I had been a long time subscriber to The Herb Companion since the late 1980’s (herbs have always been a passion for me)  and in 2012 this magazine combined with Natural Home and Garden to create Mother Earth Living.  I decided to give this new magazine a try and I have not been disappointed.  “The latest on natural health and sustainable lifestyles”.

Anyways, this recipe was in a recent issue of Mother Earth Living magazine and has ingredients I usually have on hand, even most of the “boosts”.

• 8 oz. milk (could use almond or soy milk – I used my Smart Balance skim milk)
• 1/2 cup banana slices, frozen
• 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen

You can use any combination of fruit; the frozen ingredients gives the smoothie a thick texture.  Add water if you want a thinner consistency, or add ice chips if you want it thicker.

I liked their suggestions for immune-enhancing boosts such as 1 cup baby spinach, 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1-2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds, 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, honey or cinnamon to taste.   I will have to experiment…

Comment:  On Feb. 4, 2013 I did experiment by adding 1 cup of spinach and a nephew suggested that when he adds spinach to a smoothie he also adds  some sugar or honey as well.  When you add the spinach the smoothie does need some type of sweetener, at least for me anyways.  I probably added 1-1/2 tbsp. honey.  The color does change, the spinach is not totally blended (along with specks of blueberries) and it does have a slight undertone of spinach.  But I liked it – you just have to experiment with the amounts to suit your taste.

See also my recipes Weight Watcher’s Fruit Smoothies Two Ways, Strawberry Greek Yogurt Smoothie and Almond Milk Banana Smoothies.