Think greens, fruits, nuts for a satisfying smoothie

This green smoothie is not magical. It will not detoxify or cleanse you or fulfill the overblown promises inevitably made about one food or another right in the new year.

What this smoothie is, however, is a delicious and healthful breakfast or snack which can serve as a mental reset for a fresh start to the year.

Its beautiful celadon hue immediately signals “healthy,” reinforcing that it’s a step toward your best intentions for wellness in 2021. Sipping it is a reminder of how that goal can be achieved with absolute pleasure.

It’s cool, creamy and gently tangy with a base of plain yogurt (providing calcium, protein and probiotics) softly sweetened with whole fruit — a very ripe pear and few dates (adding fiber, vitamin C and minerals) — and with a refreshing zing of ginger root. A handful of almonds adds a layer of texture (plus more protein, fiber and healthy fat), and spinach leaves provide that gorgeous green color and nutritional benefits without any detectable flavor, making this smoothie an ideal way to stealthily incorporate leafy vegetables.

You can play with variations on its basic formula, using Greek or nondairy yogurt, a ripe banana or chunks of pineapple instead of the pear, a different type of nut or seed, or baby kale instead of spinach, for example, adjusting the thickness and the level of sweetness by adding a little cold water and/or honey to taste.

Now that I think about it, considering this smoothie’s many assets, and given the idea that even the most ordinary things in the world are actually quite miraculous, it might have some magic to it after all.