Category: Smoothies

Cruciferous Chocolate Brownie Smoothie

So forgive me for not taking a picture of this tasty treat. It gets consumed way too fast. Instead here is a lovely shot of cauliflower.

Yup- that’s the secret healthy ingredient in this smoothie. You’d never know it though.

Caulflower has never been my favorite. It just doesn’t get me that excited. I know people like to have mashed cauliflower or roasted cauliflower, and cauliflower is frequently the vegan option at many non-vegan restaurants- bleh.

I have to sneak mine in so that I don’t get any of that yucky cauli-taste, but still can reap the benefits of eating this veg super rich in vitamins.

So behold-

The Cruciferous Chocolate Brownie Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup non sweetened almond milk
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup frozen cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup black beans
  • 2 dates (remember to take the pits out)
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • optional- 1 tablespoon nut butter

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend it up. Sip and enjoy.

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Root Chakra Smoothie

Is your root chakra spinning to slow? Too fast? Are you hips feeling a little bit tight? Or are you experiencing a little bit of increased self doubt? Time to do some grounding activities and maybe try this bright red smoothie! Beets from the earth give it a nice base. Berries make it sweet and brighten the flavor. Some greens thrown in for some nourishing nutrition and seeds to help you feel satisfied. So go get your Muladhara on…

Freddie drinking his Root Chakra Smoothie
He never even knew that he ate a beet.

Root Chakra Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 heaping cup of mixed frozen berries (I like strawberries, cherries, and blackberries)
  • 1/2 of a small beet (about 1/3 cup) raw with skin on- washed and scrubbed
  • 1 banana (frozen preferable)
  • small handful of basil- about 10 leaves
  • 10 ml water- about 1 1/4 cups (or coconut water)
  • 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 2 large leaves of kale (Ilike to use red kale to keep with the theme)
  • optional- 1/4 cup applesauce or 1/2 an apple

Place everything in a blender and process until smooth. it might take a while for the beets to incorporate, but have patience.

June Baby Smoothie

Freddie’s second birthday is coming up and I’m starting to reminisce about what I was doing during the month of June these past two years. Since I’m so food-centric, I always remember what I was eating or making in the kitchen. At this time of year, I get a sudden mood bump when the weather starts to get warm and Farmers’ Markets start to open. More fresh produce available everywhere.

I remember when I was pregnant and Aaron would go to the Farmers’ Market in front of his office and bring me home pints of berries. The raspberry bushes in our yard start to produce the first fruits of year. I would stuff my face with berries and not even attempt to save room for non-berry food.

Last year, Freddie was just starting to eat larger varieties of food and I remember giving him his first blueberries. Of course, he took after me and began to consume every blueberry in sight. We started referring to them as “bluebs”. Scenes of the girl in Willie Wonka swelling up into a giant blueberry and being rolled away by Oompah Lumpahs would flash through my mind.

This year, since we have had so much luck with smoothies, I have begun blending our favorite berry into our morning smoothie. I must say that this tasty concoction hits the spot and keeps me full well into the morning.

I hope that this June Baby Smoothie makes it into your repertoire and has you waxing romantic about June’s past during breakfast.

June Baby Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of water
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • one large handful of spinach
  • 1 cup ice (optional)

Ingredients for June Baby Smoothie

Place everything in the blender. I prefer to add them to blender in the order that I have listed the ingredients. Ice is optional. Use if you like a super cold smoothie. I only add it when it is super hot outside.

The June Baby and His Smoothie

 

Sweet Potato Pie in the Sky

Now I love a good smoothie, but it’s the middle of March and the thought of blending up an icy concoction gives me the literal shivers. It better be a really damn good smoothie for the chill to be worth it.

Enter the child approved Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie. Freddie drinks these down like water. We usually split one, but sometimes I have to blend up two. It has warming spices and it helps to increase your daily antioxidant intake. It also brings back cozy memories of the holidays.

I got the idea for this from from a new Amazon cookbook find.

Sweet Potato Soul by Jenne Claiborne

The recipe in the book is good, but I tweaked it a bit to make it more to our liking. I do enjoy that someone else shares my affinity for sweet potatoes.

Our friends enjoying a little bit of smoothie
I know. Ridiculous…

Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup roasted sweet potato
  • 1 cup nondairy milk (I use almond or soy)
  • 1 banana (it can be frozen if you are the plan ahead kind of person)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 2-3 medjool dates (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes if you aren’t using a high speed blender)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend.

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although Aaron isn’t the biggest lover of pumpkin, but I have to get my pumpkin fill in as many ways as I can during the fall. One of my favorite ways to use up my stockpile of canned pumpkin is to make a healthy and refreshing pumpkin pie smoothie for breakfast. It’s one way to sneak in a few fruits, some omegas, and lots of antioxidants via spices like cinnamon and ginger.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Thievery
Freddie enjoying my Pumpkin Pie Smoothie on Thanksgiving morning.

I try to whip one of these bad boys together in the time after I drop Freddie at daycare and before I head to work. If I don’t schedule my smoothie making like that, Freddie tries to drink it all. Him having a smoothie isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he’s a pumpkin hog.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup nondairy milk (we use soy)
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup canned puréed pumpkin
  • 2 Tbsp oatmeal
  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • 3-4 ice cubes

Put everything in a blender or food processor and blend. Enjoy!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Dessert in a glass