Green Drank

As much as I love sitting down to a big 'ol bowl of greens, sometimes it's not always practical. As someone who is always on the go, a liquid lunch is an easy way to consume a large amount of fruit and vegetables, but without all of that dang chewing.

Now.. the difference between fresh juice and a green smoothie is the fiber content.  Juicing, removes all the fiber, but leaves you with a nutrient dense, power packed beverage that is easliy assimilated by the body, giving you a quick boost of energy. Smoothies on the other hand, retain their fiber, which is why they will leave you full, longer. I'll usually reach for a juice when I feel a cold coming on, or haven't been eating as healthy as I should, whereas a smoothie can take the place of lunch when I'm running around and need something to keep me going.

I like packing my smoothies with lots of goodness.  Fruit, greens, nuts and seeds, and superfoods like maca, spirulina and raw cacao.  Not only are these great for you body they can give you a serious boost. Throwing some greens in your smoothie is a great way to sneak some vegetables into your diet.

If you are new to the green smoothie phenomenon, start out slow. Add a small handful of spinach or chard to your next blended drink and then work your way up to heartier greens like kale. Most smoothies contain a good amount of fruit which easily masks the bitterness of most greens.

The green drank is the new purple drank. Jump on the bandwagon and get your green on!

Green Drank (makes one drink, approximately 16-20 oz.)

2 bananas
1/2 c. frozen mango
3/4c.-1 c. coconut water
3 leaves of kale, finely chopped
1 T. ground flax seed
2 T. hemp seeds
2 dates, pitted
2-3 ice cubes

Place everything in a blender. Blend until smooth and drink it up!

Cucumber Mojito

Summer time sippin' is here!

The first time I had a mojito was the summer of 2004.  It was hot... and I was drunk.

It was then that I decided that it would be my new summer time drink of choice.

Of course the next morning I totally forgot what was in it.. Mint... I knew there was some mint involved because I nearly choked on a very large leaf.  Muddle your mint people!!

I googled mint + cocktails the next morning, all the while wondering how I got home from the bar last night.

Search result completed.. the mojito.

Yup, that was it for sure.

Now.. I had to make it on my own, because homegirl is not shelling out $10 for one of these at a bar unless there is ALOT of rum involved.

Turns out this classic cocktail is super easy and requires very few ingredients.

Mint, lime juice, rum, sugar and club soda. Add some ice and you're good to go!

So, I've been making this here cocktail every summer for the past eight years.

As I was making my first round of the season I spotted a cucumber in my fridge. A couple cucumber slices in a glass of water is totes refreshing, so I thought, why not throw some in my cocktail.

Genius.

Summer in a glass.

Cucumber Mojito (makes 1 cocktail)

8 sprigs mint
5 slices cucumber
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 shots rum
1 shot simple syrup
ice
club soda

Muddle the cucumber, mint and simple syrup in a large glass.  For those of you that don't have a muddler, a wooden spoon works like magic! Add the lime juice and rum. Fill the glass with ice and top off with club soda.  Give it a good stir and drink up!