A greens powders is a good thing to have in your health food arsenal. When you’re short on time, travelling, or staring into the abyss of a near-empty refrigerator, you can simply mix some into a glass of juice for an instant hit of chlorophyll-fuelled, cell-loving action.
Over the past few months I’ve been slowly restocking my cupboards with the super foods and healthy staples that I usually rely on. It would’ve been way too expensive to pick them up all at once and I faced the added complication of not being familiar with many of the brands here. Unfortunately there’s a lot of health washing and product claims aren’t always regulated, so you need to do a bit of research to get the most bang for your buck.
Enter GECO.
They make a line of greens powders that are formulated to enhance the bioavailability of their nutrients, so your body can soak up all of that green goodness. When they offered to send me a sample of one of their products, I pounced on it like it was the last glass of champagne at a NYE party. And it turns out that not only does GECO sell great products, they also have great customer service and fast delivery.
I chose chlorella – a blue green algae that’s one of the only plant-based sources of vitamin B12 and is a superstar at helping to detoxify your liver.
I’ve been stirring a teaspoon into a glass of orange juice on days when I don’t have time for a smoothie. It blends in easily and is a lot more palatable than other greens powders I’ve tried. But in case the thought of green juice makes you cringe, I took it upon myself to find the most fun and delicious ways to get this good stuff into your bod.
She-Hulk Chocolate Smoothie
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen black cherries
a large handful of spinach
1 heaping tbsp of pure cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 serving protein powder of choice
1/2 tbsp almond butter
2 tsp chlorella
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 cups water
Blend until smooth and drink up! This tastes a little bit like chocolate cake batter, so you might have a hard time convincing yourself it’s even healthy.
Spicy Green Almond Sauce
1 can coconut milk
2 cloves garlic minced
half cup almond butter
juice of one lime
2 heaping teaspoons chlorella powder
~1/3 of a sodium-free bouillon cube
1/2t ground ginger
2-3T tamari
hot sauce to taste (I used ~T Sriracha)
Blend everything until smooth. Substitute peanut butter for the almond butter if you prefer it. In this photo I’ve eaten it over brown rice noodles with a handful of raw sesame seeds – an almost instant meal that’s delicious, satisfying, and not without it’s nutritional merit. This sauce is also great as a dip for raw vegetables, with rice wraps, or drizzled over cooked vegetables – or any way you’d normally eat peanut sauce. Store in your fridge in an airtight container and it will last for 3-4 days.
Chlorella Chocolate Shots
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp chlorella
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground ginger
Blend until fully combined and serve chilled.
Kermit’s Curried Hummus
While I’m usually a huge advocate of making everything from scratch, my current blender isn’t up to the task of pureeing chickpeas. If you’re in the same boat, try this ‘recipe’ for amping up the store bought variety or play with the proportions to get the same flavour with your homemade hummus.
200g tub of hummus
1 heaping tbsp curry powder
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp chlorella powder
Stir until fully combined. Serve with crackers, veggies, on salads or in wraps.
Emerald Caramel Drizzle
Adapted from My New Roots.
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp chlorella
Stir together until fully combined.
Drizzle over fruit, stir into yogurt, or serve over your porridge.
As you can tell, I’ve gotten a little bit obsessed with turning all of my food green – and I’ve got no plans to stop! I’m hoping to try GECO‘s other products to see what other creations I can come up with. I’m thinking green bread and green truffles, but what would you like to see me try my hand at? And if you have any tips for sneaking extra greens into your food, share them in the comments!
Love, smoothies, & sunshine,
The life you want is possible and it all starts with learning to adore yourself.
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