A shiny sunrise danced its way into my kitchen, and the morning felt clean and untouched as it always does at 8am. With kittens stretching at my feet, ideas and plans for the work day buzzing through my head, my body in need of fuel, it was the perfect time to blend a yummy smoothie.

Cut to a few minutes later. Me. Standing in my kitchen, chugging the last few drops of my Green Dream Smoothie, straight from my Vitamix container. I could not get enough of the vibrant spirulina, smoky mesquite, protein-rich hemp, fiber-ful chia seeds, butterscotch-y maca and alluring sweet vanilla - laced in between creamy banana flavor.

This is how I always want to fuel my day. Hungry for wellness-infused ingredients, chugging my smoothie - and life - until the last drop. Craving every sip, craving every day.

..Oh why yes, smoothies = metaphors for life.

So put a Green Dream boost in your step, with today's recipe!..

It is dark, deep spirulina-green, but I promise it tastes light, sweet and dreamy...

Don't forget, spirulina is Justin Timberlake-dressed-as-tofu approved, "Spirulina all in my shake!" - SNL, VeganVille

Despite their rampant press coverage, I know many of you are not making green smoothies on a regular basis. For a number of good reasons.

Here are a few challenges you may have, keeping you from a daily green smoothie:

- You do not own a high speed blender that can properly liquify leafy greens and veggies. So in fear of graininess, you stick with fruit smoothies. (PS. If you want to change that, read this.)
- You do not always have enough leafy greens on hand for blending and for other daily recipes like salads and such.
- You like to drink your daily smoothie for breakfast and you do not like the idea of putting leafy greens in your smoothie at that hour. (Yes, breakfast greens can be an adjustment!)

Well it is possible to have a "green smoothie" without the actual leafy greens. The ingredient I use: spirulina.

The product I use to make sure it tastes good: Green Dream smoothie powder by Philosophie. I feature Philosophie as one of my fave picks in my BIG Vegan Protein Powder Guide.

My friend Sophie, the founder of Philosophie, is a mom. Wellness expert. Yogi. Entrepreneur. Wife. Go-getter. Shiny soul. Magical friend. And overall super woman. She created Green Dream so she could share these superfoods with the world. With you!

Sophie's products are filled with Sophie-energy. How can I describe that energy? Well, her spirit was on full display a few weeks ago, when she lead a beach yoga class for the Sweet Green restaurant launch in Santa Monica.

That morning, Sophie lead a cluster of women on a busy, sun-drenched beach right near the Pier. As we did our last "down dogs" and took our last breaths for class, closing our eyes - using towels and T-shirts to shield our faces from the boiling sun, Sophie skipped around whispering words of encouragement and spritzing some cool, magical aromatherapy tonic on us. Pure Sophie.

And she is super fun to sip smoothies with 🙂

From our smoothie picnic to yours!..

The Philosophie Blends:
Cacao Magic: Chocolate gone wellness. So good served hot or cold with a rich cacao flavor.
Berry Bliss: Light and lovely, rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, lovely berry flavor.
Green Dream: Smoky and alluring with spirulina greens and a maca-vanilla accent.

All of Sophie's superfood blends contain 10g of plant-based protein per serving. The Green Dream uses hemp seed protein. "Hemp seeds have high levels of vitamins A, C and E and beta-carotene and are rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber." - Drweil

Check out Sophie's website and if you feel inspired, try her products - you can get 10% off with code LunchboxLove. And with every smoothie sip you take, you will feel pretty awesome for supporting a small business.

And there is a swirl of Sophie love in each sip too.

Blended in my Vitamix of course. Use my Vitamix link and get FREE SHIPPING!

Grab a spoon and green your day...

Green Dream Smoothie Bowl

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 09/02/2015

A frosty, creamy and sweet banana-green smoothie is the base for this super healthy bowl.

Ingredients

smoothie:
1 ½ frozen bananas
¾ cup frozen watermelon (or another frozen fruit)
½ cup dairy-free yogurt - I used unsweetened coconut milk-based
½ cup non-dairy milk, I used almond milk
1 ½ tablespoon Green Dream, by Philosophie -- or to taste
toppings:
½ banana, sliced
1 organic peach, sliced
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2 teaspoon raw walnuts
1 teaspoon goji berries
optional: matcha, cinnamon or cayenne

Instructions

Blend the green smoothie until frosty and smooth. Using a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) works best for a thick blend, but a regular blender will work. Pour green smoothie into a serving bowl.
Add toppings on top and serve! Read this post for smoothie bowl tips!

Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time: 10 mins.
Total time: 10 mins.
Tags: breakfast,smoothie,greens,philosophie,green dream,fruit,snack.lunch,smoothie bowl