It seems everyone is on some sort of green juice or smoothie kick these days.
“We, as a culture, are waking up to the fact that our diets are not doing us any favors,” says L.A.-based natural food chef Julie Morris. “We’re tired, we’re overweight, we’re getting very serious diseases that are largely preventable and diet-related. So because of that, we’re turning away from cupcakes and going more toward trends that can actually enhance our life, such as smoothies.”
Morris speaks from experience. As a college co-ed she dealt with chronic fatigue, which prompted her to research superfoods and start experimenting in her own kitchen.
“I had such good results in terms of improving my own energy and mental clarity, I realized I wanted to make it a part of my lifestyle.”
The 32-year-old spent the last decade creating recipes, including the 100 delicious blended drinks in her new book, “Superfood Smoothies.” Here, she shares one of her favorite blends, mint chip.
“I like it because it has several cups of frozen spinach, but you don’t taste it at all,” says Morris. “It tastes like something you’d get at an ice cream shop.”
Mint chip smoothie
Makes two 18-ounce servings
Ingredients
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 2 cups frozen bananas
• 1⁄4 cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons cacao nibs
• 2 tablespoons (packed) fresh mint leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups rice milk (original variety)
• 1⁄2 cup coconut water
• Sweetener, to taste (optional)
Directions: Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Taste and sweeten as desired.
