Matcha Mint Avocado Green Smoothie

I go through phases where I get crazy cravings for certain foods, smoothies, herbs, and teas. This matcha mint avocado green smoothie is one of my current cravings. It’s got so many good things going for it. A good source of healthy fats from the avocado,  vitamins + minerals + a balance of omega 3’s & 6’s from the homemade walnut milk, cooling and calming properties associated with fresh mint, and the peaceful energy buzz one gets from the matcha green tea.

Have you tried matcha before? What did you think? I feel in love with the flavor of matcha when I first tried green tea ice cream at a sushi restaurant many years ago. Since then I have made my own dairy free matcha ice creams at home and I often drink matcha mint shakes like this avocado green smoothie on mornings when I need a true burst of energy for a busy day. Matcha is a special green tea that is grown in the shade and harvested young. The leaves are then dried and pulverized into powder, and unlike regular loose green tea that you seep and strain, with matcha you actually ingest the whole green tea leaves as they dissolve into your drink, much like mixing cacao powder into a hot chocolate. I find the taste of matcha to be much less bitter than regular green tea, though I still like to add a sweetener to my matcha drinks. I love matcha’s incredibly high ORAC antioxidant rating, as it’s one of the most potent food source of antioxidants on the planet!

I can also attest to the appetite suppressant powers of matcha green tea, as I have noticed first hand that when I drink a matcha smoothie in the morning I almost always forget about lunch until the late afternoon. I also like the clear clean energy I get from matcha. I have read that historically monks drank matcha for enlightened meditation, as it gives one a feeling of “calm alertness”. For me it offers a great source of clean clean energy that I need when piling through paperwork, like our year end taxes, yet it doesn’t give me the caffeine jitters like coffee does. My favorite source for organic matcha tea is from Mountain Rose Herbs here in Oregon. Mountain Rose is THE place to order organic herbs, spices, teas, and oils, and thankfully they ship domestically too!

  

 AIP notes: You can omit matcha if sensitive to caffeine.  For the “milk” use coconut milk. Stevia is not allowed on AIP.

Estimated Nutrition Info using 1/2 cup pineapple + stevia to sweeten

Shared at Allergy Free Wednesday + Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable + Happy Healthy Green Natural Party Blog Hop + The Alder Collective + Real Food Friday