It’s the first day of Spring (finally!) and to celebrate I want to share one of my favorite smoothie recipes – I call this the Spring Break Smoothie because it pretty much tastes like Spring Break (minus the booze) in a glass.

It’s all tropical and refreshing, perfect on a hot day for breakfast or a snack… or, you know, add a little vodka and make yourself a cocktail… I’d do it….

I pulled this one out of the [RE]NEW YEAR recipe book that everyone who’s doing my Spring group health coaching party (I mean, program) gets. It’s not too late to join us!

[RE]NEW starts tonight at 8 p.m. – you have until 5 p.m. Central to sign up… Come on! Get all the details here.

Real quick, [RE]NEW is 4-weeks to kick start your healthy routine – get you going, create some better habits, get rid of some not-so-good ones and  help make “healthy” a lot more do-able.

No crazy diets. No not-fun restrictions. Just all the good food, and energy and vibes that Spring brings to give you more energy, too.

That’s what it’s all about… feeling your best so you can do all the things you want to do… and feel awesome doing them.

OK, back to the Spring Break Smoothie…

Wait, before I get to that, there’s one other thing I wanted to talk about.

There’s a big problem that’s been on my mind a while now and I just feel like I have to say something… 

So, for a long time we were afraid of fat, right?

And we thought fat made us fat so we took out all the fat. (think the 90s fat-free craze)

But when they took out all the fat they had to add something back to make it taste good. (read. Snack Wells)

So what did they add?…. Sugar.

So fast forward a couple decades and we realize, “hey, maybe the fat wasn’t so bad after all…”

“Maybe it’s all the sugar that’s not so great for us…”

And now sugar is the enemy.

Trouble is though, the pendulum is in full swing and now we’re on the other end of the spectrum.

It’s the end with all the bacon and butter and coconut oil.

And carbs…. they’re so early 2000s.

The problem I see is just like with fat in the 90s, we’ve demonized all carbs, even the good ones.

Truth is not all carbs are alike.

Yes, we know to stay away from or minimize white carbs – the refined, processed carbs like sugar, white flour, cakes, pastries, candies, all the super sweet, sugary things.

But these are NOT the same as “whole carbs” or “slow carbs”  – foods like whole grains, beans, starchy vegetables and fruit.

“Whole carbs”, while yes, they are carbs, do not have the same effect as say a donut.

Whole carbs have sugars in them but they’re combined with fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and who knows what else that we haven’t even discovered yet about plants that make them the nutritious life-giving foods that they are.

The biggest casualty though of all this “low carb” “no carb” business is fruit.

Fruit has been slapped with that “carb” label and most of us think twice now before eating a banana. A BANANA!? How crazy is this?!

So, I want to just get this out there: fruit is your friend.

Fruit (second to only vegetables) is one of the healthiest things you can eat… no matter what fruit it is.

Yes, it has sugar, but like I said, those sugars are wrapped up with all that other good stuff in a perfect package that our bodies know exactly what to do with – which is to break it down, and that  slows the absorption of sugar in our blood stream and delivers vital nutrients that keep us thriving.

So, for goodness sakes, eat the fruit.

OK, I’m done, thanks for listening, I just had to get that out.

And with that said, we can move on to the Spring Break Smoothie and maybe all enjoy it a little more now feeling better about eating all the fruit. 🙂

Spring Break Smoothie

1 big handful torn dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, swiss chard, etc.)
a handful frozen banana chunks
a handful frozen mango
a handful frozen pineapple
1-2 cups water or coconut water
ice (if needed)

Blend together until smooth.

Note: If your blender isn’t super powerful, try blending the greens and liquid together first until the greens and completely liquified, then add in the fruit.

PS. If you’re craving more balance in your life; if you’ve been confused about what to eat, what’s healthy – low carb, no carb, etc., and you want to get back to a simpler, easier more natural way of eating and understanding what your body needs to thrive, you should join our [RE]NEW YEAR group.

In [RE]NEW we get back to the basics, add in more of the good-for-you-stuff to crowd out the not-so-good stuff all while learning to listen to your body so you can really know what you need to feel your best.

Because when you have that knowledge, that understanding, making healthier choices becomes SO much easier. You’re making them because you know they make you feel good, not because it’s what you’re supposed to do.

We have a few spots left and would love to have you in our group.

You can find all the details, testimonials, FAQ and more here. Questions, comments, concerns? Email me. I’d love to talk through them with you.