The Classic Green Smoothie

Starting your morning off right is so important. My typical weekday morning looks something like this:

6 a.m. - wake up
6:05 a.m. - let dogs out
6:06 a.m. - drink warm glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon & dash of cayenne pepper
6:10 a.m. - feed dogs
6:15 a.m. - shower
6:30 a.m. - make & drink a green smoothie

Wow! What a busy half hour, but let me tell you it is the best kickstart to a fabulous day!

I'm not a huge fan of water, so I try to get as much in as I can first thing in the morning because I tend to fall off the "water train" by early afternoon. Drinking a glass of warm water with lemon & cayenne is part of my 21 day crazy sexy cleanse. It cleanses your liver and stimulates circulation. I like a nice warm lemon drink this time of year because it's a nice way to welcome the morning after you've had to leave your cozy bed at 6 a.m.! If you try this morning ritual, go easy on the cayenne, a little goes a long way.

The next thing I consume is a green smoothie. You might recall that I wasn't a huge fan of the green juice. I prefer smoothies because they are creamy and taste good, they are much faster and easier to whip up on a workday and they only require one piece of equipment - a blender (or if you're like me and you burnt out your blender, a Magic Bullet works great too). I can have one whipped up in 5 minutes flat and I don't have green goo smeared all over the kitchen like my juicing experience.

So you might be wondering, what in the world would make me want to drink a green smoothie everyday? I've noticed alot of changes for the good since starting my green smoothie habit; the most significant one is ENERGY. It fills me up and I feel bright & alert and ready to tackle my day.  When I drink them regularly, not only do I feel energized, but my skin is clearer. This is a big deal for me because I have trouble with breakouts.

There are a million different variations of the green smoothie. I've tried several different combinations and  my all-time favourite is what I consider to be the classic green smoothie. It's as simple as this:

Blend together 1 frozen banana cut up into chunks (I freeze baggies full of chopped organic bananas and go through probably 2 bunches of bananas per week), almond milk (or milk of your choice), purified water and lots of baby organic spinach. I don't use specific amounts of anything but the banana.  I would guestimate that I use 1/2 c each of almond milk and water.  I also add a shot of wheatgrass whenever I have some on hand. If you like something a little sweeter, you could add your favourite sweetener or some cocoa powder.

I make a huge glass and drink 'er all.

Now, that was EASY!!

At first the green colour was a turn off, but you really cannot taste the spinach at all. Now I love the look of it; it reminds me of all the goodness that I am feeding my body. If you don't like the colour add some berries. Blueberries "hide" the green.

I never thought Derek would try a green smoothie, but if I make it, he'll drink it. He loves them!

If you would like to find some inspiration and recipes for your own green smoothie concoction, check out the Green Monster Movement. It's an awesome resource!!

So, there you have it ~ a great way to start each and every morning. I hope you try it and make sure you let me know what you think.

What are your early morning rituals?

Do you have a favourite green smoothie recipe you'd like to share?

Wishing you a wonderful day,

Andrea