Sister Elaine Mermaid's Magical Green Elixir of Life

Elaine introduced us to this smoothie at the Mermaid Retreat last weekend, and I found (to my surprise) that I love it.  I didn't think I could stand anything so — green! — but I was wrong.  The fruit and agave mask the bitterness of some of the greens, and  drinking it feels like I'm drinking in pure Mama Gaia vitality.  Try it, you'll like it!  (Although if you have any picky Virgos in your household, you might have them taste it before they see the color and go, eeeeewwwwwww!)

Here's Elaine's recipe, shared with her kind permission.  (Did I mention that Elaine and her partner used to own a juice bar in downtown Bellingham?  So you know she knows her stuff.)

(This makes about 24 ounces, so share it with a friend or drink it all day long.  But don't save it until the next day. Also, always use organic fruits and veggies when possible.)

Blend in your blender:

1 cup water
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen fruit (peaches, strawberries, blueberries etc, your choice)
LOTS of greens — salad greens, spinach, kale, etc — LOTS
1/2 cucumber, peel and all (must be organic if you're eating the peel)
1 Tbsp. flaxseed oil
Agave to taste — several tablespoons, more or less

Blend!!  Drink!!  Feel wonderful!!  Dance around the kitchen!!  Give somebody a hug!!

Comments

[Inanna]

Reeeally? I like a frozen fruit, banana, and yogurt smoothie, but can you really put all those greens in there and have it taste good? It'd be a great way to get greens....

[Inanna]

P.S. I'm not a Virgo, so that'll be to my advantage... ;)

[JulieZS]

wow, that sounds really good! Thanks for sharing the recipe Joanna and mermaid sister Elaine.

[Joanna]

Hi Inanna and Julie,
yes, reeeeeally!! I'm infamous for disliking a bitter taste, but I like this. Although Craig doesn't. But I think you need to fuss with the recipe a little bit. Less kale but more mild greens makes for a milder taste. Or, as Elaine says, she "tastes through" the bitter to the other side. At least, I think that's what she said. Try it and let us know how it goes!

[Craig]

Joanna is spot on, I didn't like the bitter kale in there although the milder greens seem to blend in fairly well. I continue to be somewhat skeptical, however, that one's natal sun sign, Virgo or otherwise, determines the inclination of one's palette.

Ah, but a good smoothie is a wonder to behold! I deleted the bitter greens, added some Nancy's yogurt and took it with a B-complex vitamin. Now if someone would just invent a self-cleaning blender...

[Lunaea]

Virgo to Virgo, Craig, we must humor the other eleven signs as they tease us about our extraordinary senses and our ability to discriminate the ooky tastes that no one else can detect. ;-) When my Virgo mother was undergoing chemo, we tried to get her to take a little wheatgrass juice now and then, and you would have thought it was Drano from her strong reaction to the taste. This from a woman who drank strong black coffee her whole life!

[Bonnie Cehovet]

I want to know where to purchase the self cleaning blender! ;-)