About three weeks ago I started making myself green smoothies almost every morning, and even sometimes in the afternoon for a little boost. I can honestly feel the difference in the afternoon if I have not had my fix. I've stuck with spinach so far, but plan to experiment with kale and cabbage soon.

My Green Smoothie

In a blender, mix (all measurements are approximate)

1 cup frozen fruit (I buy big bags of frozen fruit for these)
1 banana
1 cup of organic apple juice

when this is blended well add 2 handfuls of baby spinach, blend well and enjoy. 

Note that if you have children or a spouse that will be freaked out by the greenness of this smoothie, use frozen berries and the spinach will be cleverly disguised. If you use peaches, mangos or other light colored fruit, your smoothie will be bright green.

Also new… In an effort to eliminate dairy from my life I have been trying all kinds of new things. The most difficult of which is my morning coffee in which I like it a tad sweet and very creamy. Not being a fan of soy products I have tried rice and almond milk with poor results. No likey. That said, I do like both in my tea. So I have been allowing myself only one cup of coffee in the morning (as I like it) and drinking tea after that. I've rediscovered yerba maté, why has it been so long? It allows me to enjoy the creaminess I love, tastes good, and has a much kinder buzz than coffee.  I need to take a moment to mention that DH and I are absolute coffee lovers. Anyone who stops by can be assured a cup of great coffee. We've been buying ours at Anderson's Coffee  since we moved to Austin in 1996. Anderson's is a small family run coffee roaster and purveyor which has had a loyal following for 37 years. To be honest… I drank my coffee black like forever, but started adding half & half and sugar sometime in my mid thirties when it started upsetting my stomach a bit. Yes, I know it's a bit like drinking scotch with milk because one has ulcers. So either I learn to love it black again, find the perfect dairy substitute, or drink tea.