Last night, we returned from five glorious days off in Florida. It was a much needed break from a recent busy period and the epic winter we've been having here in Boston, and a great place to celebrate my love's thirtieth trip around the sun. But there was one thing that was missing from our trip south: the sun.
Gloomy skies aside, we had a wonderful visit filled with quiet island adventures, meditative walks on the beach and some good vacation indulgence. We also had the pleasure of devouring delicious citrus in their natural locale. And now that I'm back, I'm craving more of those fruits and a return to my weekly health routine.
This mango and golden beet smoothie is a variation on what typically makes up my daily breakfast: a blended mix of fruit and vegetables, nourishing powders and a mixture of seeds.
Beets are a wonderful detoxifying food, and in conjunction with mango, are filled with antioxidant-loaded carotenoids to help support eye health. Maca is a hormone-balancing root vegetable native to Peru and known to help boost fertility and control adrenal activity. These ingredients are combined with orange, raw sprouted protein, my hemp, chia, and flaxseed mix and immunity-boosting bee pollen to provide the right kind of sunny energy needed on a winter morning.
Mango and Golden Beet Smoothie
1 small banana, sliced
1/2 naval orange, peeled
1 small golden beet, peeled and diced
1/2 a mango, cubed
1 packet of raw protein powder (I prefer this kind)
1 tablespoon Maca powder
1 tsp hemp seed
1 tsp chia seed
1 tsp flaxseed
1 tsp bee pollen
Combine first six ingredients in blender, and top with water or preferred nut milk and 3-4 ice cubes. Blend until combined. Add in hemp, chia, flaxseed and bee pollen and pulse until combined. Drink immediately, or if storing, reserve seed and bee pollen mixture until serving, as they will absorb much of the liquid and thicken the smoothie.