen one.
The recipe requires one frozen banana. Peel it before you freeze it, otherwise you may have to end up slicing it up that what I did! :X

Blend all 3 ingredients together. 

Remember to add water!

Ingredients for 2 cups:
1 frozen banana ( Freezing it probably is to add a slushy texture to your smoothie. It did not work for mine though!)
1 generous handful of parsley
2 mangoes
2 cups of water

Just blend them together and that's it! So easy!

Our parents tell us we should eat our vegetables, but eating too much of parsley may cause us more harm than good! The following tells us more...

Parsley Uses, Side Effects & Safety

The information below is taken from a more-or-less credible source:

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-792-PARSLEY.aspx?activeIngredientId=792&activeIngredientName=PARSLEY

Parsley Uses

Parsley is an herb. The leaf, seed, and root are used to make medicine. Be careful not to confuse parsley with fool's parsley and parsley piert.

Parsley is used for urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones (nephrolithiasis), gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, constipation, jaundice, intestinal gas (flatulence), indigestion, colic, diabetes, cough, asthma, fluid retention (edema), osteoarthritis, “tired blood” (anemia), high blood pressure, prostate conditions, and spleen conditions. It is also used to start menstrual flow, to cause an abortion, as an aphrodisiac, and as a breath freshener.

Some people apply parsley directly to the skin for cracked or chapped skin, bruises, tumors, insect bites, lice, parasites, and to stimulate hair growth.

In foods and beverages, parsley is widely used as a garnish, condiment, food, and flavoring.

In manufacturing, parsley seed oil is used as a fragrance in soaps, cosmetics, and perfumes.

Parsley might help stimulate the appetite, improve digestion, increase urine production, reduce spasms, and increase menstrual flow.

Parsley Side Effects & Safety

Parsley seems to be safe for most adults when used as medicine short-term. In some people, parsley can cause allergic skin reactions. Consuming very large amounts of parsley can cause other side effects like “tired blood” (anemia) and liver or kidney problems.

Parsley seed oil applied to the skin can cause the skin to become extra sensitive to the sun and cause a rash. Not enough is known about the safety of applying parsley root and leaf to the skin.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Parsley in food amounts is fine, but parsley in the larger medicinal amounts is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy. Parsley has been used to cause an abortion and to start menstrual flow. In addition, developing evidence suggests that taking An-Tai-Yin, an herbal combination product containing parsley and dong quai, during the first three months of pregnancy increases the risk of serious birth defects. If you are pregnant, stick with using only the amount of parsley typically found in food.

Not enough is known about the safety of using parsley in medicinal amounts during breast-feeding. It’s best not to use more than typical food amounts of parsley.

Fluid retention (edema): There is a concern that parsley might cause the body to hold onto sodium (salt), and this increases water retention.

High blood pressure: There is a concern that parsley might cause the body to hold onto sodium (salt), and this could make high blood pressure worse.

Kidney disease: Don’t take parsley if you have kidney disease. Parsley contains chemicals that can make kidney disease worse.

In short, please be careful of what you eat. This is probably still safe for your consumption if you are single and have no medical conditions. Have fun making this easy DIY drink!

Love,

Loraine