A “smoothie” way to jumpstart your day

Each day I begin my morning with an amazing green smoothie. My partner makes them up as part of her daily routine to keep her MS in remission and to help me and our four kids get a super antioxidant and micro-nutrient boost to start the day.

It’s also a great way to get your fruit and vegetable servings in, if like most of us, your day gets incredibly busy and you may not always eat as well as you should. Our smoothie recipes has spinach and kale as its foundation — but don’t worry it tastes great! Here’s how to make it…

Nutrient-dense ingredients

The following is the basis of our smoothie; but you can experiment with any numbers of greens and fruits and oils. But use fresh and organic ingredients whenever possible. Too many conventional veg and fruit are on the Dirty Dozen list and should be avoided whenever possible. You can read more about the Dirty Dozen here.

Spinach is a green low in cholesterol and fat yet is just packed with vitamins and miners like niacin, zinc, protein, fiver, vitamins A/C/E/B6/K, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Kale is another low-calorie and no-fat green that is also high in fiber. Kale is great for aiding digestion and contains great amounts of vitamins and minerals like folate and magnesium and four dozen different flavanoids. It also helps lower cholesterol and reduces risk of many kinds of cancer.

Apples are packed with fiber, flavonoids, vitamin C and antioxidants reported to extend lifespan by 10 percent. They are great for aiding digestion and reducing the risk of cancer, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.  And the skin apparently contains a compound that may stave off muscle loss.

Pineapple is high in Vitamin C, manganese and thiamin. They aid in digestion, are an anti-inflammatory, support bone health, and reducing risk of macular degeneration.

Flax seeds are high in fiber, Omega-3 Fatty acids and lignins that help support a healthy heart and provide antioxidant support.

Coconut oil has numerous health benefits, including supporting healthy cholesterol as a “good fat” (HDL) as well as by converting bad (LDL) cholesterol into HDL, thus helping support heart health and reduce risk of heart disease.

Easy prepping

First thing is to have plenty of organic greens and fruit to prep ahead of time so they are available for you throughout the week. It only takes about 15 minutes to prep seven days’ worth.

We use fresh organic greens, not frozen or conventional. Frozen greens need first to be heated to a certain temperature to be safe of bacteria. We buy two bunches of kale and one container of spinach. Open each kale and rinse it of dirt then strip the leaves from the stem. The stem can be too bitter for a pleasant smoothie. Rinse the spinach, too, and then add equal amounts of both to a quart-size freezer bag. This amount of greens makes exactly seven freezer bags (one for each smoothie, daily).

We use some fruit to make it taste sweeter, like organic apple, frozen pineapple; sometimes a frozen banana or tart cherries.

And then some healthy fats, like coconut oil or avocado oil to help absorb some of the fat soluble nutrients.

We also prep about a quarter cup of organic flax seed for healthy fat and fiber to help with cholesterol, slow digestion of sugars, and keep you regular.

Fast blending

You will want to use a high-speed blender for best effect. The ones from Vitamix or Ninja are terrific; others are good, too. The high speed really blends the greens down into a smoother texture, making them more palatable.

First add one of the frozen quart bags of greens and push it way down into the blender.

Next add some fruit for sweetness, but not too much because you don’t want to spike your blood sugar. In today’s video Kellie adds about half a medium apple (organic), for its fiber and pectin and great digestive powers.

And then about a half cup of frozen pineapple, to make the smoothie colder. You can use room-temperature fruit, if you prefer a warmer drink.

Next add about 12 oz. of filtered water. The more water you add the more juice-like the consistency. I like mine more like a cold shake, so this is a good amount for me.

Add two tablespoons of ground flax seed and one tablespoon of coconut oil. The one-two combo of coconut oil and pineapple makes the smoothie taste like a healthy Pina colada!

Cover the blender with the lid and blend on high until the ingredients are at a texture you prefer. Some like it more chunky or gritty and others enjoy a smoother texture and blend longer.

Drinking

Pour into an 8 oz. or 10 oz. glass to boost your morning, give you energy and get your body a dose of healthy fats, nutrient dense ingredients, including fruits and greens, and that much needed fiber.

Enjoy!