Lavender Chocolate Green Smoothie

Most mornings, I make a green smoothie.  It's one of the easiest ways to get extra mineral-rich leafy greens into your diet.  Sometimes I make them heavy with pineapple or berries, but more often than not, it's chocolate.  I know, I'm addicted. But if loving cacao is wrong, I don't wanna be right.  This morning, I wanted a cacao smoothie, but with a little twist.  I decided it was lavender kind of day.  With the crazy-cold weather we've had here in Tennessee, I needed a taste of spring.  Here's what I came up with:

Lavender Cacao Green Smoothie

3 cups spinach

2 cups fresh almond milk

1 banana

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 drops lavender essential oil

1 scoop Garden of Life Raw Vanilla protein powder

2 tsp wheatgrass juice powder

2 tbsp maca powder

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

Stevia or other sweetener to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of sea salt

Blend the banana, spinach, and almond milk until smooth, then add all other ingredients and blend to combine.  With super-foods, you want to blend them as little as possible to minimize heat exposure.  If you don't have raw cacao, use your favorite cocoa powder or even chocolate bar.  If you don't have maca, protein powder, or wheatgrass juice powder, just leave it out.  The main flavor comes from the vanilla and lavender oil, so the extra stuff is just for added body and nutrition.  You could, also, use any essential oil flavor that you like.  I may try orange or peppermint tomorrow.  

It's so easy to be creative with green smoothies.  Make sure you have a green vegetable, a fruit, and a liquid.  Where you take it from there is limitless.  What's your favorite green smoothie recipe?