Super Smoothie!

Who says comfort food has to be warm? The late September weather around here feels more like the dog days of August, so after a sweaty morning yoga session I'm craving something that cools me down and packs a good punch of protein into my tired muscles.

This smoothie requires a little bit of shopping, but don't be scared by the ingredient list. Once you buy this stuff, you'll be amazed at how long it lasts and how many delicious smoothies you can get out of it. I like to buy fresh fruit and freeze it myself (check out this handy website for tips) but this recipe works just as well with frozen fruit from the grocer. I highly recommend that you purchase organic frozen fruit-- I definitely notice a difference in taste between organic and conventional. The flax seeds provide essential omega 3 fatty acid, and you won't even taste the spinach once it's all blended in-- but you'll still get all of the benefits of this leafy powerhouse.

It definitely helps to have a good blender, but you don't have to go crazy-expensive. After years with a cheap-o, I thought smoothies were just hard to make. I recently upgraded my blender by just a few dollars and I'm totally amazed at the difference! I now have a Black & Decker Cyclone that I purchased from Target for about $30 and it's fantastic. Of course there are other great options out there-- as long as your blender has a "pulse" and a "smoothie" option, you should be great.

And last but not least, these measurements are completely not exact. It's all up to your taste. Do you like a thicker smoothie? Add less soy milk. Thiner? Add more! Don't like almond butter? Try peanut or cashew butter! Don't like blueberries? Try frozen mangos or peaches or strawberries... you get the idea. Don't have spinach? Try swiss chard or kale instead. The possibilities and variations are endless.

Bain taitneamh as do bhéil!


PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: less than 5 minutes
SERVES: 2

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon flax seeds
5-10 frozen grapes
15-20 frozen blueberries
1/2 a frozen banana
handful fresh baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup silken tofu
1 tablespoon unsalted almond butter
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

DIRECTIONS:
In blender, layer all ingredients beginning with flax seeds through soy milk. Place lid on blender, and hold firmly while pulsing mixture a few times to get frozen fruit broken up. If blender is having trouble, remove lid and stir mixture a little. Replace lid and pulse again.

Finish the smoothie by blending it on the highest setting until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. If mixture is still too thick, try adding a little more soy milk until desired consistency is attained.

Serve with a big glass of iced green tea.