Forget Starbucks: "Smoothify" Yourself Awake With a "Hawaiian Peter Pan" & Cool Down at Night with a "Marley Cooler."

Remember the first time you ever had a Starbucks Green Tea Frappucino? What if I told you I have the secret for a much better one?

I started researching the health benefits of the main ingredient for this drink: matcha green tea powder. It's so much better for you than coffee that it'll blow your mind and help you kickstart your morning as if you were strapped to a rocket launcher!

According to my sources here ...

Matcha powder does all this:

• Gives you 3-4 hours of energy instead of a quick high with a crash like coffee
• Has the amino acid L-Theanine that helps you focus better without getting jittery like you do on coffee
• Packs a punch of super-high levels of anti-oxidants that even help fight cancer
• Gives you some extra vitamin A & C

And did I mention no coffee breath or stained teeth afterward?

So now, without further ado, let's jump into my new original recipe for making a much sweeter, fantastic version that I call...

The Hawaiian Peter Pan

(Because it makes you feel like you can fly.)

I've broken the ingredients down per glass so that you can get the proportions just right no matter what size glass you use. You must add the ingredients in this order to get the mix just right. Ingredients shown for one serving:

Per glass:

• Fill with ice until glass is 1/2 full.
• Add one scoop coconut-milk based ice cream, like the Coconut Dream brand is my favorite for vegans. But if you really wanted, you could add plain vanilla ice cream instead.
• Add vanilla-flavored rice milk until glass is 3/4 full
• Put in 1 tbsp. organic green matcha tea powder
• Add 1/2 banana (or one small banana) sliced
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
• 2 tbsp. Honey

Now blend, baby, blend!

And before I go, I haven't forgotten that I promised you a Bob Marley inspired drink. Here's a super healthy electrolyte booster for when you're really dehydrated and exhausted from that long day. After all, why else do you think Bob Marley loved drinking coconuts -- one of nature's best superfoods?

source

To make my Marley Cooler:

1. Fill glass or glasses of the servings you want with ice.

2. Then pour chilled coconut water into glasses until 3/4 full.

3. Add the juice of one lemon per glass

4. Add 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves per glass

5. Add 2 tbsp. honey per glass.

6. Blend & serve with an orange wedge on the glass if you like an extra citrus burst of flavor.

Thanks to @sweetsssj for her inspiration to delve into the world of matcha! Follow her for awesome tropical travel logs.

P.S. If you missed my last awesome smoothie creation, check out my Mango/Pomo Tango recipe here.