Avocado...don't mind if I do!

I generally start every day with a large glass of water and a smoothie. It's my effective wake up call. If I am doing an early morning workout I eat something small made up of carbs and protein before hand, and save my smoothie for post workout. Anyway, a few of my favorite smoothie add-in's are spinach (and other dark leafy greens), chia seeds, mangoes, and really whatever fresh or frozen fruits that I might have laying around. Out of all the varieties of successful smoothies I have made (and that's been A LOT, in fact right now my daughter and I are snacking by drinking a yummy blueberry, raspberry, & coconut milk smoothie) but this smoothie recipe I'm about to share is BY FAR my favorite! It's creamy texture goes down smooth and leaves you wanting to down the entire blender's worth! The secret ingredient: AVOCADO!

Ingredients:

1 c almond milk

1 banana

1/2 avocado

1-2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 c spinach

5-6 ice cubes

a dash of raw honey if necessary but usually my banana is ripe enough that I omit this.

Blend & serve. Garnish with a dash o' cinnamon. Serves 2.

Now as perfect as this recipe is on it's own it's also super versatile. Again I added Chia seeds to the one above, you can add rolled oats to give it a little more substance, even add your favorite nut butter (peanut and almond are both stellar) to make a peanut butter banana combination. Whatever floats your boat! Smoothies in general are excellent way to jump start your health, promote healthy digestion, and gain clean continuous energy. The liquid broken down form makes it easy for your body to instantly put those nutrients and phytochemicals to work. Obviously, you're also getting the benefits from the raw living enzymes that I've talked about here. 

Lets get a little more specific though. If you're an avocado lover like myself you'll want to tune in! 

Avocados are actually an awesome fat burning food not a fat storing food. Some people get misinformed and think that avocados are bad due to their high level of calories and unsaturated fat, but in fact it has quite the opposite effect. It's such a perfect food loaded with so much goodness that you're body can effectively utilize it all, and the extremely high fiber content plays a big role in that fat burning process. Avocados are also sometimes called the ABC fruit because of it's high amounts of all the important vitamins (A,C,E,K, & B6). That's not all though, they are also rich in riboflavin, folate, niacin, and potassium. Consuming avocados with other foods can actually improve your nutrient absorption up to 400%. AWESOME SAUCE! The Vitamin E and folate play a large roll in a happy healthy heart and reduction in risks of diseases and cancers. Do you struggle with arthritis or aches and pains? The high antioxidant levels in this fruit significantly reduce inflammation. Lastly, eating avocados regularly can help reduce signs of aging, promote healthy eyes, and regulate blood sugar and cholesterol! So seriously, don't let the calories ward you off. Calories are not created equal, and these calories are worth every bit of it. If you're not convinced yet, just try the recipe above and you'll be sold!