Pumping Iron

A diet rich in vegetables does not have to be lacking in essential nutrients like iron.  In fact, many vegetables are iron rich.  

Dark green veggies like spinach and kale are great sources of iron.  Other dark color vegetables such as beets, carrots, red bell peppers and tomatoes are good sources as well.

This smoothie contains many iron rich ingredients, providing 60% of your daily recommended intake.  

And it's delicious!

Pumping Iron

5 oz Greek Yogurt, plain

1 c Carrots, shredded

½ c Red Bell Pepper, chunks

½ c Beets, cooked sliced

½ c Tomato, chopped

1 c Spinach, frozen chopped

¼ c Beet Juice

¼ c Orange Juice

1 T Whey Protein Powder, vanilla flavor

½ c Oats, finely ground

1 T Flax Seed, finely ground

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(44 g Protein, 7 g Fat, 13 g Fiber, 60% DV Iron)

It's All About The Beet

I had heard all the hype about the health benefits of beets, and even heard of people putting them in smoothies.  While I had nothing against beets, I can't say they were the first smoothie ingredient to come to mind when thinking about tasty concoctions.  But, for me, smoothies are about finding that fine line between tasty and super healthy.  So, I decided to give it a try.  

I admit that I cheated just a bit.  Every thing that I read about beet smoothies suggested cooking the roots first so they were soft enough to blend smoothly...then I heard a tip from someone who said if they were going to be cooked anyway, you might as well use canned beets.  Normally, I do try and use all fresh ingredients in my smoothies, but being a beet newbie, I decided to go the easy way and bought a can of beets.  It worked well for me because I also used the juice from the can as the liquid in the smoothie.  Who knows, I might get adventurous next time and actually try stewing fresh beet root, but for now, I think the canned stuff worked just fine.  

The flavor was absolutely delicious, the color rich and lovely, and I could just feel all those wonderful antioxidants flooding through my body.  So, today, it's all about the beet!

Beet-Berry Blast

1 c. Greek yogurt, plain

¼ c. red bell pepper chunks

½ c. shredded carrots

½ c. cooked beets

1 frozen banana

½ c. frozen raspberries

4 frozen strawberries

1/8 c. beet juice

1/8 c. pomegranate juice

1 T. lemon juice

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth.

(21 g Protein, 0 g Fat, 8 g Fiber)