the morning smoothie ritual

there's no question about it: smoothies make me a better person.  i used to think this was the case for coffee, but i now realize that as much as i love a fresh melita drip in the morning, i can actually function with out it (gasp!), provided that i have my morning smoothie.

for those of you who have yet to jump on the green smoothie train, this is a great recipe to start with as spinach has one of the milder taste profiles of the greens and it doesn't overpower the flavour of the fruit.  kale is a great stand-in when i'm out of spinach (or when it's plentiful out back in the garden), but unless you have a high-powered blender the kale won't completely be pulverized and you'll get a bit of texture to your smoothie - i love this, but m on the other hand isn't a big fan of chewing his smoothies.  hahaha.

some days i get creative, but generally i stick to what is my favourite combination.

banana, mango & spinach smoothie
1 organic banana
1/2 cup frozen mango
2 big handfuls of organic baby spinach
2 tbsp manitoba harvest hemp powder*
1 tsp spirulina powder**
1/2 cup organic juice
1/2 cup water

place all ingredients in your blender and blend yourself to smoothie heaven. 
 

{my morning green smoothie}

{banana, mango, spinach, hemp and bliss}

*adding in hemp powder is completely optional but it's a great chance to get a boost of protein and added fiber with the start of my day.  manitoba harvest hemp is definitely my protein powder of choice.  it's vegan, certified organic, high in both fibre & protein, a source of omega-3, gluten-free, soy-free, and canadian to boot!

**spirulina is a blue-green algae with many health & nutritional benefits including being a great source of vitamin b12 & antioxidants.

{my way to a great day}