I can’t say enough good things about green things…including vegetables. If you know me this will appear to be particularly ironic, given my longstanding standoffish behaviour towards this food group. It’s something I’ve had to face with the whole going vegetarian thing. I will openly admit to having once been a sugar-craving carb-fiend that considered cereal a dinner entrée. But no longer!

Vegetables turned my life around. (Hey, Oprah, I’m over here!)

They’re full of good-for-vegan nutrients, fibre, and a vast array of flavours that I am constantly discovering. They’re a great way to help you cleanse your system (like a mild detox) since they’re generally easy to digest, enabling your body to deal with all its stockpiled crap, so to speak.

Now that I’ve been doing a candida diet for about 6 weeks (to kick my gut’s addiction to sugar once and for all), veggies are keeping me afloat. Believe it or not, I now actually crave vegetables instead of the fruit, carbs or desserts that I once reached for.

To get my day off to a good start, I now enjoy a green smoothie every morning for breakfast. This may sound totally unappetizing to you but it’s actually delish. Here’s what I tend to toss in the blender:

• ~ 1/2 cup organic spinach/kale/chard (raw)
• ~ 2″ cucumber (peeled if not organic)
• 1 rounded tablespoon of Greens+ powder (berry flavoured)*
• a splash of apple cider (or another juice)
• a protein source like hemp protein powder (1 tbsp), sprouts or raw hemp hearts
• a couple splashes of filtered water
• optional:  more fruit if you don’t mind the sugar (bananas are popular in green smoothies for added thickness)
• optional: 1 tsp extra fibre like psyllium, ground flax or whole chia seeds (be sure to drink extra water after to make ‘em move through)**

Blend ingredients ’till smooth and enjoy!

* I really recommend Greens+ powder. It’s full of algae (yum!), one of those superfoods people are all excited about. I don’t want to be an infomercial or anything, but I like the stuff. And if you’re not using much fruit in your smoothie, it makes it taste better than blended kale.

** If you’re just starting out with the extra fibre thing, start with small amounts (1tsp/day) and gradually increase to 1 tsp, 3x/day. Tossing a whole tbsp in a drink right off the bat is NOT A GOOD IDEA! Tust me.

My breakfast (right) with a succulent succulent (left)