I love green tea. I actually can not get through a typical morning without it (without a headache and an interesting lack of enthusiasm!), but the problem is once I have my tea I’m not hungry for an hour or two…and then I get super-hungry. Its not fun to be sort of on-edge in the middle of the morning, so these little juicy blended drinks fill in the gap between my need for tea and a something food-y to start the day. I’ll eat more breakfast later, but these little kicks of nutrition go a long way in the energy department. Its what I call a green tea tonic!
I call this a tonic because its actually much more like a juice, but a substantial one. What happens when you blend lots of greens and liquid and crunchy fruit with fiber like apples in a high speed blender in that a bunch of foam forms on the top. I am not big on foam. I skim off the layer of foam in the blender (it settles really quickly) and have a more robust “juice”. I dig it. I think you will too!
To make yourself a tea tonic, brew your tea as you would in the morning… but stronger. I put two small bags of tea in a small teacup and let that steep while I wash off my leaves and fruit and check my emails. You can play around to find your right “strength” but ultimately, you are adding ice so its OK to concentrate the tea. I prefer it! I let it sit for about 5 minutes, so its strong, cooled off a bit, and ready to go! Do not use super-hot tea straight in the blender or it will get watered down and/or will make this a hot & non-refreshing drink!
Now, put a handful or two of ice in the blender- roughly a cup, but more if your tea is still pretty hot. Add in the tea and make sure some ice still remains after the tea melts some of it. If not, add a bit more. The tea should be totally ice cold and filled with more ice before you continue. Into this one I tossed: two sweet, crunchy apples cored but not peeled, four big collard green leaves (you can do a handful of spinach, too), two coin sized slices of ginger (like two nickles, or two taste) and a nice big dollop of honey. I know, I put honey or dates in everything but I justify it here by saying that I’d put it in my tea, anyway! Purists or those watching their sugar intake can skip the honey or add a sweetener of your choice, and can cut down the amount of fruit, too.I love the warmth that ginger adds…but you can skip it if you don’t like it.
After you secure your blender lid & hit blend on HIGH and watch it all liquefy, shut off the blender and give the mix a chance to settle. In less than a minute you’ll likely see the foam settle on top. If you like it, by all means drink it as it is. I skim it all off and pour the juicy tonic into a big glass. Its still my tea time, it takes only a few minutes more, and it REALLY wakes me up. Enjoy! xoxo Dana
Low quality food can lose your health and even lives. Best organic. Nice tips Dana
with healthy stuff. I love it! Thanks!