A Tale of Two Smoothies

One of my main resolutions this year was to be better about eating enough fruit and vegetables every day. There have been a couple of times in my life when I was having some ongoing health issues. Once I resolved them by following a Macrobiotic diet for most of a year, and more recently by going (mostly) Paleo/ Primal. There's definitely a big difference between "nearly-vegetarian with lots of whole grains" and "nearly-grain-free with lots of protein", but the consistent part was eating a lot more fresh produce.

Smoothies and other blended drinks are the best way for me to do this, since I can make a big batch and sip it during the day while I'm working. Because I use whole fruits, I'm still minimizing the blood sugar spike/ crash that comes from using juice. I like to play around with what fruits and veggies I'm using, and what other ingredients I'm adding. Once in a while I push the envelope too far, and end up with something that doesn't look very nice (rule of thumb: purple and green make sludgy brown), but I can close my eyes while I drink it and just think about how healthy it is! My most recent concoctions have been so pretty that I actually grabbed my phone and snapped pictures.

Yesterday's smoothie came out a lovely Orange Creamsicle color.

Mango-Carrot Smoothie 
(all measures are approximate)
1 1/2 c roughly chopped carrots
1 1/2 c frozen mango chunks
1 1/2 c unsweetened organic whole milk yogurt
water to make 4 c





I love the creamy texture and extra protein that yogurt gives, but I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I wanted to boost the vitamins even further while staying away from dairy. This has a lovely rosy glow to it from the blood oranges, but would be just as delicious with whatever type you had on hand.

Blood Orange-Carrot-Mango-Banana Smoothie
(all measures are approximate)
2 blood oranges, peeled (if you have organic citrus, just wash it, chop it and toss it in peel and all!)
1 1/2 c roughly chopped carrots
1 1/2 c frozen mango chunks
1 ripe banana
water to make 4 c





I made both of these with an old standard blender, and they came out creamy and smooth. If you're concerned about chunks, though, start with the carrots and enough water to cover them, and make sure they're nicely blended before you add anything frozen.

What are some of your favorite smoothies? Anything extra you love to add to yours?