1. Local Organic Greens

Sometimes I will get a big bunch of kale, but that was before I went to my new favorite farmer’s market: Virginia Avenue Park on Saturdays in Santa Monica. This market is on the smaller end, but has a great selection of conventional and organic produce at good prices. They don’t have a lot of prepared food, which I prefer . The people here come to get groceries, not eat or hang out (which means less crowds) and the vendors are very friendly towards regulars. Even though it’s in a city, it has a neighborhood feel…crazy right? Parking can fill up so I get there between 8:30 to 9:00 and have no problems. I get a ton of organic baby greens (kale, spinach, mustard greens, swiss chard, and arugala) and use that in my smoothies and salads. These are the same greens that supply my whole foods so I feel that I get a great deal at this market for a high-end product. Sometimes I also use the tops of beet greens since I love my beets, and don’t want to waste the nutritious leaves.

2. Fruit

I’ve done lot of really low fruit smoothies with just a handful of berries, but they don’t taste great. I’ve started adding in a half to a whole banana depending on my mood. Sometimes I will throw in a half an avocado if I want it particularly creamy. Yes, avocado is a fruit. It has a pit.

3. Supplements

Recently, I’ve been adding supplements back into my diet. For awhile, I wanted to focus on getting my nutrients from food, but I have been researching some products and wanted to test them out – plus I’m really happy with my diet right now which means it’s time to shake things up. Right now, I use 1 tbsp of collagen hydrosolate in my smoothie as a protein powder. The brand I use is Great Lakes. After much debate, I started adding 1 tsp of cod liver oil from Carlson Labs into my smoothie. This brand was recommended in Pain Free in 6 weeks by Sherry Rogers and this company is held in high esteem by my health conscious friends. I’ve read that this company tests their product for contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. Another favorite brand among health bloggers is the fermented cod liver oil from Green Pastures.