There’s this global pandemic that’s kept me locked up in my house for an entire year, and I have these adorable, very active, and immunocompromised twins that make lockdown serious business at our house. And while we have been known to go on the occasional walk with friends who are equally as cautious as we are, we really have no life. Even the times we do leave the house to walk the botanical gardens, it doesn’t make for great stories, so I’ve been making island-inspired green smoothies with spirulina instead.
I had delusions that being stuck inside would mean I would have loads of time to research Waldorf and Montessori approaches education. I thought my kids would be in the backyard digging the dirt, listening to classical piano, and becoming tiny geniuses. They have a very diverse plant-based diet and no digestive distress—maybe it’s the smoothies? But they certainly aren’t getting the formal education I dreamed of.
Instead, they are screaming their heads off because—apparently—that’s how you teach them how to self sooth and put themselves to sleep, and I’m too tired to research and set up ideal educational experiences for infants.
But, there’s a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Sleep training is working (most of the time), and I think I’ll sleep a full 6 hours any day now. At which point, all of my baby-educating dreams will be just in reach.
Until then, enjoy this very green smoothie recipe that has been my very favorite lately. I got the recipe from the The Plantpower Way, which is no surprise because Rich Roll changed my life. I made one addition to this green spirulina smoothie to make it even more green: spinach. I also swapped the fresh coconut that the Plantpower Way recommends for organic, dried, unsweetened coconut flakes.
I actually purchased spirulina just a few days before I found this smoothie recipe. I’ve been working hard to diversify the kinds of plants we eat, and we were definitely not getting enough—or any—sea vegetables. Since spirulina comes from the ocean and it’s so easy to just add to a smoothie, I ordered it from Thrive, and it arrived the day before my Plantpower cookbook. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I opened the cookbook up to this recipe.
Spirulina is most often described as an algae, but it turns out it’s actually a cyanobacteria, which is just a big word for a bacteria that makes its own food with sunlight (remember photosynthesis from elementary school science?). This cyanobacteria boasts a ton of health benefits including boosting the immune system by increasing the production of infection fighting cytokines. It has anti-cancer properties, It’s an anti-inflammatory, it can lower blood pressure and improve sinus issues, and it can give you an energy boost.
Full disclosure, the spirulina I ordered is sources from Mongolia, which for a second freaked me out—not because of the coronavirus, but because I know food standards in China are quite a bit looser than the U.S. (which is saying a lot, because it’s not like we are the choosiest here in the U.S.), but the Thrive Market brand is organic, and Thrive does use a few different verifying bodies to verify their foods. If you’re looking for domestically sources spirulina, you can check out Vimergy.
I have one more thing to say about spirulina, you don’t need very much of it. This spirulina green smoothie recipe literally calls for a teaspoon of it—for four servings. So be smarter than I am and get yourself a small bag. I will not use 16 ounces of spirulina this year.
I may not have much of a life, but—ladies and gentleman—I make a mean smoothie. You’re going to want one of those little cocktail umbrellas and Bob Marley playing in the background for this one.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 cups of coconut water
2 cups of frozen pineapple
1 frozen bananas
1 tsp of Spirulina
1 cup of spinach
1/4 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes
Blend in Vitamix (or high powered blender) on high for 45 seconds to one minute.