green smoothie goodness

While staying with my sister in Byron Bay I gained a renewed appreciation for the joy of wholefood cooking. My sister is a dietitian and combines that with an incredibly creative knack for recipe composition. We played around with green smoothies and she helped me formulate a recipe that is oh so delicious!

I have realised that providing you have the right base there are many delicious versions of green smoothies and they have become a breakfast staple for me this past fortnight because they are both quick, easy and amazingly filling. They provide a great healthy kick start to your day and leave you feeling super detoxed!

The baby spinach or kale is definitely best grown from your home garden and freshly picked as this will provide your body with a much greater source of nutrients. According to one study in 2010, fresh vegetables can lose up to 45 percent of their nutritional value between being picked and landing on the store shelf. After starting my first 'real' vegetable patch this year I've found both spinach and kale to be super easy to grow all year round and so much cheaper than buying them from the store. If you don't have room for a vegetable patch just grow it in a pot with your other herbs!

The green smoothies also tastes amazing as ice blocks and it's a really healthy way getting some extra vitamins into your kids. So if you've got some extra left over just pop it into some reusable icy pole moulds and pop them in the freezer for a healthy snack for later!

green smoothie 

INGREDIENTS

1 big handful of baby spinach leaves or kale (or a combo of both)
1 orange
1 banana
1 Tb chia seeds
1 medijool date
40g frozen mango
juice of half a lemon
3/4 cup water
120g ice cubes
optional handful of nuts (almonds, macadamias, brazil)

METHOD

Put everything into your blender or thermomix and blitz on high for 1 1/2 minutes until completely smooth in texture. The aim is to have no lumps!

Enjoy the super goodness of your green smoothie!