Here is my smoothie recipe that I have for breakfast every morning. It is packed with anti-oxidants and is very filling. I use a blender from Breville; it has a wide base, is quiet and has a smoothie function on it. I have the recipe by itself at the end without all the added data.

1 and ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla hemp milk or 1 cup hemp milk and ½ cup coconut water (it has some sugar but it is naturally occurring, this will add a little more sweetness and has a lot of potassium). You can use coconut milk if you want to add a little more creaminess and a little more fat. Even though the fat from coconut is considered saturated, it is a fat which is used for energy and not stored so I do not freak out from the saturated fat content of coconut milk or coconut in general. The coconut water has no fat however. Do not get the condensed coconut milk found in a can because it is usually loaded with sugar. The brand of coconut milk I like is called So Delicious and it comes in half gallon carton ( I get the unsweetened). I like the Living Harvest brand hemp milk. Some hemp milk can be very strong tasting. This brand is mild and tasty. For those worried about THC (the psycho-active component in Marijuana); hemp milk and oil are made from the seeds which do not contain any THC. Hemp milk contains naturally occurring Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s. Living Harvest is grown without pesticides and herbicides)

½ cup frozen organic blueberries or any frozen fruit of your choice. ½ banana (if your bananas get too ripe then cut them in half, take off the peel and wrap each half in a piece of saran wrap and put in the freezer and then just throw a frozen half in your smoothie)

3 cups fresh organic baby spinach (okay, I know what you are thinking but you will not even know it is in there once it is all blended)

½ to 1 scoop good quality protein powder (I like vanilla “Whey Cool” by a company called Designs for Health. You can order it from www.nutraexpress.com This protein is not denatured (broken down). Most whey proteins are processed with high heat and this breaks down the protein (denatures it) which destroys all of the bio-active elements. Some of these elements are Glutathione which is an anti-oxidant, Colostrum which has antimicrobial properties, and immunoglobins which are used by your immune system to search and destroy viruses, bacteria and the like. Denatured protein is basically dead and about 98% of the protein out there is denatured. Dr. Mercola also has a very good non-denatured protein and it comes in a lot flavors. I have not tried it yet but it certainly seems to be a high quality product and when I run out of the "Whey Cool", I will order his. Go to www.mercola.com and click on products at the top left and then scroll down until you see Miracle Whey, click on more info and you can look at the benefits and place an order. You can also call toll-free 847-252-4355. Note: blend everything else and then put the protein powder in last and just mix it (mixer setting on blender) for about 5 seconds or so. Apparently, too much churning and blenderizing (my own word) the protein can break it down.

The next 4 items (Aronia, Acai, Maca, Bilberry) can be purchased at www.superorganicfoods.com These are not extracts; they are the whole food dried and ground into powders. They use a proprietary process that preserves all the nutrients. I like them as they are actually a food and not just something extracted from the root or berry. There is not anything else added to the powder. They are reasonably priced for the quality that you are getting.

2 teaspoons of Aronia powder-Aronia is a berry and is a powerful anti-oxidant. It has a deep purple color.

2 teaspoons of Acai berry powder-Acai contains Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s). EFA’s cannot be manufactured by your body. These include the Omega 3’s and 6’s which you find in fish. EFA’s support the nervous system and nerve tissue. Acai also has something called anthcyanins which is found in red wine and it is a powerful anti-oxidant. It also has something called Photosterols which promote cardiovascular health.

2 teaspoons Maca powder-this is a root that is grown in Peru. It is full of trace minerals and helps to support your endocrine system. The endocrine system is all your glands that secrete things like hormones.

2 teaspoons Bilberry powder-Bilberries have powerful anti-oxidants that help protect blood vessels and promote eye health. It also helps with stabilizing blood sugar.

1 tablespoon sprouted ground flax seeds-sprouted flax is assimilated better and flax seeds must be ground in order to release their nutrients. I buy this at the health food store already ground and sprouted.

Variations:

A handful of raw kale-for those who are hard core!

A small handful of organic sprouts-for the hard core gals also! I Iike sunflower sprouts.

½ small container of unflavored nonfat Greek yogurt- Greek yogurt is very creamy and thick (even the nonfat) and it contains about 17 grams of protein for a small carton.

Here is the recipe without the added data:

1 and ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla hemp milk or 1 cup unsweetened vanilla hemp milk and ½ cup coconut water or coconut milk.*

½ cup frozen organic blueberries or ½ banana

3 cups fresh organic baby spinach

½ to 1 scoop protein powder (non-denatured)

2 tsp Aronia powder

2 tsp. Acai berry powder

2 tsp. Maca powder 2 tsp. bilberry powder

1 Tbsp sprouted flax powder

Additions if desired:

Handful raw kale

Small handful organic sprouts (I like sunflower sprouts)

½ small container plain Greek yogurt

*you can add a little more liquid if you do not like it thick. If it is too thick I just add a little water.

I am not a big coffee drinker although I do like coffee I just do not handle the caffeine very well. My husband has one cup of coffee in the morning so I was looking for some healthy coffee for him. I came across a coffee that has a mushroom extract called Ganoderma. It has been studied in Japan for over 30 years and has been shown to be safe. It is supposed to help with high blood pressure, improve circulation, help the immune system and increase energy according to the literature. The coffee comes in little packets that you just add water to. It is the only brand that actually lists the milligrams of the Ganoderma (it is on the website) so you know how much you are getting. I would drink this myself if it came in decaf but it does not. I have a website for this coffee it is www.ganobrand.com/june Only after using the coffee for about a year did I decide to this. If you decide to purchase please do so through my site. The coffee is not very expensive. I have not tried any of the other products yet.

Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha)

This is a handmade Chinese teas that is delicately cultured for 3o days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active enzymes, Probiotics, Amino Acids (building blocks of protein) and Antioxidants. I love, love, love this stuff! The brand I like best is Synergy. It is an organic and raw food. They have a lot of different flavors but my two favorite are Gingerberry and Guava. It comes in a 16 oz bottle and the Gingerberry only has 70 calories for the entire bottle. The ingredients are organic raw kombucha, blueberry juice and fresh pressed ginger juice and 100% pure love according to the bottle. I can detect the love but it is probably my own because I really love this stuff! The bottle also states kombucha supports: Digestion, Metabolism, appetite control, weight control and body alkalinity. Since it is fermented it is very “fizzy.” It has an alcohol content of less than 0.5% due to the fermentation. Be very careful when taking the lid off because of the fermentation (think uncorking champagne). Never shake the bottle! My husband and I joke it is like handling nitroglycerin so don’t jostle the bottles around too much when you bring them home from the store. You will probably have to get this at your local health food store.

Hibiscus Mint Tea

This is a great tea that you get loose or in tea bags. It is caffeine free. It is an independent company based in Austin, Texas. A percentage of the profits are donated to the people of Az-Zawart which is a village in northern Sudan. Projects for clean water, health and education improvement is what the money is used for. This is the best tea. You can serve it hot or cold. I like it cold with lemon or lime. It is very refreshing and has the most beautiful color so it is very nice to serve to guests. The website to order the tea is www.nilevalleyherbs.com It is the best tea I have found as far as a non-caffeinated variety. For healthy chocolate drinks, see my post on Chocolate!