Behind us now are those holiday parties and all the delicious goodies that pair so nicely with them, and my family is attempting to get back on track and return to nourishing our bodies as we know they should be.

Most days I make this smoothie for my girls and I, and it dawned on me this morning that I have never shared this recipe with all of you.  It is a smoothie recipe I have tweaked over the past couple years as my knowledge of using food as medicine broadened.  After a great deal of trail and error, we have found this smoothie meets our needs, while also leaving us with a smile on our face as we begin each day.  It is packed with so much goodness, yet tastes great and has a consistency very similar to a milk shake (but with no dairy or sugar!).

This smoothie recipe is vegan and gluten free, and makes about 6 cups.  I hope you enjoy!

“Let Food Be Thy Medicine” Smoothie

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/4 lime juice

1 avocado

1 apple

1 cup fresh kale (firmly packed)

1 handful watercress

1 handful cilantro

1 strip dried Kombu (or seaweed of choice)

2 cups frozen berry mix (strawberries, blue berries, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries)

2 tablespoons hemp seed hearts

1 teaspoon stevia

1 tablespoon bentonite clay (0ptional…Bentonite clay supplies a wealth of dietary nutrients, as well as acting as an expeller of toxins from the body.)

Place all ingredients in a blender and run until it reaches your desired consistency.  (I have a Vitamix and it mixes up quite nicely.  However, I have used a run-of-the-mill blender to make this smoothie and it works well too.)