Here’s a new twist on a green smoothie for you, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

I still love a traditional green smoothie made with fresh greens, but this quick trick will give you similar benefits if you happen to be out of fresh spinach, or if you just don’t care for the texture of greens in your smoothie.

Plus, it’s so pretty!

Liquid chlorophyll has strong antioxidant properties, improves liver detoxification, helps digestion, and can speed up wound healing. If you remember back to 5th grade science class, chlorophyll is what makes plants green. On a molecular level chlorophyll is very similar to heme, which is the part of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin makes your blood red and is responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood. All green plants contain chlorophyll, and adding liquid chlorophyll to your smoothies gives you an extra boost.

You can find liquid chlorophyll at most natural foods stores. I’ve noticed it comes in plain and mint; I do love mint but I like the plain so I can use it in a variety of recipes.

I’ve also been adding a scoop of collagen powder to my smoothies for extra protein and have been really impressed with how much more it fills me up. Collagen is great for gut health and dissolves seamlessly into almost any drink. It’s excellent for your skin, hair and nails, too.

Healthy St. Patrick’s Day Protein Smoothie

Serves 1

• 16 ounces purified water
• 1 serving high-quality vanilla protein powder
• 1 serving high-quality collagen powder (optional)
• 1 small frozen banana
• 1/2 small avocado (or 1/4 of a large one)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon liquid chlorophyll
• 8 ice cubes

Method: Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day,