Juices « (y)our food choices™

Not to sound like dirty hippies, but we are dirty hippies. After a long run we like having a cool refreshing smoothie, but we think making something as simple as a fruit smoothie at home makes infinitely more sense than spending the money on the junk in the bottles. Homemade smoothies are the perfect solution to the overripe fruit sitting on our counters (American households toss away a lot of rotten fruit each year). Our over-ripe bananas and other fruit go into our freezer for future smoothie use. We like mixing things up depending on what we have on hand. Today it happened to be mango and banana.

We’ve developed our own “super food” supplement blend that adds both flavor and nutrition to our smoothies and we try to include it no matter what else we add. These are whole or very minimally processed foods (dried, hulled, ground) that you can find in most well stocked grocery stores; hemp seeds, goji berries, bee pollen, chia seeds, and dried white mulberries. Grinding them in the blender first breaks everything down to a fine powder.

We typically only drink smoothies after a hard run. All that physical spending requires a refueling, and nothing hits the mark more effectively than a bunch of whole fresh food blended into a cool, thick, tasty and nutritious mini-meal! Smoothies are quick to build and serve, plus they’re an efficient delivery system for the macro and micro-nutrients our bodies crave after a hard workout.

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Mango Banana Smoothie
2 servings

1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon goji berries
1 tablespoon dried mulberries
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 teaspoon bee pollan
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut water
1 frozen banana*
1 ripe mango (or other fruit, fresh or frozen)
1 cup kefir or yogurt

Add the chia seeds, goji berries, dried mulberries, hemp seeds, bee pollan, and cinnamon to your blender. Blend until it turns into a powder. Add the coconut water and blend for a few seconds. Add the banana, mango, and kefir to the blender. With the top on, blend until smooth. Add more coconut water if the smoothie is too thick. Pour into two glasses and enjoy.

*To peel the banana, run it under cold water and remove the peel with your fingers or a knife. It’s ok if some of the peel is still attached.

Changing a daily routine is difficult. We’re still in the process of changing ours (up earlier, taking time to meditate, read and breathe), but as more and more time goes by the things that we try here and there have become more habitual. Our morning tonic was one of the first changes to our daily routine, and the benefits have surprised us. It is warming, hydrating and refreshing. It is the perfect fast-breaker and prelude to breakfast and coffee.

Last year, we started our day with simple warm lemon water. After only a few days, the morning desire to have something fresh and easy on the tummy grew to something that felt more like a need. It was the sort of change we needed.

This year, we upped our game with the addition of freshly grated turmeric and ginger, along with crushed cardamom seeds and a pinch of cayenne pepper. All of these ingredients alone are powerful antioxidants, but together they create a super punch of nutrition and flavor.

This warmly inviting tonic gently wakes us without the jitteriness that comes from coffee on an empty stomach. As the tonic steeps, we spend the time in quiet reading, meditating, and journaling before starting our day. The tea itself is refreshing, comforting, and spicy first thing in the morning. It’s also great anytime you feel under the weather or hungover. The concoction gently wakes the body and senses. We feel more awake after a mug of tonic then we would had we gone straight to a cup of coffee right out of bed. Of course, coffee comes next in our daily routine, (the preparation for a cup of coffee is worthy of its own post).

If you can’t find fresh turmeric root in your local market, there is no shame in using the dried variety. But be sure to use fresh squeezed lemon juice and fresh grated ginger root. Both are easily sourced from your local supermarket. The processed stuff will never taste as good, or offer as soothing a start to your day, as the fresh stuff!

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Our morning tonic