Friday, December 16, 2016 9 Brooklin Town Crier Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Party Detox Smoothie Christmas is a busy time of year as well as a time when our clean eating habits tend to go out the window. It's not easy, and probably not necessary, to pass up all the Christmas goodies. Hey, you have to live a little. However, the next day we wake up and ask, "Why do I feel so crappy? I only had one drink." You probably have what I call a food hangover, that groggy, tired feeling that comes from overeating sugary, processed foods. One reason these foods make us feel tired is because, unlike cooked or raw plant-based foods, they lack digestive enzymes. This means our body now has to do all the work of breaking down the foods. Generally, digestion takes about 50% of our energy, so our digestive system is working overtime at this time of year. The result is that kind of blah, drag your feet around all day feeling. To combat it, try eating a raw plant-based breakfast the next morning to give your body a chance to catch up. This raw smoothie is full of protein, micro-nutrients from the kale, and a sure way to help combat that sluggish feeling. If you don't have a highspeed blender, replace the dates with maple syrup. You may have a grainy texture from the hemp seeds. This is also a tasty way to hide the greens for those children who won't eat them. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or any non-dairy milk) 1 cup fresh or frozen organic kale (buy it pre-chopped to save time) 2 to 3 pitted large Medjool dates, to taste* 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seed 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 large frozen banana Dash of cinnamon 1 tablespoon avocado (for thickening) Directions: Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Adjust sweetness to taste, if desired. *Soak the dates in boiling water for about 30 minutes or soak overnight if your dates are dry or replace with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. You could also add a scoop of your favourite plant-based protein powder to the smoothie. If you do, skip the hemp seeds completely. Sheree's Hack - When your bananas are overripe, freeze them to use in smoothies. Frozen bananas create a creamy thick smoothie. From the Whitby Archives Planting a Christmas Tree Members of the Community Club in Brooklin planting a spruce tree in Grass Park on December 10th, 1955. Ralph Mowbray donated the tree that was expected to be the town Christmas tree, in preparation for the annual Santa Claus Parade. Left to right: Merrill Ross, Bob Heron, Ralph Mowbray, Bruce Mitchell, Howard Grills, and Earl Ormiston.