Tastes Grape! Smoothie

Before I started my summer cleanse, I had been making green smoothies fairly regularly for breakfast--and I think I've succeeded in making this a habit, because I've had one almost every day for a few weeks running now. I love how easy and fresh they are--even if a morning gets off to a rough start, I can take solace in the fact that I've nourished my body with a clean and nutrient-filled meal.

This morning I woke up feeling sluggish and grumpy because of yet another late night working on a freelance project (I've got to start pacing myself better to avoid needing marathon editing sessions to make a deadline--but that's a story for a different post). But I dragged my bleary-eyed self through my normal motions, and after a shower and a deliciously improvised smoothie, I was feeling rejuvenated and inspired--my creation was so tasty that even my suddenly quite picky two-year-old told me, "That's good!"

I didn't measure my ingredients, but here is an approximation of what I did--I will definitely be using this tasty blend of fruits and veggies again!

Tastes Grape! Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups dark greens (spinach and/or kale)
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
A splash of vanilla extract
A few shakes of ground cinnamon
1 cup carrots (chopped roughly)
1 pear (cored and cut into large chunks, with the skin left on)
1 cup grapes (frozen)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 to 3 tablespoons hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions:

Blend the greens, almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until well combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until everything is smooth, with no large chunks remaining. If the texture is too thick for your liking, add a bit more almond milk and blend some more. Top with hemp seeds, if desired, and enjoy!

Yields 2 servings.

My smoothie, with its two secret ingredients: vanilla and cinnamon.
They give it just the kick needed to make the blend decadent.