blueberry buttermilk smoothie

Blueberry Buttermilk Smoothie

by Alex
March 2021

Ingredients

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 giant handful fresh spinach
1 capful turmeric (more if you can stand it)
1 capful powdered ginger (or 1 inch peeled, grated fresh ginger)
1/3 bag frozen wild blueberries from trader joes
1 glug maple syrup
(click "read further" under the photo for directions)


Instructions

1. Add buttermilk, spinach, turmeric, and ginger to blender. Spinach should fill blender about 2/3 to the top, without packing it down.
2. Blend until the buttermilk is bright green and completely smooth.
3. Add frozen blueberries and a liberal glug of maple syrup. Blend.
4. Before serving, taste and add more syrup, teaspoons at a time, if needed. Add more berries for improved color/ texture. 
5. Pour into a glass and stir in a spoonful each of flax and/ or chia seeds (optional).
6. Enjoy quickly. Serves 1.

a few fun facts:

- fermented foods, including buttermilk, are known to boost gut health because they replenish your small intestine with healthy bacteria and balance out the harms of processed foods, as well as eat/ destroy bad bacteria.

- ice cream makers use buttermilk to brighten fruit flavors in sherbets. 

- turmeric and ginger are the two strongest anti-inflammatory foods on earth and help fight weight gain (also aid in reduced blood loss during injury, menstruation, etc)

- blueberries' nutrients almost immediately double your body's levels of natural killer cells, empowering the immune system's rapid response team against viruses and cancer cells.

**last two bullets are plagiarized straight from the How Not To Die Cookbook

Updated 4/26/21 to add: In an effort to reduce my dairy intake, I substituted hazelnut milk for the buttermilk. It turned out slightly "healthier" tasting and noticeably less creamy, so I'd stick with the buttermilk if you don't care about making it vegan. If you do use a nut milk, substitute the same quantity. Add a squeeze of lemon after blending the blueberries. Go easy on the maple syrup.