St. Patrick's Day Smoothie

Image via Vitamix.com

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're offering up a few tasty additions to your smoothie that all happen to be green. Bonus: green smoothies make amazing hangover cures. Really. The electrolytes and water in the fruits and veggies will keep you hydrated, and the fiber will decrease the irritation on your digestive system from the alcohol.

Spirulina
Spirulina is chock full of B Vitamins for energy, Vitamin C, protein and iron. It's a blue-green algae that's often sold in powder form and has a mild, grassy flavor. Add a spoonful to your smoothie for an extra burst of vitamins and energy.

Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass has a great vitamin profile and is also a wonderful source of potassium, which helps relieve muscle cramps. A serving of dried wheatgrass is the same nutritional content as about 3-4 servings of leafy green vegetables. It's fairly easy to sprout wheatgrass at home, but you can buy it powdered or frozen for convenience too.

Avocado
Avocado is a healthy source of saturated fat, is great for cardiovascular health and is an anti-inflammatory food. It's also a great source of Vitamin E, which promotes silky soft skin and hair. Use avocado in place of milk or yogurt in your smoothies to make it thick and creamy.

image via FoodandStyle.com

Baby Greens
Of course, there's always the classic method of greening your smoothie with leafy greens. Baby greens are harvested early in life and are small and tender, but still chock full of nutrition. Because of their tenderness they're smoother in smoothies than when they're full-grown. You can find baby spinach, baby kale, baby collards, or baby green mixes at most grocery stores. A serving size is about one handful.

Have fun with the St. Paddy's festivities, and let us know how your green smoothie works for you. Until next time, keep it clean!