Green smoothies all look the same after a while, but they don’t have to all taste the same. I started drinking smoothies regularly after I started lifting weights. Now that I’m in my 40s, I know it’s a critical window to build strength and bone density to stay youthful. Squats and deadlifts are the best weight bearing exercises for women because your body releases hormones and growth factors that not only build strength, but help keep you looking and feeling young.
I love vanilla smoothies, but don’t at all like vanilla flavored powders. I avoid flavorings of all kinds, both artificial and natural because they are chemically processed. My favorite way to really get pure vanilla flavor without chemicals is to scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean, or to buy organic, raw vanilla powder. The dilemma is to taste vanilla and not, say, the kale that makes a green smoothie green…and healthy. I have found that chard, straight from the garden, has a very neutral taste and still allows the vanilla to shine! Even my kids love it!
Green Vanilla Bean #LegDay Smoothie
1) Choose your smoothie base:
1 whole avocado, 1 cup water, 6 ice cubes
or
2 cups homemade nut milk
or
2 cups raw pasture raised cow or goat milk
2) Add greens and vanilla:
Add 1 teaspoon raw vanilla powder
and
4 large leaves swiss or rainbow chard
3) Choose a protein:
2 scoops your favorite plain organic protein or grass fed collagen powder
or
1 raw egg (only if from organic, pasture raised eggs)
raw honey or stevia to taste
Simply mix it up in blender and enjoy!
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.