Smoothies….The best way trick your body into eating an entire head of greens.
My day isn’t complete without one.
Typically, the blender is packed 3/4 with greens, then topped off with a big handful of berries, and a couple frozen ‘nanas.
Sounds like a whole forest of greens, but once you blend it all up they hide from your taste buds just like black beans in brownies.
Blending is one of the best ways to get your fruits and veggies in. In smoothie-town, you get to keep the fibre, along with all of the vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals. Efficient or what!
The more whole, plant foods you can get into your day, the better your body will feel, and the more energy you will have. In other words… a blender is definite BFF material.
Adding in a scoop of this chocolate vegan protein powder that packs in sacha inchi, spirulina, chlorella, maca, greens and all 22 amino acids, takes this smoothie to the next level! The beauty of adding this powder is that you can add even more veggies, and the bitterness of extra kale or chard will be masked by the chocolatey goodness.
And it’s chocolate goodness to the max, with the only sweetener being stevia (a zero calorie plant that’s 200 times as sweet as sugar and related to the daisy!).
Smoothie tips:
- chew your smoothie! This is why I like to add less liquid sometimes and make it into a smoothie bowl I eat like a soup. Sounds weird, I know, but it’s important to chew your smoothie to start the production of digestive enzyme, amylase, in your saliva. The mouth is where the breakdown of carbohydrates starts. Adding cacao nibs to your smoothie is a great way to remind yourself to chew your smoothie, rather than guzzling it down in a hurry. This makes sure you’re not sending undigested chunks of food down to your stomach.
- add the greens and additional powders first, then the heavy stuff like berries and bananas on top. This order of things will help the greens blend up without air bubbles and stalls.
- start your blender on low and pulse a few times, then crank er’ up to the top speed. If it’s not blending, use a tamper.
- make a mega smoothie in the morning (fill your blender to the brim). Then you’ll have a smoothie in the morning and more waiting for you in the fridge for the afternoon. Having a smoothie ready to grab all day long will kick that afternoon junk food craving in the a$$ and give you a burst of clean energy.
Benefits:
- Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. The vitamin C helps you absorb all of the iron from the spinach and other greens, and the antioxidants protect you from cell oxidation that comes from pollutants and other stressors leading to early aging, illness or cancer.
- Turmeric is nature’s anti-inflammatory. All disease begins with inflammation, so the less inflammation you have, the healthier you’ll be and the better you’ll feel!
- Greens are the most nutrient-dense food group, packed with minerals, vitamins and fibre. Get them in ya whenever you can. Pack that blender with greens… then add one more handful.
- 1-2 cups blueberries (or other berries of choice)
- 3 cups (or more) of packed greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, collards)
- 1 cm of fresh turmeric, or ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 -3 frozen bananas (un-frozen works too)
- 1½ cups almond milk or this hemp milk
- 1 scoop of chocolate Ground Based Nutrition powder
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs (optional)
- water (optional)
- Add everything except the cacao nibs to the blender. Start with the greens, turmeric and powder on the bottom, then top it with everything else
- Blend! Pulse a few times, then slowly increase the speed to max and blend until smooth.
- Add water if you want a thinner consistency
- Pour into your fave jar and top with cacao nibs
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