Time to grab your morning green power smoothie.
Growing up we didn’t make smoothies.
We made Hawaiian shaved ice. Translated- we made sugar ice died all different colors for our tasting pleasure. Now there is nothing wrong with a good old Hawaiian shaved ice, but there isn’t exactly any nutritional value in that.
Now having three kids and knowing what I know our family does a lot of smoothies. I have a rule in my house that I will never say no to a smoothie. And it is a big way for myself and my kids to get their green veggies in.
I try to have a smoothie every single day. That is seven days a week, no matter what. I now travel with a small blender and bag up all my ingredients so I am never in a bind when it comes to getting what I need to stay on track.
To be totally transparent, I remind myself that daily that routine is good for me. It keeps me away from bad decisions that lead me down the eating disorder road that I do not want to go back to. And compromised nutrition is a huge component as to why I then reach for not so good food choices.
Consistency is KEY!
This is the smoothie I make every single day. It’ has been doctored over the years, but now it’s not only a part of my daily routine, but my kids as well. People ask me all the time, “Hope, how do you get your kids to eat healthy and drink green smoothies”? And the answer is-I always share my why.
Since they were little, I tried to not just tell them they needed to do something. Or tell them “this is how we do things”. But I will explain why. The result. I have an eleven, nine and four year old that probably know more about nutrition and health than most adults, and they are living it- every, single, day.
This recipe is from my dear friend Karen Urbanek who wrote Living in Rawality Cookbook. It’s not her exact recipe, but the inspiration came from her. She is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to eating, food, health and how the body really works. No fluff with her (which I love).
Her content is AMAZING, and her recipes will blow your mind as to what you can do with food (and without meat). Her cookbook is my go-to for healthy, delicious, and fun recipes to wow (and trick) my family and friends into eating good food before they want to try “healthy” alternatives.
My Power Green Smoothie Recipe
- 1 serving Vanilla Amare Protein Powder (if you are not active enough to utilize a high amount of protein, omit this)
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
- A banana or ½ avocado (for smoothness)
- 1 large handful of spinach (I freeze my fresh spinach in small batches if needed) or kale
- 1 cup distilled or filtered water – cold
- 1 tablespoon of Collagen Peptides (I also put this in my coffee)
- 1 cup frozen fruit- I stick to berries: blueberries, cherries, raspberries, sometimes pineapple or mango
- A small finger of turmeric (I freeze it into chunks) – for inflammation
- 1 pinch of black pepper (it activates the turmeric)
- A small finger of ginger (I freeze it into chunks) – for digestion
- 1-2 tsp, if you think you can handle it 1 tablespoon of Karen’s Green Powder (get ready for a kick) (available in her cookbook) or try these greens.
Never EVER ice. Ice dilutes your digestive fire and totally contradicts what you are trying to do. Let the frozen fruit do the chilling!
Sometimes I use everything listed above, and other times I just use my powder, spinach and some frozen fruit. It can be a bit of an acquired taste, but my health is worth it and it gets a lot of boxes checked for me nutrition wise right away at the beginning of the day. My kids play with the ingredients as well. And I have to be honest, following my “why” approach to all things parenting. They all on their own explore other things to add to their smoothie.
I’m busy and I know you are too. Let me suggest a simple addition like a green power smoothie to fuel your day right.
Remember, how you start your morning will tell you a lot about how you will end your day. Drink up, you have a lot to accomplish.