Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

In lieu of green beer, I say we all have green smoothies! I know, I know… you’re thinking, “Boooooring!” But I ask you to hold your judgement until you try it.

Let’s review how each beverage will make us feel, and act, both immediately after consumption and the next morning.

Green Beer

1. We feel happy, loose, and energized (although it’s not really the fuelling-your-cells kind of energy). (So far, so good.)
2.  We feel uninhibited and in love, with ourselves, the world, our friends, and everyone else in the bar. (Hm.)
3.  We start to act silly, and yet feel that we look normal and completely in control. (Get that drink away from her.)
4.  We begin slurring our words, crossing our eyes, fumbling our hand motions, and stumbling our steps. (She is now officially cut off.)
5. We may cry for no reason or laugh uncontrollably, and our mood can change from deliriously happy to depressingly sombre, and can go everywhere in between. (Downright sloppy.)

The Next Morning…  

1. We wake up, groggily. Ouch. Head. Hurts.
2. We begin to piece together what we did last night… and realize, regretfully, that… it wasn’t pretty.
3.  We feel tired, low energy, and sore, pretty much all day.
4. We may have a case of good ol’ nausea, which may or may not result in, well, a one-on-one consultation with the toilet bowl.
5. We likely have diarrhea. Fun! Not.

Green Smoothie

1. We feel happy, both because the ingredients evoke that feeling, and also because we know we’re being so good to our bodies.
2. We feel like dancing, and sometimes do, but our minds can comprehend what we’re doing.
3. We may get giggly and laugh uncontrollably, but at least we know what we’re laughing about.
4. We feel a surge of energy.
5. We remain satisfied and steady, both in body and mind, and don’t suffer from that energy slump a few hours later.

The Next Morning…

1. We feel great! Our digestion is good, head isn’t aching, and our energy is abundant. We’re ready for the day, and yearning for more of that green smoothie (because who doesn’t want to feel amazing all the time?).
2. Need I say more?

The Irish Smoothie

2 cups liquid (water, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, or a blend of any)
Handful spinach
3 leaves kale, chopped (remove stems unless your blender is super-powered and able to chop through them)
4 inches cucumber, chopped
4 inches zucchini, chopped
1 golden delicious apple, chopped
Optional: a scoop of greens powder (I used 1 Tbsp Trophic Greens Concentrate)
1/4 cup hemp hearts
3 Tbsp Udo’s or flax oil

Fills about 2 beer glasses.

Put liquid into blender and add all veggies and fruit, as well as the greens powder and hemp hearts. Blend until smooth. Add oil and blend again just until mixed. Pour into a couple beer glasses, do a “Cheers!” and pretend it’s green beer! Then, bask in the great energy and good feelings it gives you, minus the hangover.

Not only does The Irish Smoothie contain great-for-you greens, but it also has our other friends… protein (hemp hearts), and fat (Udo’s or flax oil). So, it will keep us satisfied, prevent or reduce cravings later on in the day, give us tons of energy, and, most importantly (and the reason for all the other benefits), nourish our cells.

So easy. So delicious. So nutritious. Enjoy St. Paddy’s Day in a true healthy fashion. The Irish would be proud! (Before you say, “No, they would be proud if I drank beer,” just know that I have Irish in me, and I am beaming with pride! 🙂