Berry-licious Antioxidant Smoothie

Looking for a delicious and healthy way to start your day? Look no further than this berry-licious antioxidant smoothie! Packed with nutritious ingredients like berries, kale, and dates, this smoothie is loaded with antioxidants that will help boost your immune system and keep you feeling energized all day long.

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Living in a rural northern community means it is difficult to get fresh fruits and vegetables year round. There are some weeks in the winter months when the produce shelves at the grocery stores are very depressing. Luckily, frozen food is plentiful. Berries and fruit freeze very well and are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. And what better way to use them than in a nice cold refreshing smoothie!

Magnesium Rich Greens

It can be a challenge to get enough magnesium-rich green leafy vegetables into our diets. Incorporating them into a smoothie is the perfect way to disguise them for the picky eaters in our families. Kale, spinach, collard greens and swiss chard can be added – largely undetected – to many smoothie recipes as the tartness and sweetness of the fruit masks it.

A word of caution however, the more green you add to your smoothie, the browner the colour (years of experience as an artist has taught me that pink + green = brown). So if you have little ones who eat with their eyes, make sure to put theirs in an opaque drinking cup with a lid and straw. I had a stroke of genius a year ago when I picked up these colour changing plastic smoothie cups. Our little neighbour who announces that she will only eat sweets and strawberries will happily sip away on her veggie packed smoothie because it looks pink on the outside 😉

Add Antioxidant Power to Your Smoothies

While frozen and fresh berries are naturally packed with antioxidants, during cold and flu season it never hurts to add a little more to give our immune systems a boost. We like adding Amla fruit powder to our smoothies for this reason. Amla is an Indian gooseberry which has a sweet and sour taste. It has been touted as a superfood due to its rich levels of vitamin C, calcium and iron which aid in ridding the body of free radicals that can cause disease. An added plus, it has a high fiber content which helps keep the digestive system moving.

Hemp Heart: Protein and Omega 3

We have gotten into the habit of adding hemp heart seeds to our smoothies. It came about when my son developed a fish allergy and we worried that he was not getting enough essential fatty acids in his diet. Hemp heart seeds have a very mild, nutty flavour on its own but added to smoothies, it’s not very noticeable at all. They are an excellent source of protein and are rich in omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. They are also a great source of vitamin E, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.

Smoothie 101: Invest in a good blender

Typically I am against buying something just for the brand or hype but when it comes to food preparation, there is often a good reason why some equipment is more expensive. This applies to blenders. We have gone through several blenders over the course of our marriage and finally decided enough was enough. After much research we decided to shell out the big bucks for a Vitamix. It has been three years of everyday use and it still performs outstandingly well.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you blend with a cheaper machine. Bread crumbs are bread crumbs… it doesn’t matter the blender you use. But to blend up seeds and leafy greens into a smoothie that is rich, smooth and creamy? You need a higher quality blender. It makes a huge difference and when you see what a Vitamix can do, you won’t regret the purchase.

Whether you’re looking for a quick boost mid day or a main feature during mealtime, this berry smoothie fits the bill. This recipe is very versatile depending on what berries and fruit you enjoy (and what you have in your fridge and freezer). However you personalize it, you can be sure that your body will love all the nutrients and yumminess. Enjoy!