Green-Purple Smoothie

After years of reading about them, thinking about them, and gazing dreamily at beautiful blog-post photos of them, yesterday I finally made... A Green Smoothie.

I don't know what on earth took me so long - we always have baby spinach in the fridge, now in massive quantities thanks to the bulk foods store, we have a spinach salad with dinner nearly every night, (and there's usually a huge bag of kale in the fridge, too), and we adore smoothies - but somehow I would always seem to think "green smoothie" at inopportune moments, such as while driving down the highway with nary a blender in sight.

Until yesterday afternoon... I confess, sheepishly, after I whirred my impromptu concoction together, my first bite was tentative... and then, one moment later, as Zach was on call for his surgery rotation, and I was alone in the house with my anatomy textbook, I found myself resorting to informing the cats (as they seemed a bit more interested in the subject than my inanimate anatomy textbook) "Oh my goodness, this is SO insanely good!"

(Our cats might not request green smoothies, but they do seem to enjoy Vegetarian Times...)

While the cats still don't seem to share my new-found enthusiasm for green smoothies, I was simply delighted with the incredible melding of flavors. Somehow, the earthiness of the spinach adds a depth and richness to the blueberries, unparalleled in any fruit-only smoothie I've tasted, and the spinach leaves also contributed an additional bit of thickness and texture that allows me to savor my smoothie with a spoon - heaven!

I suppose, technically, I technically created a "Dark-Purple Smoothie," but since this exact shade of purple is one of my favorite colors, I am thoroughly content with my purple green smoothie.

I think I now have a "new favorite meal ever..."

Green-Purple Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup baby spinach leaves, patted down a bit to make a full cup
6 oz fat free vanilla yogurt or non-dairy yogurt (for the VV - the vegan version!)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk

~ Whir all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender... Savor with a spoon... or let it melt a wee bit and then savor with a straw...