My dad has a girlfriend who doesn’t like avocados. If she wasn’t so nice and didn’t make my dad so happy, I would be inclined to distrust her based on this one disturbing fact. Okay, not really. I just can’t imagine a life devoid of avocados. I use them whenever possible in salads, on sandwiches, on tacos, with eggs and now in….smoothies.

In preparation for a week of doing Clean, a food-based cleanse created by Dr. Alejandro Junger, to reset and rejuvenate after an intense few months, I picked up his latest book, Clean Eats. The first recipe I tried was “Adam’s A.M. Pre-Workout Shake,” which I’ve adapted below. The avocado makes the smoothie super creamy and also very filling. I love this as a dinner smoothie (a balanced smoothie is the perfect easy dinner), but really you could use it for a nutritious meal at any point in the day.

Since I don’t eat a ton of meat or dairy (don’t get me wrong, I love a good burger or piece of fish), I really look to avocados for their healthy fats, not to mention almost 20 vitamins and minerals. In my book, avocado is never a bad idea.

Avocado Smoothie Recipe 

Serves: 1

• 4 ice cubs
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Sun Warrior’s Classic Protein–it’s vegan.)
• 1/2 cup frozen berries of your choice (I love blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and even cherries.)
• 1/4 of an avocado
• 1 tablespoon almond butter OR a small handful of raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• A dash of cinnamon
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup almond milk/coconut water (I usually use a 1/2 cup of each, but you could use all almond milk or all coconut water. For the almond milk, I recommend homemade. It’s easy to make your own.)

Put all the ingredients in the blender and, well, blend! Adjust the liquid as needed. Sometimes you need a little bit more. Enjoy.