Going Green One Glass at a Time

In the midst of my Pinterest addiction, I'm trying really hard not to be a woman who simply pins. I want to be a woman who pins and does.

Inspiration, after all, doesn't have much value if it's merely an idea that never gets acted upon.

Thus, I present a Pinterest-inspired recipe: Green Smoothies.

I know, it sounds gross and looks quite suspect. But I made my mom try it.

She, who raised her eyebrows in a sign of "I suspect this might be gross" when I was whirling things together, thought it tasted "different."

"Different" means that it's pretty good tasting. Give it a try and see if you don't think this is different - and good tasting!

Green Smoothies

• 2 cups coconut water (Available in either the natural food section or the Hispanic food section. Prices vary from $2.00-$6.00 for a 14 ounce container.)
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 cups frozen mango cubes (Cheap alternative: frozen mango pulp, widely available in the international section of the grocery store's frozen food section.)

Place the ingredients in the order listed in a blender container and whirl until smooth.

Divide mixture among 12 muffin cups. I found it really helpful to spray the pan first with cooking spray and to use a ladle to avoid splashes.

Freeze until solid.

Growl when you realize that they are too frozen to remove from the pan. So thaw slightly, then pop out of the muffin pan and into a plastic bag for long-term storage.

When ready for a refreshing drink, place 1 cup coconut water or regular water in a blender followed by two of the green cups and whirl. If you don’t have a powerful blender, you might need to cut the frozen smoothie cups into quarters first.

See that glass of refreshment? I'm downing it before heading out on my 24-mile training run this morning.