Drink it like a smoothie, eat it with a spoon or throw it back like a shot. But whatever you do to get in this chocolate mint green smoothie, it’s well worth it. Bottoms up!

Peppermint and chocolate are long-time allies in the world of flavor combinations. They just work, and so damn well at that. Chocolate is rich and earthy and peppermint is smooth and aromatic; together they go down easy, igniting your senses and releasing endorphins that could get your through any breakup. I’ve decided to take this classic pair and bring them to the beloved green smoothie so that you can enjoy a festive St. Patty’s Day without compromise your dietary goals.

Because a green smoothie condenses an otherwise large volume of ingredients into an easy-to-consume drink, it is important that each ingredient is the best of its kind. This means that they should be organic, raw and free of additives.

Instead of using a chocolate bar or chips for this green smoothie recipes, I’ve pared it down big time on sugar calories by sticking to cacao nibs. Use a raw version so as to extract the most nutrition (especially antioxidants) with each sip.

The spinach and mint work together to balance green goodness with flavor. Too much fresh mint can overwhelm the taste buds. Therefore, the spinach is there to provide more blood-cleansing chlorophyll to the body whilst keeping the green smoothie, well, green, and offsetting the perkiness of the mint’s flavors.

You can use any vegan milk of your choice, but be sure that is is unsweetened and (preferably) free of preservatives and other additives. Learn how to make your own almond milk to have the most control over what goes into your green smoothie. Almond butter is also something you can make yourself! Feel free to use other nut or seed butters in place of almond butter, though.

If you want to up the ante on the heftiness of this green smoothie with a protein powder, I’m personally a huge fan of this raw, vegan version called Sunwarrior. Stevia is also my go-to sweetener when the occasion calls. You could also add maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, or honey.

Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie

Makes 1 smoothie

Ingredients

• 2 overflowing cups of spinach (kale works well too)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped apple, mango, or pineapple
• 1 tablespoon raw almond butter
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs
• Dash of cayenne
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• Drops of liquid stevia to taste (optional)
• Ice (optional)

Directions: Add all to a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Related on EcoSalon

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Photo Credit: SweetOnVeg

The post Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie: A St. Patty’s Day Green Recipe that’s Good for You appeared first on EcoSalon.

Planning a little detox cleanse before winter’s officially over?

We often associate cleansing with spring or fall, when the weather is in a transition phase and we take the cue to renew our health. Winter is put on the back burner as the season where we cling to comfort, and thus emerge with the love handles and the sniffles to show for it. But, winter can indeed be the season for detoxing and keeping the body clean and lean. Follow these eight cleansing tips and see for yourself!

1. Wake Up to Morning Detox Tea

Give your liver a boost in the morning with a tea elixir that cleanses your system. On an empty stomach, sip on hot tea  mixed with the juice of half a lemon, a dash of cayenne, a dash of turmeric and a dash of cinnamon. Sweeten with stevia or drink as-is. You could also give the morning detox tea more flavor with the addition of an herbal tea bag, such as peppermint or ginger, which are excellent for the digestive system.

2. Drink Your Greens

Shower your cells with living enzymes, nutrients, and alkalizing chlorophyll for breakfast. Drink a juice or smoothie that contains green leaves, which are highly cleansing and a powerful way to improve digestion, as well as having positive effects on every other bodily system. While the green smoothie packs fiber, the green juice will digest more quickly and more directly and quickly affect your blood. Here are two recipes to try. Modify as preferred.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

Hefty handful of green leafy vegetables such as kale or spinach
½ cup water
1 large banana, peeled
½ cup frozen berries or mango
¼ avocado

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Green Juice Recipe

Ingredients

6-8 kale leaves, including stems
1 apple
1 carrot
1 lemon
1 cucumber
Stevia to taste (optional)

Directions

Put all ingredients, except for the stevia, through the juicer, beginning with the kale leaves and ending with the cucumber. Sweeten with stevia afterwards and drink after stirring.

3. Embrace Warm Vegetable Soups

Cleansing is all about giving your digestive system a break and letting it relax and strengthen so that your body can focus on other organs and processes. For this reason, soups are an excellent way to pack both nutrients and taste without burdening digestion with chewing and breaking down solid food.

And there is no need for a complicated recipe; simply boil in water or bake your favorite vegetable until softened, put it in a food processor with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and process with enough of the water until the soup reaches the consistency you like. Broccoli and sweet potato work great for this!

4. Savor Denser Vegetables

Eating light in the winter is harder than in the summer. Cold temperatures demand the warmth that comes from comfort food. But that doesn’t mean you have to indulge in heavy, fatty foods. Instead, take advantage of denser vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potato, squash, and celeriac to get the bulk without the diet bust. Steam, bake, or sauté them and enjoy them aside a light marinara sauce or a dab of butter and you’ll never feel like you’re missing out.

5. Avoid Dairy

Simply cutting out dairy for a period of a few days or weeks can drastically change how you feel. Some people have allergies and don’t even know it, and that could be the very reason for stubborn weight, sluggishness, or indigestion. Refined and processed milk has its risks, and it’s important to note that while some people handle dairy better than others, in general it is not an ideal food and can curb your health goals. Avoid dairy or switch to goat and sheep milk yogurts and cheeses, which have a lower amount of casein, a hard-to-digest protein prevalent in dairy products. Raw dairy is also richer in healthy bacteria and worth a try if you aren’t planning to cut dairy out altogether.

6. Drink Enough Water

Just because it’s not sweltering outside doesn’t mean you don’t need as much water. Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the most important rules in cleansing. Always carry a water bottle with you and you’ll never forget.

7. Skip the Antiperspirant

Considering it’s chilly outside, the level of sweating is at bay and any aroma is buried under layers of clothes, so not applying a strong antiperspirant or deodorant isn’t the end of the world. Antiperspirants contain aluminum, which stops sweat glands from doing what they do best – sweat, which is another way the body releases toxins. There are fears that the skin absorbs the aluminum and can cause breast cancer, despite further studies needed to draw a definite link. Besides aluminum, antiperspirants and deodorants can contain other harmful ingredients including parabens, propylene glycol, triclosan, TEA, DEA, FD&C colors, and talc. Use winter as an escape from the dangerous effects of most deodorants and antiperspirants on the market and go bare or make a homemade version.

8. Lather Up with Coconut Oil

Winter leaves the skin dry and moisturizing is key to keeping it supple and smooth. Most commercial lotion products, however, contain ingredients that do more harm than good. The skin is the body’s largest organ and is like a sponge in that it absorbs whatever is applied to it, toxins included. Take this as a cue to go as natural as possible. Virgin coconut oil is an excellent choice, not only because of its pureness but also for its emollient and antibacterial properties.

Photo Credit: Vanessayavonne

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