cacao smoothie

this is perfect for a quick snack to hold you over until meal time.  and, the benefits of raw cacao are staggering! it is indeed a super food, with more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far.  in fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea.

1/2 banana
1T almond butter
1/2t vanilla extract
1T raw cacao powder
1/2t cinnamon
3/4 cup almond milk
splash of water
dash of sea salt

place all ingredients in the Vitamix in order listed and blend on high for 20 seconds.

vanilla blueberry cashew smoothie

what a beautiful color!  this creamy delicious smoothie is a perfect snack to tie you over until lunch or dinner.

2 cups of blueberries

1/2 cup of cashews
1/2 cup of dates
1 whole vanilla bean
1.5 cups water


put ingredients into the Vitamix in order listed.  blend on high for 45 seconds or until desired consistency.

homemade almond milk

a morning smoothie made with this morning's freshly made almond milk:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 handful green grapes
• 1 t matcha green tea powder
• 1 T flax seed
• 1 large handful fresh spinach

add to the Vitamix in the order listed and blend to desired consistency.

make your own almond milk:

1.  soak raw almonds 4-8 hours.

2.  drain water and rinse well.  add 1 cup almonds and 3 cups fresh water to Vitamix.   blend for 45 seconds.  strain through a fine mesh strainer.

3.  save pulp for all kinds of Vitamix treats.

 4.  enjoy within 4 days.  shouldn't be hard.

pear and kale smoothie

kale is the king of super foods.  i want to love it raw, but i don't.  i don't love kale chips either.  i do, however, love a pear and kale smoothie combination!

image by Joy the Baker

kale and pear smoothie:
1 cup green grapes
1 medium orange, peeled, halved, seeded
1/2 medium bartlett pear
1 medium banana, peeled
1 cup kale, spine removed (i use baby kale)
1 T flax seeds (optional)
1/2 cup water
2 cups ice cubes

place all ingredients into the Vitamix in the order listed.
blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency.

*adapted from "recipes for the Vitamix"