Like most of you, I really love my morning coffee (my morning fuel of choice is espresso). The nespresso machine in my kitchen has been an attractive nuisance since I bought it, making it way too easy to have one or two shots as I am revving up to start my day. As August rolled around, I decided to do an experiment to see if my espresso was affecting how I felt, good or bad. To do this, I decided to kick the habit, and substitute my espresso for black tea (which also has caffeine), followed by a green smoothie made from contents of my garden. Yummy live food that I whipped up in my Nutrabullet. And here is what I discovered.
It took a few days to adjust, but by day 3, I noticed that I was sleeping deeper and longer. Since I was having my espresso only very early in the mornings, it shocked me that it had such a dramatic effect on my sleep so many hours later. I always thought that because I wasn’t having caffeine or coffee after 10 am, it wouldn’t make a difference. Boy was I wrong!
I found myself sleeping later in the mornings and remembering my dreams. If you are having any sleep issues whatever, I strongly recommend quitting coffee and see what happens! It has been about 4 weeks now, and I am still sleeping great, feeling more rested in the mornings.
What I Learned About Green Smoothies
I used to be more of a berries-in-the-smoothie girl, but I switched to a more tart, savory drink instead of sweet. You will see my recipe below. After my live, green, smoothie breakfast, I am zipping to work and buzzing with a better energy than I used to get from espresso! I decided to write this blog to inspire those of you that read this, to try this experiment. The good news is that you can get greens triple washed and ready to use, making this smoothie super easy to make each morning. I usually go out to the garden and add fresh parsley, rosemary, basil, or mint, in addition to the kale and spinach. You can customize this to your taste.
Here are the nutrition facts:
Total calories: 265;
Fat: 12.9 grams; Carbs: 34.6 grams; Fiber: 7.2 grams: Sugar: 17 grams; Protein: 11.2 grams
Green Smoothie Recipe:
½ apple, skin on
½ banana
½ cup Baby Kale
½ cup Baby spinach
1 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 TBL fresh lime juice
2 TBL organic Hemp seeds
1 cup cold filtered water
Optional: A twig of rosemary and a handful parsley from the garden, or other herbs of your choice like a few leaves of mint or basil.
Put all ingredients in the Nutrabullet and enjoy!