Chicago is going through a heat wave this week. The highs are in the 90s and lows in the 70s. Summer is the perfect time to improve your eating habits with a refreshing fruit and vegetable smoothie! 

I make this recipe almost daily in the summer because it makes my body feel good physically, and mentally, I feel even better knowing that I’m starting the day off with a serving of both fruits and vegetables.

Recipe:

• 1 cup organic greens (swiss chard, kale, spinach, collard greens, etc.)
• 1 cup organic frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.)
• 1 cup organic milk (almond, coconut, flax, cashew, goat, cow, etc.)
• Optional: a scoop of protein powder

As you can see, this recipe is customizable, and you can rotate the type of greens, berries, and milk so that it never gets old. Berries are naturally low-sugar fruits, so this recipe will help keep your blood sugar stable and prevent a mid-morning crash. 

If you are just starting out with incorporating vegetables into smoothies, the mildest green to use is spinach, and you could substitute half of the berries for a sweeter fruit like pineapple or peaches. As you adapt to the flavor of the smoothie, slowly decrease the high-sugar fruits for berries and experiment with other green leafy vegetables. Maintaining variety is important because it will prevent you from getting bored with the flavors, and it will provide a wider range of nutrients for your body to use.

Here I am enjoying my morning smoothie with a friend and enjoying our resident swans by Lake Janse on the Lombard campus.