Super Green Smoothie

The first time I had a fresh green smoothie I could not believe how energized and alive I felt. Over the past few years and lots of kitchen fails I have learned some tricks to making them totally edible and even delicious. The first trick is to blend the greens with the liquid before putting all the other ingredients in, unless you have a Vitamix, putting everything in at once can make an end product with chunks of green leaves… gross. The second trick is to use lemon juice, once processed in the body it is not actually acidic but alkaline and very nourishing, plus it cuts the tastes of the greens well. The third trick is using coconut water instead of plain water, it adds lots of flavor, a bit of sweetness and it is very hydrating because of its natural electrolytes. The fourth trick is to use avocado, it adds healthy fats, creaminess and just always makes everything better. The fifth trick is adding enough fruit to make it palatable, I started out with double the amount that I generally use now and decreased it as I became more and more accustomed to the greens. The sixth and final trick is to use a frozen banana, it makes the smoothie colder, creamier and sweeter.

Generally we do not chew our food enough so smoothies can be a great way to get lots of nutrients while giving our digestive systems less work to do. A green smoothie can be any combination of whatever you have around that seems appealing and it can be as simple as one type of leafy greens with one type of fruit. In this version I added a couple “super foods”. The maca is a root that acts as an adaptogen, which helps the body recover from the negative effects of stress and the spirulina is a very nutrient rich and high protein blue-green algae that is very cleansing and rejuvenating.