When Shane and I moved in together this past spring, I was determined to make sure we were getting all our essential nutrients (I wasn’t sure how many green things or fruit he was eating before). However since we both had full time jobs and couldn’t be at home to 3 square meals a day, I decided to get creative and look into any short cuts that could get us to that goal with little time.

That’s when I discovered the cleanse and smoothie craze; it seemed everyone was getting into it would last until their will power caved. But I thought, instead of giving up all your favorites and cleansing constantly, why not take the ideas behind those cleanses those cleanses and integrate them into your everyday life. So in the mornings I started just getting up 20 minutes earlier and trying different things thrown in the blender, making sure to have a little more green than fruit.

So when I came across this recipe from wholeliving, I had inspiration! However, I wanted to ease Shane into the process, so I built my own recipe off of this one! I included kale because it is one of the healthiest veggies around. It has detoxifying elements, as well as high amounts of fiber and cholesterol lowering properties. The Vegetable also provides you with all your daily value of vitamin A and C.

I also added blueberries, which are also extremely good for you. They are one of the berries containing the highest amount of antioxidants and many cancer-fighting elements as well. Strawberries are right up there, and mangos contain many B vitamins. The tangerine adds some excellent flavor, also providing the acidic properties that allow the iron in the spinach to be better absorbed in the body.

But my favorite ingredient here is the coconut water. My friend from Boulder introduced it to me when she visited this summer and all the nutritious elements I was missing without it in my diet. It hydrates you more than an equal amount of water and it contains many electrolytes. Also the subtle flavor is nice in the smoothie virus using just plain water.

And the last special ingredient is the hemp seeds. Like I mentioned in my post about tuna yesterday, protein is very important and is something we tend to not get enough of. By adding the hemp seeds, you have less cravings for food throughout the day and makes that salad for lunch seem to last longer!

Try this recipe and please let me know what you think and the different health benefits you notice!!

Kale and Berry Citrus Smoothie:

2 cups packed fresh kale, stems removed

1 medium orange or tangerine

1/2 – 1 cup coconut water

1/4 cup frozen blueberrries

1/4 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen mango

1 handful fresh or frozen spinach

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. When ingredients get stuck or don’t mix, simply add more coconut water. Puree until desired consistency. If you use fresh fruit, add 4-5 ice cubes.