Great for breakfast instead of porridge
serves 2
1 cup orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
1 cup rolled oats
2“ piece of aloe (cut off the edges that may have thorns, then cut through the soft inner part and scrape off most of the mucilaginous part to add to your smoothie)
1 handful of berries (fresh or frozen)
½ apple, core removed
2 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter
1 banana
Place all ingredients into blender and puree. Add a little water if you like a lighter consistency.
The aloe in the smoothie is great for the health of our digestive tract. Mucilaginous foods such as aloe become a favorable breeding ground for friendly bacteria in our intestines. And that is a good thing as we want our friendly bacteria to propagate happily and become strong in numbers to protect our intestines against harmful bacteria and microbes. In addition aloe soothes inflammation, slows transit time to enhance nutrient absorption, fights candida and improves bowel regularity.
If you cannot find a whole aloe leaf in the stores (in neighborhoods with a Latino population food markets usually carry fresh aloe leaves) look for aloe vera juice in the health food store and use 2 tablespoons of the juice in the smoothie.
When you make the smoothie with a fresh aloe leaf, save the rinds and use the inner side that will have a little of the soft and mucilaginous part of the plant attached as a refreshing toner for your face and neck in the morning. Simply rub your face and neck gently with the inner juicy part of the rind.
Aloe is a wonderfully soothing and moistening agent for our skin after sun exposure as well – use the inside of the aloe leaf or apply the juice all over your body.
ENJOY !