liquid assets

Forgive the St. Patrick's Day pun; it's been a busy week. I've been surviving on leftovers and quickie pasta dishes. But no matter how crazy my schedule is, I always try to punctuate my meals – healthy and otherwise – with a variety of nutrient-dense juices and smoothies. This is my vibrant, go-to emerald juice: organic apple, organic lemon, ginger, cucumber, a dash of cinnamon, and a green du jour. I tend to make it the same way all the time, and it always tastes refreshing to me – the apple, lemon, ginger and cinnamon gleefully eradicate any possible chlorophyll aftertaste. I vary the greens depending on what I have on hand: I may use kale, chard, spinach and/or broccoli. Nutrition-wise, it's best to use fresh greens. But hey, juicing is costly, so wallet-wise, using [up] slightly wilted greens is perfectly acceptable.

This is one of my current favorites: pear, a wee beet, cucumber, spinach, organic lemon, baby carrots and ginger. Sometimes, I throw in about 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple. The beets, pear and carrots make it nice and sweet, and the beet also thickens it.

Hot herbal teas make a nice evening wind-down. I got hooked on Palais des Thés rooibos varieties when I did my cooking demo at Paris Vegan Day. My absolute favorite is Thé du Hammam, not pictured.

I never tire of hot tea made from fresh mint [nana] – very popular in the Middle East and North Africa.  The trick is to use way more mint than you think you'll need – pack it in!– and let it steep for way longer than you think it should. Good nana tea, like love, takes time to develop. [No, I did not plan for my nail polish to match my tea pot.]

I'm still running up a storm, training for some spring races. Green protein smoothies help me recover faster, especially after a run of 12 miles or more. I usually make mine with flax milk, a frozen banana, ground flax seed, soy or hemp protein powder, a handful of baby spinach, stevia and perhaps some blueberries or raspberries.

Erin, go raw!