Carrot Winter Booster Smoothie

Hi all,

Well, this week I have another smoothie for you. I just can't help myself. This smoothie is so good. Yes, it's a smoothie and it's cold out but this smoothie provides perfect nutrition for the winter months AND I recommend some boosters that support you in cold winter weather.

The base is carrot juice. If you don't drink carrot juice, it is sweet and creamy. It almost reminds me of milk. I don't drink it often because it is on the sweet side. I'm not big on sweet foods, but I feel that in this smoothie you have a power house of functional nutrition, no added sweeteners and it's so satisfying.

This recipe uses 10 ounces of carrot juice, which provides you with day's worth of vitamin A, almost half of a day's supply of vitamin C, 1/3 of your B6 and a nice dose of Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus, Iron, Riboflavin, Copper, Magnesium, Zinc and Calcium. All good things to load up around the peak of the cold and flu season.

The banana adds additional vitamin C, B6, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese which support immunity and is great for balancing electrolytes after intense workouts.

I am giving you the simple and delicious recipe. You can bump up the protein by blending in raw eggs, gelatin or a whole foods protein powder. If you do add gelatin, remember to dilute it in a couple ounces of warm water before adding it to the blender.

Carrot Smoothie (Serves 1)

  • 1 ¼ cups carrot juice (10 ounces)
  • 1-2 tablespoons almond butter
  • 1 small banana, frozen
  • 4 ice cubes
  • Protein of choice

Suggested additions:

  • Cayenne: Consume daily throughout the winter to help keep you warm and clear the nasal passages.
  • Fresh grated ginger: Soothes the stomach and intestinal track, anti-inflammatory, and I feel like it's a nice warm up and wake up for the body.
  • Cinnamon: Helps balance blood sugar, perfect addition to a sweet dish. It's also anti-microbial and warming, again great for the cold weather.
  • Turmeric: Fresh grated or powder, it's anti-inflammatory, good for digestion, immunity and basically everything. It's a superfood. If using powdered, if you add too much it will have an earthy or bitter flavor.

Directions:

  • BLEND: Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high until you have a smooth consistency.
  • TOP: With toasted pecans, toasted coconut or hemp seeds if you have them on hand.

Notes: If you don't have almond butter, you can use coconut butter or any other nut butter. You can also use cashews or macadamia nuts. If you do not have a high speed blender, soak the nuts for 4-12 hours so they will blend easier. Add the nuts and carrot juice, blend until smooth, then add the frozen banana and ice and blend until smooth.

If you want a thick smoothie that isn't too cold, just use something instead of ice to give you the thickness like extra nut butter, eggs or anything else with a mild flavor that you think your blender can blend up.

Enjoy and if you have questions, feel free to ask on my Facebook or blog.

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