"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"...not in my case! I've been battling a mysterious pain in my left eye for almost 4 months. After countless eye doctor exams, specialists and tests, advil has been the answer.
At its root, Advil is an anti-inflammatory, but it is not a longterm solution. After a bit of research on anti-inflammatory foods and an anti-inflammatory diet, a few key ingredients kept appearing.
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Grapefruit
- Spirulina
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Leafy greens including arugula, kale and spinach
- Blueberry
Grapefruit and ginger resonated with me. There's a seasonal shandy beer by Shiner Bock called "Ruby Red Bird" that mixes ruby red grapefruit and ginger...delicious combination. Even better was the fact that these strong flavors would help to naturally mask the fishy taste of spirulina powder in a normal serving size. Adding some fresh greens was a great way to give my body a boost of vitamins and anti-inflammatory fuel without much flavor. Armed with this info, I headed to the blender and set off to create a palatable concoction. From there my Grapefruit Ginger Anti-Inflammatory Green Smoothie was born. It weighs in at just under 200 calories but serves a hefty 300% of your daily Vitamin A and C. Bottoms up!
Grapefruit Ginger Anti-Inflammatory Green Smoothie
Prep Time , serves 1.Ingredients
- 1 Ruby Red Grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
- 1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 1 Handful Arugula
- 1 Handful Spinach
- 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp Spirulina
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 Cup Chilled Green Tea
Instructions
- Supreme your grapefruit. Cut off the peel and slice out the sections. For step by step directions, check out this how to from Martha Stewart. This helps to keep the skin from jamming your blender blade or creating too much pump.
- Peel and dice your ginger. My blender has trouble with the big chunks of ginger, I dice it up to help out a little.
- Sprinkle in 1 TSP spirulina powder and 1/4 TSP turmeric.
- Top with greens and liquid.
- Blend and enjoy.
If you like a thicker smoothie...
- Try adding 1/4 cup plain lowfat greek yogurt for extra protein.
- Swap out pineapple juice for cubed pineapple
- Swap out 1 Cup green tea for ice cubes
Since I drink these everyday, Sunday is my prep day. Supremeing a grapefruit takes about 5 minutes and that just doesn't happen on a Monday morning. Instead, I prep a week of smoothies on Sunday and store them in mason jars. Topping them off with green tea or juice keeps the cut fruit fresh. Each morning, I dump them into my blender cup and blend. The mason jar lids create a great spillproof seal, so I can transport the finished smoothie to work in the same container, without creating extra dishes. After 3 weeks of smoothies and juices, my eye does feel better...so more anti-inflammatory recipes to come!
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| Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's Smoothies - Prepped and ready to blend! |
