Green Super Smoothie

The other day, Entrepreneur.com posted an article on the "5 Morning Rituals to Keep You Productive All Day Long". I liked their suggestions and I thought that I might try applying them to my own life, starting with their smoothie recommendation. I wasn't too keen on the suggested recipe that they provided and after a little digging online, I couldn't really find a green smoothie that appealed to me. After my searching came up fruitless, I decided to make my own recipe from scratch. This recipe works great with a blender or with a juicer, so feel free to use whatever one you have on hand!

In addition to the recipe, you can find a break down of the ingredients and some of their characteristics that make them so darn good for you!. In the end, the smoothie only cost me about $2.50 a drink! Not bad for a smoothie that tastes great and is super healthy, especially since most people will pay twice that for a designer coffee each morning. The most expensive ingredient was the kiwi, which I am considering swapping out for some pineapple or honeydew melon to reduce the price and change up the flavor. 

The most important factor in drinking this smoothie for me, was the consistency and texture. I tried this smoothie recipe several times, once as a juice, another blended in a regular blender and then the last time in a nutribullet. Using the nutribullet was by far the best for me because it made everything a very smooth consistency; I plan on using it going forward in my smoothie making endeavors.

What You Will Need

1 cup Kale (about a good handful)

1/4 inch Piece of ginger

3 Stalks of celery

1.5 cups Apple juice

3-4 Ice cubes of green tea

1 Mint sprig or about a Tbsp

1 Kiwi

1/5th of a avocado

Honey to taste (about a tsp for me)

Steps

1) Place the heavier ingredients at the bottom of the blender, and finish off with the frozen green tea and juice. THOROUGHLY Blend into a liquid consistency.

2) Enjoy your fresh smoothie!!

Nutritional Breakdown

Green tea:

Green tea is considered one of the world's healthiest drinks and contains the highest amount of antioxidants of any tea. The natural chemicals called polyphenols in tea are what are thought to provide its anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. Besides giving our smoothie a great boost in antioxidants and natural chemicals, it also provides a bit of caffeine to the drink and will help give a bit of pick me up in the morning!

For the tea I use in this recipe, I will take about 5 or 6 tea bags and let them steep over night in a pitcher of water. The tea will be a little bit on the strong side, but you can hardly taste it in the smoothie. You can either use this as is or freeze it to help thicken your smoothie. I prefer to freeze it, and just throw in a handful of ice cubes in each smoothie.

Kale:

This super food has earned the nickname "queen of greens", and for good reason! One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Pound for pound, kale is a heavy hitter when it comes to its vitamins and minerals; they will help get you the vitamins you need to start the day off right. 

Kiwi: 

Besides tasting great, kiwis are full of foliate and potassium. Foliate plays a key role in the complete development of red blood cells and also helps with maintaining healthy circulation. Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. The main reason why I wanted to include them was for the sweet tart taste, but I couldn't deny the fact that they fit right in with all of the other super foods!

Mint: 

This little herb has a lot more to offer than just flavoring your chewing gum, it has many health benefits that help cleanse the body and mind. Originally, I had chosen to add mint to this drink as more a way to help with flavor than anything else, but then I learned of all the health benefits of the plant. Mint is said to help with digestion, it relieves anxiety and depression and can even help with allergies by inhibiting the release of histamines! To read more on the herb, go ahead and check out the link posted at the end of the post!

Celery:

When I was a kid, I used to love eating a stalk of celery smothered in Peanut butter, who would have thought that it is actually good for you! Celery has a plethora of healthy compounds, such as Flavonoids, phthalids, and butylphthalids, which may help with different health issues like lowing your blood pressure and helping with reducing your "bad" cholesterol.

Avocado:

These fruits get their rich and creamy texture from the "good" fats that they contain.They are packed full of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need, such as vitamin K, Vitamin B9, vitamin B6, vitamin B5 vitamin C, and vitamin E. A serving size is only about a 5th of a fruit, so you can make one avocado last for most of the week.

Ginger:

This legendary spice has quite a list of benefits; it has been used for hundreds of years in Asian culture and is still a staple in flavoring many dishes. One of gingers most well known attributes is its effects on the digestion system. This zesty little morsel helps stimulate digestion and the absorption of nutrients, and it also helps problems like nausea, appetite and gas. It packs a a lot of flavor, so a little bit goes a long way!

 Not yet convinced that these greens are what you need to start off you morning? Go ahead and keep reading from the links below! Most of us don't eat enough vegetables to meet our daily requirements, starting the day with them is a step in the right direction in eating healthier and meeting your bodies needs for veggies! If you get a chance to try my smoothie, please let me know what you think in the comments below!!

Celery information, http://www.care2.com/greenliving/11-super-health-benefits-in-just-1-celery-stalk.html

Kale information, http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Ginger Inforamtion, http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-ginger.html#b

Avocado information: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270406.php

Mint information: http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html

Green tea information: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-reasons-to-drink-green-tea.html

Kiwi information: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/natural-foods/natural-weight-loss-food-kiwi-ga.htm

Happy Blending,

~Mr. McLovin