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Shortcut Recipes: Beet and Carrot Smoothie w/ BONUS HEALTH LESSON

After copious amounts of activities out and about under the summer sun you might find yourself in want of an energy boost, but not necessarily that from a hot coffee! This recipe is perfect for a hot summer day when you (a) want to cool down (b) give yourself a natural energy jolt and (c) detox all at the same time.  

In the summer months I drink a lot of smoothies because let’s face it, sometimes it is just too hot to cook! Not to mention if you make a jumbo batch you can freeze this recipe, and so delicious healthy smoothies are ready upon moments notice. 

Recently I was blind sided by a wretched summer head cold (who gets summer colds?) and this recipe with its lovely detoxify properties and it’s simplistic preparations, it fit the bill just perfectly. To be honest it really did make me feel better! 

I made a huge batch (mostly because I was feeling miserable and I didn’t want to do it twice) and froze individual servings in mason jars. You might think dearest blog reader that you don’t have enough time to make healthy food, but honestly there isn’t much that is easier than throwing a bunch of things into a blender and then pouring that liquid into some mason jars: I mean like really? You can do this!

Aside from being amazing for detoxing a virus out of your body this smoothie is excellent to have before a workout, or as the first thing you have when you wake up in the morning, and you just don’t feel like eating right away, or as an mid-afternoon snack when your energy levels start slipping! Just be sure to eat the smoothie on it’s own and not with any other food because fruit and veggies are really best on their own.

Okay enough lecturing I want to draw your attention to the ingredients in this recipe. I love this recipe for many reasons, but the biggest one is that it will gives you a HUGE natural boost of energy due to its super charged ingredients, and their detoxify properties! So here’s what they do…

Carrots provide an excellant source of beta-carotene which is great for promoting cardiovascular health and preventing cancer (specifically colon cancer). It’s important to note that beta-carotene gets transformed into Vitamin A in the body which is vital for the maintenance of healthy skin, good vision, and a strong immune system. This smoothie recipe is great because research shows that boiling and steaming carrots better preserves the antioxidants, particularly carotenoid which helps lock in all it’s goodness.

Beets are a bit different from many other antioxidant-rich vegetables, as they contain a very unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties, and help detoxify our bodies.

Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory properties, so it’s excellant for gym days when you are sweating to the oldies.

Combining all of these fresh ingredients together will be sure to give you a jolt while also detoxify your organs ultimately making you look and feel better from the inside out!

Beet And Carrot Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 small red beet (equivalent to 1/2 cup), peeled and coarsely chopped 
1 medium-size carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup) *double this
1 sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady, coarsely chopped 
1 ripe pear, coarsely chopped 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice *used lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger *double this

Directions:

Steam beets and carrots until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. 
Combine beets, carrot, apple, pear, juice, ginger, and 2 cups water in a blender; blend until smooth. Be careful while handling the beets because they are highly pigmented, and so if you get them on anything consider them forever stained pink.

#themoreyouknow
Sincerely,
Short Presents


If you liked this post be sure to check back on Tuesdays for new recipe posts, and while you wait I encourage you to browe the “recipe” section for previously posted recipes.

*Disclaimer: I have to be honest I cannot remember where I sourced this recipe, so I do apologize, and I do not take credit for creating this recipe.

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