Guys Can Cook: Berry Beet Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast smoothies have recently become C's territory.  For weeks, if not months, I was tinkering with different breakfast smoothie variations, combining different fruits and vegetables until I came up with my favorite variations.  C would drink the mysterious concoctions, but he was a little timid about making his own smoothies, fearful that he'd end up with some thick, brown, tasteless liquid and have wasted some delicious fruits and vegetables in the process.  I understood the hesitancy, because, to be honest, smoothie-making isn't really as easy as it appears.

Sure, to make a smoothie, you can just add some fruits (and vegetables, if you're into that sort of thing) and liquid and turn the blender on.  But making a really tasty and nutritious smoothie can be a bit of a challenge.  I was originally drawn to beets with my Carrot Beet Smoothie recipe because of the gorgeous color.  The color can be somewhat problematic if you like to add greens to your smoothie (spinach, kale, chard, etc.), but to solve that problem and make the most of my produce purchases, I started using the beet greens.  They don't alter the magenta color at all, and you can still get your fill of leafy greens.  I'm usually able to find beets with greens still attached at the farmer's market or at Whole Foods.

I finally wrote down the recipe for our favorite breakfast smoothie.  You can make it on the weekend to serve with brunch or pack it in a container in the morning and drink it at work.  There are multiple variations of the recipe, allowing you to make it vegan, add Greek yogurt, incorporate it into a Cleanse, or even add some oats or spelt flakes to thicken it up and add some fiber. 

Your use of ice is up to you - I usually make the smoothie with just one or two ice cubes and then store it in the freezer at work until I'm ready to drink it.  Then I'll add a scoop of ice cubes and drink it with a straw.  If you're at home and like frothy smothies, use frozen blueberries, cold tea, and some ice cubes and blend it until you get the right consistency.

You may need to run the blender a few times to get the drink really smooth - even with the Vitamix, I run the "Smoothie" setting a couple times until it the consistency looks right.  And if your blender is less powerful, cook some extra vegetables with dinner (without seasoning them) and save them for your breakfast smoothie in the morning.  



Berry Beet Breakfast Smoothie (1 generous serving, or 2 smaller servings)
2 small beets (or one large) with greens (about 1 cup) - peel beets, wash greens and roughly chop
1 medium carrot, peeled (greens washed and chopped if attached)
3/4 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)*
1/4 cup (about 2oz) greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%) or 1 Tbsp raw cashews (*vegan/non-dairy option)
1 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
1.5 Tbsp flaxmeal
1 scoop Move**
3/4 cup brewed yerba mate or green tea (chilled if possible, or at least cooled to room temperature)
Pinch of cinnamon and salt
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
(Optional) 1 clementine, peeled and broken into segments*
Ice, as needed***

*Nutrition note: This smoothie can be pretty high in sugar when you add in the blueberries and clementine.  And while it is all natural sugar from fruits and vegetables, you may want to lower the sugar content to suit your own taste and nutritional needs.  To lower the sugar content, leave out the optional clementine and add blueberries to the smoothie 1/4 cup at a time, blending and tasting along the way until the smoothie is sweet enough for your taste.
**Move is a great source of Fiber from the Clean Program.  Another option to try if you don't have Move and can tolerate gluten is to add about 2 Tbsp of rolled oats or spelt flakes.
***Try making some ice cubes from any leftover tea that you may have during the week.  I also do this with leftover coffee and save the cubes in a freezer bag for when I want an iced mocha.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.  You may need to run your blender a few times, checking the consistency as you go.  To help keep the smoothie cold, you can leave out the ice cubes and frozen blueberries until the rest of the mixture is blended smooth - add the ice and blueberries at the end and blend one last time to chill the drink.

All nutrition facts below assume that this recipe yields one large serving, but the recipe definitely makes enough to share.
 
Nutrition facts for one smoothie made with Greek yogurt, without the Clementine, and without Move:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 490 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  266 Calories from Fat  46

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.1g 8%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  305mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates  48.4g 16%

Dietary Fiber  13.3g 53%

Sugars  31.3g

Protein  12.6g

Vitamin A 254% • Vitamin C 46% Calcium 19% • Iron 21%

Nutrition facts for one smoothie made with the clementine and Greek yogurt, without Move:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 564 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 301 Calories from Fat 46

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.1g 8%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 305mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 57.2g 19%

Dietary Fiber 14.6g 58%

Sugars 38.1g

Protein 13.2g

Vitamin A 254% • Vitamin C 106% Calcium 21% • Iron 22%

Nutrition facts for smoothie made with the clementine, cashews, without Move:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 516 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 320 Calories from Fat 82

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.1g 14%

Saturated Fat 0.9g 5%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 285mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 57.7g 19%

Dietary Fiber 14.9g 60%

Sugars 36.2g

Protein 9.5g

Vitamin A 254% • Vitamin C 106% Calcium 15% • Iron 24%

Nutrition facts for Move can be found here.