One of my main motivations when eating each day is to include a variety of colors. This often ensures I am not missing any key nutrients – eating the rainbow, as they say. Smoothies are a great way to add some additional color and nutrition and I experiment all the time with new colorful fruits and veggies. Antioxidant and fiber rich berries and beets go really nicely together in this smoothie – and what a beautiful smoothie it is!
I’m a big fan of beets – they are a bit earthy and kinda sweet. They can, however, be a bit intimidating to prepare as they have to be steamed or roasted and then peeled. A very messy task if you don’t have gloves on! Case in point – many years ago when I was an intern at Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park and we were preparing the highly coveted and always sold out Valentine’s Day menu. It was a thoughtful multi-course menu that began with a starter of beet terrine, and I was in charge of that course. Meaning, a tall stack of beets of all colors layered with a goat cheese mousse – countless local freshly harvested beets that had to be roasted and peeled. It was delicious and well loved by our guests but at the end of service that night my hands looked like I spent the “day of love” at a crime scene. 100+ beet terrines!
The cleanest and easiest way to consume beets at home is to purchase prepared vacuum-sealed whole beets. Costco and Trader Joe’s are a great source and they come about 4 to a package. This smoothie uses 1 whole beet so you can make several smoothies with one package or try the extra in a salad. I love big wedges of beets in an arugula salad with toasted walnuts, feta/goat cheese, citrus and shaved fennel. I also enjoy diced beets alongside my tuna salad as well as blended into homemade hummus. Either way you choose to eat beets, I encourage you to try them!
Cheers,
Christina
Berry Beet Smoothie
Equipment
- A high speed blender such as a Vitamix is helpful for the best texture
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder I prefer Be Well By Kelly brand
- ⅓ cup frozen mixed berries
- 1 whole beet, steamed and peeled
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 3-4 ice cubes
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.