Mint is the New Sugar

You know those little plastic containers in the grocery section of the supermarket that have maybe three little sprigs of mint in them and cost $3? Yeah, I’m not talking about those. At the local open market on Wednesdays, I’ve been buying a bunch of mint for a dollar. I add 5 or 10 branches (branch and all) into my Vitamix and it’ll turn the most greenish of green juices into an afternoon cocktail surprise with a fresh kick. Put it into a cocktail or wine glass and you’ll be the most popular bartender in, well, in your kitchen.

I think I can openly admit that I’ve gone off the deep end of healthy eating and there’s no turning back. I crave drinks with kale or chard in them. One year ago, I wasn’t sure what kale or chard were. Now I see them in a whole new light: I think, “Hmm, wonder if I could Vitamix that?” with most vegetables and fruits. We had a party the other night and I made three batches of Kale Kocktails and then went like, uh, hotcakes. My tastebuds are changing, my preferences are changing, the balance of “Is that dinner worth how I’m going to feel in the morning?” is leaning towards the morning. I have become a health geek.

Glow in the Dark Green

Here’s this morning’s recipe for my latest invention with a bunch of fresh mint.

• 5 stalks of red Swiss chard (I remove most of the red stem)
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of ice
• 8-10 branches of fresh mint
• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• Bonus: 1/2 cup of low fat vanilla bean yogurt