Green Fiend--UPDATED (at bottom)

So every once in awhile I go to this green juice place in Wicker Park Bucktown. They have tasty drinks, but they're a tad bit out of my price range. I mean, I can afford an $8 or $9 drink, but it's not the kind of daily financial habit I'm looking to get in to. Last week I decided to go in for a pick-me-up shot of wheatgrass ($4). It's a lot of money, but it's super good for me and it's better than a pick-me-up Carol's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie, right? (side note: this cookie company started labeling the nutritional info a year back and while i knew it wasn't good...1000 calories in 1 cookie? Yikes.)

So anyway, propped up in the corner was this sign.

Intrigued by the combo, and it being payday and all, I figured, what the hell, try it. Treat yourself. HOLY GUACAMOLE, it was deeeeeelicious! I've been dreaming of that drink every since. See, I'm not always the adventurous type in trying new things or combinations--I tend to be a creature of habit. I would have never dreamed to put these things together, and since I've been juicing I've yet to wander into the Almond Milk territory or attempt making smoothies, which is kinda what this texture is...well it's not quite juice, not quite smoothie. We'll call it a Joothie.

So today I decided "You know what? You deserve a Holiday Health Energy Cocktail today," and stopped on my way in to work. Honestly as I sit here writing this I'm talking myself out of getting ANOTHER one for lunch. Two $9 juices in one day is outlandish. Really. But this morning I was smart...I watched the quantities she put in, and while I don't have a Vitamix blender, I do have a decent Cuisinart blender, which I'm told can handle greens if mixed in the right order. So the experiment is on tonight. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the recipe, from what I can tell:

Handful or two of spinach (eyeballed it at about 1.5 cups)

1 leaf of kale

1 large ripe banana

1T or 1.5T of avocado

1T of pumpkin seeds

1T ground flax seeds

1c unsweetened almond milk (give or take)

scoop of ice (looked to be about 1/2 c.)

Then she hit the Vitamix and let that sucker blend into the creamy goodness that it was ...With my Cuisinart, I will add the liquid first with spinach in the middle somehwere on my Cuisinart and hope for the best. I already have everything but the banana, pumpkin seeds, and almond milk, so this is gonna happen toNIGHT. For better or for worse. I'll post comparative pics of theirs and mine, as well as my review.

xxxxxxxx-------xxxxxxx----UPDATE----xxxxxxx-------xxxxxxxx

Dear Cuisinart Blender,

I had no idea that you could do what you did to that piece of kale and handful of spinach. At first there was doubt, you hesitated and I watched in wonder...but you HANDLED YOUR BUSINESS! I'm sorry for doubting you, and thinking that I really might not be able to fully re-create this drink without an expensive Vitamix (that I still want someday in the probably distant future.) CB, you've earned a spot on my counter!

Sincerely,

Lindy

Verdict?: DELICIOUS!!!! Almost exactly like the store-bought $9 drink. Maybe I slightly underestimated the amount of pumpkin seeds and ground flaxseed, so next time I might do 1.5T instead of just 1. I'm astounded and can't wait to make it for my fellow juicing partner in crime, for I have upped the ante in kickass juice-making. I'll be having another one of these for dinner.