“Energy Smoothies” make a great wake up refreshment anytime of the day – providing an extraordinary nutritional punch. Drinking a smoothie (an optional meal replacement) is an easy way to consume your daily vegetable and fruit recommendations by the Center for Disease Control ‘fruit and vegetable calculator’. A perk is that the nutrients are broken down for your body to absorb easily by blending the food down to a cellular level (giving your digestive system a break). One of the easiest recipe equations to create your own special concoction is to combine a green leafy vegetable such as kale, spinach, collard greens; a soft fruit like banana, mango, or pineapple; a date; a nut butter – almond, cashew or peanut; and milk. Endless recipe ideas and illustrations for healthy, green, energy smoothie books are out there and The Healthy Green Drink Diet book has excellent, sustainable options.
The smoothie recipe below has bananas, providing instant high energy, adding natural sweetness with potassium and fiber; Collard greens for the phytonutrients and ability to alkalize the body pH level (balancing the acidity caused by coffee, tea, meat, fish, sugar and processed foods); peanut butter adding protein, folates, vitamin E and magnesium. It is very easy with a high-speed blender like the Nutri Bullet that sells for about $99 or a top gun Blendtec Blender to whip up fast, thoroughly mixed smoothies. Blend all of the following ingredients together:
– 2 frozen bananas
– 2- 3 raw collard green leaves (remove stem)
– 1 Mejdool date (remove pit)
– 1 cup rice, almond, soy, or regular milk
– 1 cups water
– Handful ice
– 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter