Nearly every morning, you can find me in the kitchen, working wizardry on a new and inventive smoothie recipe. I’m not sure what motivates and excites me most about exercising my Vitamix to death. Perhaps it’s the thrill of witnessing healthy ingredients manifest into luscious blended creations. Or maybe it’s the joy of being able to shamelessly slurp each one down. In either case, I never get bored of experimenting or taste testing.

Friends love the development process too. To the last BBQ I attended, I brought mason jars filled with blended smoothies and fresh pressed juices for an impromptu sampling event. Guests loved it! They eagerly gathered around the table to taste the distinctly different concoctions. The captivated audience contributed valuable and authentic feedback––which ones they liked most, which drinks would pair best with their favorite spirits, the juice or smoothie they could drink every single morning and, of course, their best guess of the ingredients used in each creation. Note to self: host more impromptu tastings––it’s wildly fun and the feedback is superbly valuable.

Going back a year to when I was recipe testing for my Superfood Juices & Smoothies book, one of the smoothies I crafted was Chocolate Dipped Berry––a.k.a, pure…to-die-for decadence. And healthy. This week, I boosted its nutrient profile by adding hemp seeds, goji berries, and raw cacao nibs, and then smoothed out the texture a bit with the additon of avocado. All I can say is the result was sweet love, my friends. Oh, and kid-friendly too.

Makes: 1 (24-ounce) smoothie

Ingredients:

1 large handful spinach leaves

1/4 medium cucumber

1/4 medium avocado

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 teaspoon spirulina

2 pitted medjool dates

1 scoop chocolate plant protein (I used Vega One)

1 1/2 cups plant milk such as hemp, almond, hazelnut, or coconut

6 ice cubes

1 teaspoon raw cacao nibs (I used Navitas Naturals)

1 teaspoon hemp seeds (I used Navitas Naturals)

8-10 goji berries (I used Navitas Naturals)

Preparation:

In a high-speed blender, combine spinach, cucumber, avocado, strawberries, spirulina, dates, chocolate protein powder, milk, and ice. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and top with cacao nibs, hemp seeds, and goji berries.