Start your day with an Almond, Cherry Breakfast Green Smoothie

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast will make you feel much better and happier.  Here is a quick and tasty smoothie recipe to provide you with all the energy you need to start your morning.

Almond Cherry Breakfast Green Smoothie
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup filtered water ( if you like your smoothie thick, leave out water)
2 cups organic baby kale
3/4 cup bing cherries frozen or fresh
2 Tbs organic raw almond butter
4 Tbs Organic Raw Hemp Protein Powder by Navitas Naturals 
(If you prefer to make it sweeter, use stevia-I prefer SweetLeaf brand since it doesn’t have much of an aftertaste)
Blend the first 5 ingredients in a high powered blender such as a VitaMix for about 20 seconds (regular blenders may be used and may require longer time to blend).  Then add the Organic Raw Hemp Protein Powder to blender for about 10 seconds until smoothie is free of chunks.  Enjoy!  
Here is the nutritional information for this smoothie from the MyNetDiary nutrition fitness app which I use.  This recipe has scored the highest number of points for me.  
So now that you have drank your energizing Almond Cherry Breakfast Green Smoothie, learn further on the health benefits these ingredients will offer you. Keep these ingredients handy in your kitchen as you create your very own healthy and delicious smoothies.  

Almonds (1):  

  • Good for your heart.  According to an American Heart Association study, individuals with high lipid levels who ate almonds showed a decrease in their risk for coronary heart disease.  

  • Full of Antioxidents-flavinoids, flavinols, and catachins help protect cell wall along with Vitamin E which decreases inflammation in blood vessel wall.  

  • Provides Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus.  

  • Potential cancer fighter due its high levels of phytochemical, fiber, mono-unsaturated fats and vitamin E concentrations.  
Organic Hemp Protein powder(2):

  • A COMPLETE protein.  one of the few plants which provides humans with all the essential amino acids we need to build and repair muscles. Many plants need to be combined with others to offer complete protein i.e. legumes and brown rice.  
  • A good source of essential fatty acids-alpha-linolenic acid  which we need to make omega 3 fatty acid.  
  • Great source of Fiber

Cherry(3,4,5): 

  • Anti-inflammitory: helps to reduce gout, a form of arthritis.  Has shown to decrease muscle pain after exercising.      
  • Cardiovascular benefits: the anthocyanins, pigment which gives cherries their red color, may activate PPAR in our cell and cardiac cells; PPAR helps to regulate cellular fat and glucose metabolism.    

Kale(6): 

  • Super Food- One cup of kale provides 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of Vit A, 134% of Vit C, and  684% of Vit K (people who are taking anti-coagulants such as coumadin, should consult their physicians since Vit K interferes with blood thinning) . It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

  • Cancer prevention. Rich in Antioxidents including flavonoids and carotenoids 

  • High in fiber, which helps to reduce cholesterol improving cardiovascular health. 
  • Contains eye health promoting  lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.


(1) http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/raw-almonds-health-benefits-4597.html
(2)http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-organic-hemp-protein-powder-8778.html
(3)http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/may04/cherry0504.htm
(4)http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/2/269.full
(5)http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/natasha-turner-nd/cherries-benefits_b_3757989.html
(6)http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale
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