glowing green smoothie

A few years back, I was informed about plant-based celebrity nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder from one of my mom's friends, who was in amazing shape. Naturally, I went home and googled "Kimberly Snyder" and found that she followed a plant-based diet largely based on food pairing that helps ease digestion. Not only that, but she had worked with celebrities Olivia Wilde, Fergie, Jenna Dewan and Drew Barrymore. In reading Kimberly's story further, I found that (like many) Kimberly didn't always have nutrition figured out. In fact, it wasn't until after a three-year trip traveling around the world and immersing herself into different cultures and experiences that Kimberly discovered the power of a plant-based diet. Thereafter, she dove into research, changing her lifestyle and has since written two books, The Beauty Detox and most recently, Radical Beauty with Deepak Chopra, M.D., based on plant-based nutrition. She found that not only does food have the power to help us lose weight and feel great, but also has the power to heal our bodies and boost our natural beauty - both inside and outside.

I have since read The Beauty Detox and loved it! From the book, I took away a lot of things but most pertinently the power of having a green smoothie in the morning. And not just any smoothie - Kimberly's infamous Glowing Green Smoothie. Kimberly points out that the key to unleashing our natural beauty and increasing energy is helping take pressure off of our digestive system. By having a smoothie in the morning, our body doesn't have to work overtime to digest heavy food and instead can focus on supplying our bodies with dense nutrients. 

Here is the recipe for Kimberly's Glowing Green Smoothie:
Source: SHAPE Magazine

Ingredients
-1 1/2 cups water

-1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped
-3-4 stalks organic celery

-1/2 head of a large bunch, or 3/4 of a small bunch of spinach
-1 organic apple, cored and chopped
-1 organic pear, cored and chopped
-1 organic banana

-Juice of 1/2 fresh organic lemon

Optional
-1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems okay)

-1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems okay)

Directions 

Add the water and chopped head of romaine to the blender. Starting the blender at low speed, mix until smoothi. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple and pear. Add the cilantro and parsley, if you are choosing to add them. Add the banana and lemon juice last.
The fruit and lemon cut right though the grass taste. Feel free to mix and match different greens and fruits, as these two specific food groups combine well.

Kimberly also recently gave birth to her first child! As I mentioned in my 17-week pregnancy update, Kimberly continued to follow her plant-based diet throughout pregnancy - increasing the quantity and frequency of food consumed throughout the day. She felt great throughout her entire pregnancy, gained only 17 lbs, and had a healthy baby boy. During pregnancy, Kimberly consumed her Glowing Green Smoothie in the mornings, but increased the quantity up to 24 ounces. This is what I have been following, as well, and suggest other mamas follow suit, if you're pregnant! I also have a mid-morning snack if my body needs it (which it generally does). Feel free to share with your littles too - Lincoln loves his GGS in the morning!

Hope you enjoy! #ggs #cateandila #mamaskeepinitreal
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xx,
ILA