Although I’m not a hard-core juicer or smoothie person by any means, I do enjoy the occasional green drink, particularly if there’s a long day coming or if the workout has been particularly grueling.  This is the basic version upon which it’s possible to improvise endlessly.  If you like your smoothie thicker or sweeter, your can use a full banana, add crushed ice or frozen berries and/or substitute some of the water for fruit juice.

Yield: 1 generous serving

What you need:

• 1/2 a banana
• a handful of fresh spinach or kale, coarsely torn
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• a 3/4” chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 1 heaping tablespoon green powder, fermented green powder, or vegan protein powder (see note below)
• 1-1/2 cups filtered water

What you do:

1. Put everything in the serving cup of a Magic Bullet or personal blending system of some kind (a blender works too).
2. Process until smooth.
3. Serve.

Note:

There are lots of commercial greens and protein powders out there, Greens+ being one of the better known in the green domain, Vega being one in the protein power world.  It’s also possible to make your own, customizing it to your own personal taste and saving a few bucks while you’re at it since the commercial ones are pretty pricy.  Here’s a version I make at home that’s high in protein, minerals and vitamins.  The ingredients can be found from any reliable herbal provider (Mountain Rose or Richter’s are good choices):

Green Drink Mix

Combine together:

• 8 oz spirulina powder
• 4-8 oz wheatgrass powder
• 4 oz barley grass powder
• 4 oz spinach powder (optional)
• 4 oz  gotu kola (nootropic) or eleuthero powder (adaptogen) (optional)
• 2 oz matcha powder or maca powder (stimulants) (optional)

Store in a glass jar, in a cool dark place, the freezer works great if you don’t go through a ton of the stuff.