Pineappleberry Salad Smoothie

I haven't posted a delicious smoothie recipe in a while! During the winter I got out of the smoothie habit, usually opting for hot oatmeal or quinoa porridge - or last night's dinner leftovers - for breakfast. We've had a little bit of spring weather here in Kansas City, but so far it's mostly dreary and rainy and very cold - we even had snow a few days ago. But, I've been drinking a lot of smoothies lately. I have a wisdom tooth that is bothering me, and until it comes out I can't chew very well, so instead of eating a salad I've decided to make them into smoothies. This way I can still get all my nutrients and I can still be full with the minimum amount of chewing! Kinda sad, actually... LOL.

You may think that carrots, cashews and a mushroom are odd in a smoothie, but they are really good. The carrots are slightly sweet, the cashews add protein and thickness, and the mushroom has practically no flavor at all (but it does have nutrition). If you'd prefer a sweeter smoothie, add honey or agave nectar. I used coconut milk, but feel free to use your favorite liquid. Also, leave the skin and seeds of the apple - they both have valuable nutrients (and you will not be poisoned by eating a couple of apple seeds!) I just cut an apple right down the middle and tightly wrap the other half for another time.

I never post pictures of my smoothies because they are always a deep green color due to the Amazing Grass Berry Flavor Drink Powder I put in every smoothie. It's an extra shot of nutrients, antioxidants and probiotics that adds to the wonderful wholesomeness the smoothie has already. It's totally optional but I highly recommend it - it doesn't change the taste very much at all.

Pineappleberry Salad Smoothie

• 1 tablespoon raw cashews
• 1 small to medium carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 an apple with skin and seeds, roughly chopped
• 3 one-inch chunks pineapple, fresh or frozen
• 1 button mushroom
• good handful baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar (optional)
• 1 scoop Amazing Grass Berry Flavor Drink Powder (optional)
• 1 1/4 cup vanilla coconut milk

Layer all ingredients in a blender in the order they are listed. Start blending at a slow speed and increase until you have a near-liquid consistency. You may have to stop the blender and stir a couple of times to ensure everything is being mixed. The smoothie is done when a whirlpool forms in the middle of the liquid.

Green Berry Smoothie

I love smoothies in the morning. They're quick, filling and nutritious.

How is a smoothie filling? If you make smoothies like the ones I do, when you think about it, you're putting in a couple servings of fruit, two or three servings of vegetables, a couple of servings of nuts, and a superfood supplement. If you were to eat all of that separately it would be a pretty good meal.

I'm not a heavy eater at breakfast time... I used to be. At home, I would fry eggs and hash browns, make breakfast sandwiches, or put some fried eggs on top of rice. And I would always be super hungry again in a couple of hours, probably because my metabolism sped up super quickly to deal with the shock of all that food. In the past few years, I've weaned off of that. What good was it doing me to eat a fried meal in the morning and then snack all day until lunch? Now, I make a delicious smoothie about an hour after I wake up and I can keep going until lunchtime without discomfort from hunger. I made this transition slowly and I am glad I did!

That said, here's another smoothie I enjoy. The superfood powder that I list as optional really adds in a kick of healthy goodness and energy - I enjoy Amazing Grass Berry Flavor Drink Powder.

 When it's on sale, buy extra fresh berries and extra bananas. Slice the bananas into one inch slices and place on a piece of parchment paper in a single layer. Freeze them, and then place into bags - do the same with the berries. This way you always have frozen fruit for your smoothie and you don't have to use ice.

No picture because, well, the deep green superfood powder makes no smoothie look pretty ;)

Green Berry Smoothie

Layer these ingredients in the following order:

• about 1 cup frozen banana slices
• 4 frozen blackberries
• about 1/3-1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and strawberries
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 1-2 cups vanilla soymilk (depending on your blender and how thick you want the smoothie - just make sure the frozen fruit is completely submerged)
• 1 scoop Amazing Grass Berry Flavor Drink Powder (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons honey

Blend, starting on a low speed and increasing slowly, until completely smooth. Give it some time - it takes a minute for the cashews and spinach to break up.