If you’ve read my last 2 posts, you may have noticed I’ve been having a bit of a writing love affair with coco oil. I do hope my posts have inspired you to pick up a jar of coco oil because there are so many ways to enJOY it and it should be a kitchen staple.
The reason for my post today is to share my latest smoothie (which includes coco oil) and 2 juice recipes. This smoothie was enjoyed by 889 Yonge students this past weekend to refuel after yoga class. Everyone loved the recipe, so I thought I should share it with you, in case you missed taste-testing it in person.
Sweetheart Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2-3 medjool dates, pits removed
- Half banana
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- Spoonful of room temp organic coco oil
- 1 scoop protein powder (I like Progressive’s Harmonized Vegan Protein)
- Almond milk and water — use as much as you like, just depends on your preference for runny or thick.
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (I always add these last)
Place all the ingredients into your blender for 30-60 seconds and enjoy immediately. Serves one – perfect for breakfast! If you are making it as a snack, cut the ingredients in half.
If you follow me on twitter, you know first hand that I tweet my fresh juice recipes at least 3-4x per week. Juicing is such a gosh darn efficient way to get a mega-watt dose of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are very easily absorbed and assimilated on an empty stomach. I feel my absolute best when I am consistently juicing, and you can too!
Here’s the juice I made on Saturday morning, it was like a good ol’ fashioned kick in the booty (in a good way), let’s call this one….. KICK ASS juice:
- 2 swiss chard leaves or 3 kale leaves
- 3 celery stalks
- 3-4 inches of a cucumber
- Parsley – stuff as much as you are willing to tolerate (sooooooooooo detoxifying, rich source of calcium and freshens you up better than toothpaste).
- 1/2 apple
- Thumb sized amt of fresh ginger root
And yes, notice the lovely red vino glass I use for my juice? It deserves a beautiful glass.
Sunday Sunshine Juice
I felt sunshine enter my joyous body with the first gulp this morning (and my liver was still smiling from yesterday’s KICK ASS juice). 
- 2 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 3-4 inch cucumber
- 1/2 pear
- Thumb sized amt of fresh ginger root
If you are new to juicing, please check out this article I wrote for That’s Fit on tips for making the perfect juice, including suggestions on what to do with the waste. Many people ask me what juicer I recommend. Mine is super old-school… as far as juicers go because it’s about a good 5 years old but I use it A LOT – it’s a Waring Pro. However, I hear many good things about the Breville juicer.
Also, if you are thinking that juicing is not for you because of the time it takes to make it and clean the machine, then I can assure you it is not as time consuming as you might think if you make it part of your morning routine. It takes me less than 5 minutes and I always clean it immediately. Also, make time for yourself, for healthy eating now, so you aren’t forced to make time for dis-ease later on in life.
Have a joyous week!
Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well, live well and be happy.
Joy has clients from all over the world and consults via phone and Skype. Contact Joy today and take the first step to achieving joyous health. REASONS TO HIRE A HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST.
I am going to follow you on twitter. I will have to try that brand of coconut oil again. I usually use Nutiva. I have tried the artisana before but went back to Nutiva. Maybe I will give it a try again.
SO delicious!
That smoothie looks delicious, I love dates in my smoothies!!
and I have been enjoying a juice 2-3x/week in the morning and loving how energizing it is! These recipes look awesome. My fave combo is romaine, green apple, cuke and lemon! And I have a Jack Lalanne and it works just fine for me!
xo
I love the combination of banana and dates in a smoothie. They make it taste almost like candy!
Me too! It’s like dessert.
Thanks for sharing the recipes!
I’m definitely trying the first one tomorrow
a nut butter in lieu of protein powder in the first recipe would be divine
Yum, your sunday sunshine juice looks great…except I think you should rename it to Joy Juice
Is it okay to use honey dates? I find them to be a lot cheaper,and there is no added sugars. Nonetheless, are they less healthy?
Yes definitely.
Joy – LOVE your blog, read it all the time! Quick question – is it’s better to use a juicer or a blender? Think these recipes will taste just as lovely using a blender (since I have one!) or will they be too grainy?? I’ll experiment, but wondered if you had any thoughts!
You could definitely do the juices in a high powered blender such as a vitamix. But keep in mind the juices use quite a bit of veggies and you might not be able to eat all those veggies in one sitting. That’s why I like doing both juicing and smoothies.
The recipes seem so inviting – thanks for the pictures
I have to try the celery stalks to go with my morning fruit juice – although the banana and dates combination – sounds awesome as well
Love your blog. Thanks