Gut Loving Mint Choc Smoothie

What do you think when you think of Smoothie? I bet it isn't 'Decadent', 'Rich' and 'Amazingly Good For You' all in one go!

I've starting mucking around lately with Blue Green Algae and Chlorophyll because I've been doing a bit of research as to how to increase nutrients into our diet in different ways. Normally with supplements, I'm quite picky because our gut can only absorb so much at one time. I mean don't get me wrong, if you see our 'Medicine' Cabinet, It is chocked full of Supplements, but all of those are taken on different days at different times and all of them are staggered unless its the usual, Magnesium before Bed and Calcium upon waking. So when I came across a recipe with Spirulina, I was like BAHH I'm not adding anything else. But THENNNNN I saw that its powdered and you can actually just add it to food and drinks! 

Salads, Smoothies, Drinks, Soups - you name it! These little powdered beauties can be added nearly anywhere.  

So I did it! I found Blue Green Algae (Spirulina depending on the brand you buy) and Chloraphyll. The Algae is in a powder and Chloraphyll is a liquid, with Mint Added! First of all when I opened the Chloraphyll, I put it in water with Ice, and it was amazing. SO refreshing and I can't wait to have this as a go to in Summer! *watch this space for an exciting array of iced teas*  

The Algae caught me off guard. It has the strongest most pungent smell which truth be told, turned my stomach a little bit. But once you mix it with anything, you can't taste it really because you don't use too much of it.  

I do warn you though, I think I over did it the first time I used the Algae... and the toilet was my friend that afternoon. TMI I know but I have to be honest. If you asked me to describe what came out... the answer would just be - Green - 

So go easy with it.  

If you aren't aware of the benefits of Spirulina or Algae, you can do some reading Here, and Hereare the benefits of adding Chloraphyll to your diet.  

I've searched high and low for information on if this is safe for children, and there has been nothing to indicate that it isn't unsafe. So I happily fed this to my 3 year old. He bloody loved it, and he's alive... so the proofs in the pudding! 

So there you go! If you have the stuff give it a go, and if you're up for incorporating more nutrients into your diet - but keep it fun - then this is definitely for you! The Chlorophyll I use in this particular Smoothie is by Grant's. It was only $14.00 for a bottle. But you can use any powdered Spirulina provided it's by a reputable company. There shouldn't be many issues.

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Recipe 

Serves -2- 

Time: 10 Mins

 What you need: 

1 Banana 

3 Tablespoons of Coconut Yoghurt ( No Sugar ) 

2 Cups Coconut Milk 

1/2 Teaspoon Algae 

2 Teaspoons Minted Chlorophyll 

1 Tablespoon Great Lakes Collagen/Gelatin

1 Small Handful of Spinach 

1 Tablespoons Cacao and 2 Tablespoons Extra Coconut Milk Blended together 

 - Any Toppings you like. I did Hazelnuts, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Cacao Nibs, Chia Seeds, and a small scoop of Coyo -  

 What to do: 

In a Blender ( I used a Nutri Ninja ) add the Banana, Yoghurt, Milk, Algae, Chlorophyll and Spinach, and blend until there are no lumps and a smooth consistency is reached. If you want it more liquidy, then just add more milk.  

Mix your cacao and milk together to form a chocolate paste and pour around the sides of your glass.  

Pour in the smoothie and top with your toppings! 

I also made one in a bowl - however, it was harder to eat because it was so wet (if that even makes sense?) So if you do it in a bowl, take a quarter of the liquid away so its more Smoothie Bowl Consistency!

Home Made Raw Vit C Powder

If you have not gotten into the land of dehydrators.. seriously time to think about giving it a go! When something says its 'raw' it means it hasn't been heated above 40 degrees. Once foods are heated they begin to lose their nutrients, So dehydrators are magic ESPECIALLY if you wan't to make your own powdered supplements! ehydrators you can find for a pretty good price. I got mine off Catch of the Day for $49. I originally bought it for my mum and dad...and they liked it so much that she bought a bigger one...and then gave this back to me. 

am yet to make my own 'mean green' mix but am thinking I'll do it once the remaining oranges are out of the dehydrator tomorrow. You know you go to the super market or the health shop and buy spirulina powder or green smoothie powder??? Well you can make it at home and for a quarter of the price! It's the same with this Vitamin C.

The gut only has capability of absorbing so much at a time. So when ever you see a product that is claiming to have the vitamin c content of 1 million oranges in ONE tablet - it's a marketing gimmick. Your body can only absorb so much at a time and then you wee the rest out. So when possible, always try and make it yourself because you will get a bigger benefit from it as you won't be taxing your digestive tract as well. Seriously... imagine your gut being hit with 20 oranges! Poor bloody thing!

We will use this beautiful dehydrated orange in SO many things! In Smoothies in the morning, in brownies (Jaffa sweet potato brownies....ummmm I think that's happening this weekend FO' SHO') salad dressings... you name it! Even to just flavour some water for mini man. OMG you know what this is awesome in? Sparkling mineral water! Like fizzy orange goodness with no sugar or arse added. The possibilities are endless!

So yes. I decided to make my own. We always seem to get sick going from summer to autumn... or from winter to spring. Always when the weather changes. So this is perfect for this time of year given there is about 8 days left of winter. (I'm actually ugly crying right now and not on the inside)

This is super simple. I'm not even going to write a recipe below because thats stupid. It's oranges and a dehydrator. So instead of doing a recipe, I am just going to tell you what to do here.

​First of all, make sure they're organic oranges! This Vit C powder is the orange skin AND the orange flesh. So since you will be consuming the skin it is seriously important that you only choose organic oranges. Now when you are peeling oranges to make this, its a bit fickle. You need to get the skin, but not the white bit underneath. The white of the orange is extremely bitter and while your powder will still be good for you... it will taste like arse. So be careful, take your time and just peel the orange off and leave the white behind. Once you've peeled all the skin off, cut the white bits off the orange and discard them. You'll be left with beautifully juicy orange flesh. Cut them thin. The thinner you cut them the quicker they will dehydrate. Layer them out in the dehydrator with the flesh toward the bottom of the dehydrator and the peel toward the top of the dehydrator. You can do as many oranges as you have room for in the dehydrator you have. I managed 5 oranges in mine. 

Don't set the temperature above 40 otherwise it starts to destroy the nutrients. ​

You just leave it until it is dry enough to process into a powder. The skin will dry first and the flesh will take a little bit longer. You can always turn the skin to powder first and then do the orange once thats completely dry. ​

In terms of turning it into a powder... there are a couple of ways. If you have a mortar and pestle... that's the best way. I sadly have misplaced mine. And by misplaced I mean dropped and smashed on the floor. So I did mine in my Nutri Ninja. It didn't give me as smooth of a powder as usual... but its still good and tiny. This picture makes the granules look bigger than they are because I zoomed in. ​

So seriously give it a go!​

COPY CODE SNIPPET

To do the mean green mix, you dehydrate kale, spinach etc... all beautiful green things and then do the same thing to turn it into a powder. I will attempt that next so I'll keep you posted once I've done it! 

Happy dehydrating and if you do give it a go - let me know what you think and tell me how yours went! 

Peace love and vitamin C to you all xx

As you can see here, this one has a bit of white on it. I discarded it. I tried it before I got rid of it and I'm glad I did... in a weird way. It was SO bitter! My god. Would have completely ruined my mix!