A Note to My Women Readers (And a Chai Smoothie Recipe!)
To All My Women Readers,
As we begin National Women’s Health Week, I’ve been thinking about how much nurturing we as women do. Nurturing our passions and ambitions, family and friends, and (hopefully) ourselves – body, mind and spirit. To me, nurturing is a combination of love, grace and self-discipline. All of these can be combined into the simple act of allowing – or, if necessary, forcing – yourself to take a moment for yourself.
Nurture yourself so you can nurture others.
This Chai Smoothie recipe, from my book What Doctor’s Eat, might be just the inspiration you need. It’s rich and creamy, naturally sweetened and brimming with exotic spices to make your palate and soul do a little dance. Whip it up in the blender, then sit down and enjoy a moment with you.
Chai Smoothie
Serves 2. This recipe makes a batch of Chai Mix for many breaks to come.
CHAI MIX
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground anise
SMOOTHIE
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt (or plain, can substitute coconut milk or coconut milk yogurt if dairy free)
- 2 bananas
- ½ cup ice cubes
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons protein powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon chai mix
- a little orange zest
- a touch of natural sweetener such as raw honey or grade b maple syrup
- 2 cinnamon sticks (optional, for serving)
1. Mix together Chai Mix ingredients and store in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Blend together smoothie ingredients, processing until smooth (about 1 minute). Pour into 2 glasses and serve with cinnamon sticks, if using. Cheers!
Note: If you use a lot of cinnamon or have issues with your liver, opt for the Ceylon variety which contains less coumarin. One study has shown that Ceylon cinnamon is also a safer choice for children.