I am sooo very behind on my blogs and can’t believe how busy I’ve been since getting back from Beautiful BC. I promise to share some amazing info with you regarding the conference I went to, but I’ve got to get my notes in order before I get ahead of myself!! AND…I promise I will share some amazing photos with you shortly as well. I must warn you though…you will be jealous of the beautiful scenery Vancouver has to offer…so be prepared! All in all, my trip was great! I fell in love with Vancouver and can’t wait to go back. Aside from the amazing city, I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and got to hear some incredible talks on Vitamin D, Cancer, Health and Pregnancy, and also picked up some great books and loaded up on some supplements! But….lets put that aside and let me share with you an amazing Morning Picker Upper!! A drink loaded with minerals, healthy fats, electrolytes, antioxidants and vitamins! I thought I would share this drink with you because it truly is a nourishing smoothie that just really makes you feel good- inside and out! I came across this smoothie last summer when I was reading CLEAN- by Alejandro Junger. I’ve mentioned his book before, and it really is one of my favorites! Anyhow, last August, after getting back from Cuba, I caught a not-so-friendly bug and was feeling quite ill for afew weeks! So, I made myself this smoothie almost every morning and it was soooo great! It brought me back to life! So here’s the recipe:

UBER GREEN SMOOTHIE

1 1/2 cups almond milk (Almond Fresh or Almond Breeze…or make your own!!)

1/2 cup coconut water (either from fresh coconut or VitaCoCo or ONE brand)
2 leaves dark green Kale or Swiss Chard- coarsely chopped
1/4 avocado (squeeze some lemon on the remaining avocado, put in the fridge and eat the next day)
1/2 cup mango chunks (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup ice

Blend all ingredients until smooth. This smoothie looks rather green!! If you plan on sharing it with your kids…it might not go over so well. Or you can tell them it’s Shrek food!! The mango gives this smoothie a really nice sweetness, and the avocado gives it a great creamy texture. Even though the Kale/Swiss Chard is rather bitter, you can’t taste it in this drink because it’s masked from all the other ingredients! It’s a really great morning drink because it’s loaded with energizing nutrients.

Kale provides you with beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, manganese and calcium.
Avocado is loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and of course…lots of healthy Omega 3 and 6.
Mangoes provide vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, vitmain B6, and lots of potassium.
Almond milk is a great substitute for dairy as it’s not as mucus forming, and much easier to digest. Most almond milk on the market has added calcium, and it also loaded with vitamin E.
Lastly…my favorite….COCONUT WATER!! It really is the best way to quench your thirst. A few facts about this amazing nut (or fruit, or seed?!?!?)

– It contains Lauric acid, which gets converted into Monolaurin in the body and has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
– It is a universal donor, being identicial to human blood plasma
– It’s a natural isotonic beverage, the same level we have in our blood
– Has saved lives in 3rd world countries as an IV!

So drink up this green goodness and I promise you will feel AMAZING!!