RECIPE: VERY green smoothie

I have this for breakfast every morning.  It's very 'green' but loaded with nutrients.  Without the lemon juice it's a bit too green for me but with the lemon I crave it.  It's not sweet; add stevia if you need sweetness.

The addition of Dr. Cowan's powders turn this from a healthy smoothie into a NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE.  You'll be getting a full day's worth of vegetables in one serving!  You can make it without the powders, of course, but it won't be as healthy.

You can add sea vegetables (thyroid and bone support) or nori (iron, b6, b12) for even more nutrition but they overpower the taste for me.  I have to take them in a capsule (yes, you can make your own!)

Very GREEN Smoothie

makes 3.5-4 cups

3-4 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 avocado (fat helps the body assimilate the nutrients in the greens) OR 1 ripe banana plus 2T almond butter
1.5 c. packed baby greens (you want a LOT of these - really squish them in!)
1/2 c. packed spinach including stems (stems have more nutrition then the leaves!)
opt: 1/4 c. loosely packed dill sprigs (these make the avocado version taste amazing!)
opt: 2-3" peeled and seeded cucumber
1/2 t. agave inulin feeds good gut bacteria (agave is the most sustainable inulin source)
Dr. Cowan's powders:

• 1/2 t. perennial greens (my favorite Dr.Cowan powder - LOADED with nutrients!)
• 1/2 t. burdock root powder stimulates liver enzymes that promote detoxification
• 1/4 t. ashitaba powder one of the most nutrient dense vegetables on the planet
• 1/4 t. fiddlehead fern powder high in omega 3, niacin, potassium and carotinoids
• 2.5 t. low oxalate greens powder (these smell heavenly)
• 1 t. spinach powder (when I don't have fresh spinach)
• Opt (I add them when I won't be eating these veggies during the day) :
• 1/2 t. three-beet powder liver and gall bladder tonic due due high betaine content
• 1/2 t. carrot powder

1 leaf radicchio - inulin feeds good gut bacteria
1.5 - 2 cups water or tea* depending on how thick you like it

*Instead of all or part of the water, you can use herbal tea.
I use pao d'arco and/or hibiscus-rosehip-lemongrass-oliveleaf

DIRECTIONS

I make one serving in my Nutri-Bullet.  If you don't have a similar machine you can use a blender and make two or three days worth.  Store in a glass container in the fridge.

Load the blending jar in the order listed above.  I pack in as many greens as the jar will hold, sprinkle the powders on top, and put the radicchio leaf in last over the powders to keep them from sticking to the blades. I then pour in water to the 'max fill' line.

Blend until no small bits remain visible.  Transfer to glass and enjoy!

(Rinse blending jar immediately or it will be hard to clean.)

NOTE:  If you make the banana version, it will be thinner than the avocado version.  I alternate them.  The more spinach you use, the greener it will be.  In the photo below I didn't have much spinach so I doubled up on the green powders.  

Green smoothie made with banana and almond butter