Say hi to beets with these super healthy, detoxyfying and nutritional avocado citrus berry beet smoothies!
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
― Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now
You may have noticed I’ve been absent and the quote above nicely captures my feelings and explains where I’ve been. Simply away.
I never plan on taking the beginning of January off, but somehow it just always happens. It’s what my body tells me to do, as if it knows on a subconscious level that I need it.
See, December is a wonderful month. My favorite of all. It’s vibrant, packed with joy, family, laughter, food and adventures. December 1st is always extremely important to me as it marks the beginning of the most wonderful moth. That is then followed by St. Nicholas, my birthday, Christmas, Rok’s birthday and finally New Year. That’s a lot, I know.
And right after New Year’s, in the very beginning of January is my mom’s birthday. I celebrate it in my own way in the absence of her. Because she may not be here physically, but she’s very much here in my heart and our memories and it’s important to me, and to Rok, that we acknowledge her special day.
And after that is when I always take my unplanned break. If December is the month of relaxation and having a good time and taking time for family and activities away from work, then the first week of January is when I reflect on the past, and pause, and think about the future. It’s important because I can’t work with a crowded mind. And if I rush and worry about life I just end up failing and losing myself in the process.
So when my mind feels clear, my soul calm and my body ready, I get back into the game.
Do you believe in signs? I don’t know if I do, I’m not sure. But today I feel like I got a sign from the universe. It started snowing now (right now!) as I write this. Which is a big deal, not only because I love snow, but because it hasn’t snowed yet this season. December was completely dry and mostly sunny. It’s like the universe is saying “look, you’re ready… you got your snow now get back in the game”.
And here I am. Now, if you’re interested about the best of 2016 and my plans for 2017 you can check out this post. If not, let’s just continue with the recipes.
I wanted the first recipe of 2017 to be vibrant and fresh, an example of my mind right now. Somehow nothing feels more vibrant than the color pink or magenta. And so I decided to make some smoothies, because apart from a salad, that’s the freshest food I can think of and I love them in the mornings. And sometimes in the evenings as well, as a dessert. Or in the middle of the day… just because.
Today I am sharing these avocado citrus berry beet smoothies in the hopes that they bring some vibrancy back into your life, in case you need it. Beet is a really wonderful vegetable, but it goes beyond sides and salads. I love it in smoothies, but its taste does need a bit of help from other ingredients.
The first variation is an avocado beet smoothie, which has an earthy flavor and the creamiest texture, almost like a pudding. I love it because you get some healthy fats along with vitamins and I just think having this in the morning is the best thing you can do for your body. It’s so filling, yet not heavy at all.
The second variation is the citrus beet smoothie which takes care of all that Vitamin C a body needs. It’s refreshing yet sweet and I feel so energized when I have that.
The third variation is the berry beet smoothie. Unlike the first two smoothies which use cooked beets, I make this one with pure, all-natural beet juice. I feel like that is a nice alternative to beets, in case you can’t find them at your store. It also makes the smoothie more drinkable, as this concoction uses a lot of berries, so we need something to balance that. I think berries in smoothies are such a safe choice and I make this one when I just want something really good and cozy but easy at the same time.
If you’ve never had beets in a smoothie before don’t freak out on me, I promise you they work. Just start with a small amount as I do in the recipes bellow. You could get away with using half of what I do or simply add an extra piece of fruit in the mix and you won’t even know you’re having beets. And then you can add more gradually as you adjust to the taste.
Beets have powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties. I’ve also read they contain trytophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being which is similar to chocolate. Wow! I mean, what more do any of us need?
So… we’re all team beet right?
Recipe
Avocado beet smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 small cooked beet about 85g | 3oz
- 70 g 1/2 cup | 2.5oz frozen strawberries
- 1/2 to 1 ripe avocado skins and pit removed (adjust amount to taste)
- 1/2 ripe fresh or frozen banana
- 3 pitted Medjool dates more to taste
- 1 small orange rind removed
- 1-2 teaspoons acai berry powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 240 ml 1 cup coconut milk beverage (or coconut milk or water)
- 70 g 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Greek or regular yogurt
- honey
- sliced banana
- berries - frozen or fresh
- hemp hearts
- chia seeds
- coconut chips
- nut butter
- granola or puffed quinoa or similar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste to see if you want more dates or liquids. Blend once more if needed, then divide smoothie between two glasses and serve.
- Alternately, you can turn this into one big serving, topped with more fruit, for a hearty but healthy breakfast.
Notes
Recipe
Citrus beet smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 small cooked beet about 85g | 3oz
- 130 g 1 cup | 4.5oz frozen strawberries
- 3 small oranges or 1 very large, rind removed
- 1 ripe fresh or frozen banana
- 2 pitted Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 240 ml 1 cup coconut milk beverage (or coconut milk or water)
- 70 g 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Greek or regular yogurt
- honey
- sliced banana
- berries - frozen or fresh
- hemp hearts
- chia seeds
- coconut chips
- nut butter
- granola or puffed quinoa or similar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste to see if you want more dates or liquids. Blend once more if needed, then divide smoothie between two glasses and serve.
- Alternately, you can turn this into one big serving, topped with more fruit, for a hearty but healthy breakfast.
Notes
Recipe
Berry beet smoothie
Ingredients
- 100 g 1 cup | 3.5oz frozen blueberries
- 130 g 1 cup | 4.5 oz frozen strawberries
- 70 g 1/2 cup | 2.5oz frozen raspberries
- 1 ripe fresh or frozen banana
- 3 pitted Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 240 ml 1 cup pure (all-natural) beet juice
- 150 g 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Greek or regular yogurt
- honey
- sliced banana
- berries - frozen or fresh
- hemp hearts
- chia seeds
- coconut chips
- nut butter
- granola or puffed quinoa or similar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste to see if you want more dates or liquids. Blend once more if needed, then divide smoothie between two glasses and serve.
- Alternately, you can turn this into one big serving, topped with more fruit, for a hearty but healthy breakfast.
Notes
I often get that “away” feeling and whenever I can, I take it! These smoothies sound amazing and look beautiful! That color! Definitely adding beets to my shopping list!
That’s so great, Fatimah! And thank you 🙂