Kale Apple Celery Green Drink

As opposed to every other human being in the Western world, I kind of like Mondays. After the debauchery that was the weekend (for us that means overmuch Easter candy or, in my case, a few too many pieces of coconut cake) I start to reassemble our house. Oh, I don't go all crazy. A few years ago, I tried the Flylady thing--daily cleaning, sink cleansing, lists. And then I realized something shocking. If I cleaned my house every day, people messed it up every day. Rude. And kind of depressing. If I exercised every day, no one could take it away from me (well, not exactly, though coconut cake doesn't maybe do it lots of favors). If I wrote every day or went for walks with my children or talked to sisters and friends, then I still had that. But a clean house--nope, nada, gone. Still, I knew I couldn't quite give up until the chaos consumed us in a whirlwind of sticky crusts, cat fur, and poop smears on the toilet. I really couldn't. So every Monday, I clean my house. Very well, or at least pretty well. (Note: If you would like to see my house clean, please come by around 11:00am on Monday. But don't stay long.) And it feels really good. I sit there and enjoy the sunlight and clear counters and loveliness. And I know--even on Friday night when the corners of the kitchen floor are starting to look a little dodgy--that once this week my house was clean and that it won't suffocate me in messiness. And I like that too.

Somehow this Monday tradition sort of started to extend past cleaning and into a more personal realm. Every Monday I do a nice little yoga session with myself. I even feel all yoga-y while I'm doing it. And if I'm lucky and have time I make some healthy food.

Last week I discovered this. It was called Green Energy Detox Cleanse Drink. Which I think pretty much covers every crunchy/healthy key word possible. Kind of like those workouts that promise energy, muscle, beauty, endurance, thin waist, lottery wins, and let's not forget the reversal of male pattern baldness (in two weeks or less!).

Anyway, I thought the drink would be gross. I thought I'd have to add sugar. But I didn't. It was sweet and delicious. And, while, I'm not sure about the whole energy detox cleanse promise, it did involve two vegetables and two fruits. I've never put celery in a drink and liked it, so I've got to give them that. Also, it kept me full until lunch time, which I consider impressive for a green drink.

Kale Apple Green Drink
adapted from Skinny Mom
Makes 2 smoothies, or a big one
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.15
banana: .15, celery: .10, kale: .25, peanut butter: .20, apple: .25, almond milk: .20

1 banana, frozen (and ripe)
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 handfuls kale
a nice, fat spoonful peanut butter (I probably used 2-4 Tbsp though the original recipe called for a mere 1/2 Tbsp)
1/2 apple, chopped
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk (I used a coconut, almond mix)

Blend it all together in a decent blender. A crappy-ish blender will probably work too, though you might have to add more milk.

PRINTABLE RECIPE