By Jennifer Ewen

If you haven’t gotten on the smoothie bandwagon yet, saddle up. You don’t have to be an all-natural vegan yogi to enjoy all the benefits smoothies have to offer. The best part of smoothies is their portability - if you’re bringing a water bottle to your shift (you are, right?), then you can easily bring a bottle of delicious green healthiness.

When made correctly, smoothies can easily act as meal replacers or just provide easy snacking ability on-the-job. Depending on what you add, smoothies are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, and K, calcium, iron, fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acid, just to name a few. That’s a whole lot more than your energy drink can give you. Plus, adding a healthy protein such as spirulina, hemp seed, or unsweetened whey, your smoothie will keep you full and alert to make it through that night shift.

Since now you’re all inspired to drink a smoothie, here’s a recipe - this one is for those of us who don’t absolutely adore the taste of raw kale and spinach. The fruit makes it sweet (and adds a ton of antioxidants), but as with all recipes, tailor it to your liking!

Green Slime Extravaganza (makes about 3 cups)
- 3 cups kale/spinach (Use one or both, whatever you prefer.)
- ¾ cup mixed frozen fruit (Mixed berries are great for all the vitamins, but often don’t make the smoothie quite as sweet. For a sweeter smoothie, use pineapple or banana.)
- Splash of pomegranate juice (optional)
- 1 cup water (This will vary depending on how thin/thick you like your smoothies. If you prefer a creamy smoothie, consider using almond or coconut milk instead of water.)
- 1-2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 serving of unsweetened, unflavored protein powder (If using spirulina - highly recommended! - it will turn your smoothie an incredible shade of green. If also using mixed berries, your smoothie will resemble that of a crazy witch’s brew.)

Blend like crazy to smooth out all the lumps, and drink down your liquid health for the day.