Anna Maria Locke

green Christmas detox smoothie

AnnaComment
I am kind of in shock that Christmas is less than a week away !!! It's my favorite time of year but I don't really feel like I'm in the spirit yet...maybe because it's still relatively "warm" outside (anything above freezing feels warm this time of year) and we've hit a new record of days with no snow in Chicago.
 
This Saturday Ben and I are kicking off our great Midwest holiday tour, hitting Indiana, central Illinois, and Michigan all before New Year's, and I've been rushing around trying to finish last minute errands and presents. But first I wanted to share this green smoothie, because I have a feeling I'm not the only one who wants to inject some extra fruits and veggies into my diet before the holiday madness truly descends!
 
 
Green Detox Smoothie
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
-1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
-1/2 small apple, peeled and chopped
-small handful spinach
-1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
-a few ice cubes
-a splash of juice to get things moving in the blender
 
Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
 
This is definitely a smoothie (as opposed to juice) and is pretty pulpy from the apple. I've made green smoothies with spinach and frozen banana before but I've never tried to add other fruits or veggies. The cucumber gives this one a fresh taste and the vanilla yogurt keeps it sweet. Overall it's an interesting combination. I think I'll experiment with different fruits next time--I'm thinking oranges and frozen banana chunks....



Here's another healthy recipe to try for lunch: wheat berry and bean salad from Oh She Glows


I generally followed her recipe except used quick cook barley instead of wheatberries (because that's what we had and it's faster) and topped it off with goat cheese (because I'm not vegan).

I hope you stay sane and relaxed in the last few days before the holiday weekend!