The Latinx Warrior Smoothie

Wellness + Self-Care contributor, Tamaya Garcia, Founder, Spanglish Vegan Kitchen 

Shifting Food Culture for Latino Families. I Share Life + Home Cooked Plant Based Dishes Using Healthy Latino-Centric Ingredients. All Vegan!

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I’m feeling really good about 39! I think it has a lot to do with my own acceptance and realization of all the great things that come with gliding into the world of mature womanhood.

By this age we have learned to tune into our bodies and have gotten much better at knowing  when we need to up the self-care, seek healing and let ourselves be loved. Part of my self-care has come in the form of cleansing tonics as a daily ritual to reset and stay present with my body. This is not a new practice by any means. Our ancestors have been doing this for thousands of years. This of course is very different than the current juice cleansing craze that is often used to speed up weigh loss. Truthfully, my daily tonics on top of juicing started out with exactly that goal in mind – to lose weight. It wasn’t until I learned about the actual functions and ecosystem of my body, compounded with knowledge of our food system and its impact on people of color,  did I finally change my approach. It became more about tending to my body’s ecosystem and paying attention to what my body feels. I believe there are things your body tells you that no doctor with a fancy degree can even begin to touch on. We are full of wisdom while western medicine is limited.

When my approach shifted, my spirit also shifted. I started to look forward to my daily tonic ritual because sometimes it was the only time during the day that I could be fully with myself and pay attention to all of me. I noticed that it not only kept me very present with how I nourished my body but it was also feeding my spirit because I was taking time to love myself. When we begin to love ourselves we begin the process of learning how to nourish every part of us down to every cell.

Everyday that I drink some green goodness or herbal elixir to start my day I am putting love into action and renewing my commitment to self.

There are so many amazing tonics you can use to start your day and I’ve been really feeling this one that was inspired by the Warrior Smoothie from Decolonize your Diet. I added chlorella, a powerful algae and lots more raw greens to up the nutrition profile and detoxifying components.

Please note that I don’t really measure out my ingredients except for the chlorella so these are rough guesses but as you begin to make your own you can adjust as needed. 

1 1/2 teaspoons of Chlorella

1/2 cup of fresh pineapple (no cans)

1 cup of chopped nopales (cactus pads)

2 handfuls of fresh raw greens (I like kale and spinach)

2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice

Aqua  or coconut water (enough to get your blender moving and to achieve the consistency you like)