Jessica Alba's Smoothie Hack Is Seriously Genius — & Super Easy

Jessica Alba has been in the public eye since she was a teenager, so sharing candidly about her life as an entrepreneur, public figure, and role model to two young daughters seems to come naturally. We learned this first-hand at a recent event for Zico Coconut Water's newest campaign, "What's inside is everything." Over smoothies (she made them herself), we caught up with Alba about her go-to breakfast, getting the whole family involved in the kitchen, and why she always trusts her instincts.

Jessica Alba demonstrated some of her, and her family’s, favourite smoothies. Her daughter Honor, who was also at the event, was on hand to taste-test her favourite smoothie, made with chocolate coconut water, almond butter, and a banana. Alba also showed us one of her favorite smoothie tricks: rather than adding ice to the smoothie, she often simply pours the smoothie on ice, to create a drink that stays chilled without becoming watered down. It's an idea we'll be stealing next time we whip out the blender.

Alba also showed us how to make her go-to morning smoothie. She uses regular coconut water, a banana, and matcha powder to get going in the morning. While matcha may just be catching on in the U.S., Alba says she’s been drinking it for years after being introduced to it while living in Canada in her early 20s. Adding it to her morning routine, however, was more recent. A friend of hers, who is also an entrepreneur, told Alba she can’t get out of bed in the morning without the green tea, so Alba incorporated it in her routine too, laughingly saying that, "she’s a very productive entrepreneur, so I am stealing [that] idea."

When it comes to cooking, Alba says she likes to get both her daughters involved. She says it helps them try new things, as well as learn more about food. “I like them to see that things don’t show up done — it’s a process,” she says. Cooking together has also presented some challenges however. Their favourite thing to do in the kitchen is bake, at which Alba says she’s “awful.”

Baking fears aside, Alba is an adventurous eater, saying that she likes “all the food,” except frogs and snails, and “gamey rodents,” a preference we can certainly understand. There are five slightly more basic ingredients, however, that she says you can always find in her kitchen: hot sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, and sparkling water.

Part of the new Zico campaign includes a study on how what’s “at the core” of each of us affects people’s choices. Alba emphasises that knowing when to trust her instincts has been vital to growing her own business, Honest Company. “I didn’t realise, as an entrepreneur, how important it is to trust your gut,” she says. Staying connected to her instincts has clearly paid off — Alba is considered one of the wealthiest self-made women in America. She also continues to be inspired in her work by the people who email Honest Company to talk about how its products have positively affected their lives.

Just like in the kitchen, she brings her daughters in to her work. Not only does Honor, who just turned nine, accompany her mom on work trips like the one for Zico, she also follows along to board meetings with investors. “I think it's good for her to see her mom grind,” Alba says.