February celebrates love with Valentines Day, but it’s also American Heart Healthy Month… and I think that’s perfect. So I’m jumping into the fray and joining the Valentine’s Day blitz but, remaining true to my heart healthy ways, with a nutritious superfood magnificently rosey-red green smoothie. Say what – did you catch that? How can a green smoothie be RED?
Why, with beet greens, of course! This is especially great news for those who are still squeamish about consuming anything that is green. Yes, the best of both worlds – you get all the nutrients of green vegetables, the equivalent of several servings of fruit and vegetables, and a thick luscious berry hued shake that satisfies your sweet tooth all in one glass!
A healthy heart is a loving heart, or is it a loving heart is a healthy heart? I don’t want to be overly facetious because I know people with heart disease have love in their hearts (my husband for one), but there is a great deal of research that says being IN LOVE is also good for your heart. Being in love is good for us because our emotional health is strongly tied to our physical health. According to an article published by CBN News, “a loving marriage is, without a doubt, great for your overall health. Research shows married people live an average of five years longer than those who aren’t. They also have lower rates of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other chronic ailments than their single counterparts”. And, even if you’re not married, the act of loving another — whether it be your mom, your life partner, your pup, your BFF — lowers stress levels because of the emotional support and physical intimacy that comes from being in love. Lower stress levels can help lower blood pressure and also strengthen your immune system. So give your sweetheart a big hug and begin the day with a rosey-red smoochie smoothie, too 🙂
See, my fur baby even wants one 🙂
Besides beet greens this super smoothie includes two other surprises: guava and blood orange. Did you know that guava is among the top 5 nutrient dense fruits? I learned this and a bushel of other useful information at a cookbook signing event at Melissa’s Produce for the new cookbook “50 Best Plants on the Planet” by Cathy Thomas. True guavas have edible, knobby green skin that often runs yellow when they are thoroughly ripe. They bring back memories of living in Kauai with my grandmother; a sophomore in high school enamored with the unfamiliar and exotic fruits and foods of the islands. I cut open a guava and left in on the counter, inhaling it’s powerful sweet fragrance.
Besides smelling amazing, guavas have one of the highest concentrations of vitaminC of any fruit or vegetable – four times that of oranges. Vitamin C helps counter inflammation, plus it lowers the risks of heart disease, strokes, cataracts, and certain types of cancer. They are also rich in fiber, offering a whopping 9 grams per cup. The same amount of fruit (1 cup) contains 4 grams of protein. Both of these nutrients help increase satiety and encourage the body to burn calories longer to balance blood sugar and reduce symptoms of diabetes. {Source: 50 Best Plants on the Planet}
So let’s get this party started with a Vitamin C powerhouse!
Be My Valentine Red (Green) Smoothie
Sweet, luscious, and nutritious. Beet greens, in concert with guava and blood orange, transform a green smoothie into a berry-red beauty.
Ingredients:
1 cup Cut N’ Clean Greens Beet Greens*
1 blood orange, peeled and segmented
1 organic banana, sliced
1/2 guava, ends trimmed, then quartered*
1 cup almond milk
Chia Seeds
Other great additions: Acai berries and Gogi berries
*Cut N’ Clean Greens do all the washing and chopping for you – their products are available at supermarkets and Trader Joe’s (under the TJ’s name). Guava seeds are edible so they don’t have to be seeded, but their seeds vary in rigidity, some are soft and are like chia seeds, but the rigid ones you’ll want to remove as you drink. If this bothers you, then you might want to juice the guava or otherwise strain the seeds out first. Doesn’t bother me, just as “spitting” seeds from a watermelon are part of the experience 😉
Directions:
To blend your smoothie: add a few ice cubes to the blender, 1 cup of almond or coconut milk and a teaspoon of Chia seeds. Blend until the mixture turns a rich red which means your beet greens are totally pureed.
Yield: enough to share with your sweetie, about two 8-ounce smoothies
Note: If you want to save prep time in the morning and put together a week’s worth of smoothies – use the tip I shared with my Monster Green Power Smoothie – double the amount of fruit, coat with lemon juice, and place in baggies to make 5 individual smoothies.
Enjoy 🙂
♥ Happy Valentine’s Day ♥
What a pretty smoothie, I love the color!
Beautiful smoothie and great idea to use beet greens. I never think to use other greens besides spinach and kale. Will have to look for them at TJs next time.
Your fur baby is too adorable!
A power drink! I love all the wonderful ingredients in this smoothie.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hehe great power drink! Such a cute corgie! 🙂
Happy Vday!