Papaya Colada Green Smoothie

I am on a veggie and fruit kick right now! Why? Well to begin with I am a huge advocate of eating “REAL FOOD” and the health benefits of doing so. I believe in reducing the amount of process food we eat and going back to whole vegetables, fruits, legumes, eggs, lean meat, and other non-altered food items. It is so easy to just grab that pack of crackers or cookies, but when you eat whole food your body just feels the positive difference.

That being said, I have spent the last 3 months living in Manhattan, New York and all my beliefs went out the door. I was living in a sublet apartment without all my kitchen gadgets and the food in the East Coast is different then the ones we have here in the West Coast. The differences in the cultural background of the two populations made it so that there was just way to many different food options out there. Oh, and don’t get me started on desserts. Yum! So I ate whatever I wanted and did not hold back.

The results of my fling with Manhattan culinary? About a 10 pound weight gain, increase in allergies, digestive yuckiness feeling, and constant lethargic state of mind. So I am on a new mission; to go back to my California state. I decided to take it one step further and not only cut out refined flour and sugar, but also animal products for the next month or more.  So for the next month I will be updating the blog with a smoothie, veggie soup, or salad dish on a weekly basis. The reason why I choose these three items is that they are the easiest way to get in multiple veggies that you normally would eat in smaller quantity and they are fast to make for the weekday breakfast and lunch. Seriously, I’m all my green smoothies in the morning.

So come join my challenge. Have a cup of green smoothie for breakfast, a plate of salad for lunch, and a bowl of soup for dinner for just a week or better yet a month and see how you feel!

Papaya Colada Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

½ c. coconut water

1 c. papaya (~ ½ fruit)

½ c. pineapple

½ c. coconut meat

¼ c. banana

2 c. spinach leaves

Directions:

• 1. Combine all ingredients into blender. Start with liquid, fruit, and end with greens.

• 2. Blend until smooth. Start slow to break up any ice or frozen fruit and speed up the blender for smoother texture. 

• 3. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Tip: If you want a colder smoothie, use frozen fruit or just cut up your fruit the night before. You can also make this smoothie ahead of time; freeze the smoothie in an ice tray and then re-blend in a blender at a later time.