Orange Glow Smoothie (Day 6 – Orange)
This recipe is part of a series of colorful smoothie posts to celebrate Pride month.
I’ve been neglecting my blog and it is time to make amends. Orange you glad we’re almost done with this series? Let’s do this.
With the theme “Orange”, Day 6 was a breeze. Think about it – there are just so many ways to construct an orange smoothie, the options are limitless! You can use carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins or any winter squash, orange bell peppers, peaches, mangoes, papayas, cantaloupes and let’s not forget good ol’ oranges. Heck, you could even throw in some turmeric and call it a party!
And the benefits of a fruit and veggie powered orange drink are just as diverse! For instance, while we normally associate the color orange with the potent antioxidant “beta-carotene” (a form of Vitamin A), many orange-hued fruits and veggies are also full of Vitamin C, manganese, copper and a range of essential B vitamins (like biotin, riboflavin and folate).
For this smoothie, I used what I had on hand – a couple carrots, a very ripe peach, a banana, oats, cashews and ginger.
I’m not sure what delighted me more – the color (I mean, look at it!!) or the clean, subtle flavors. The drink could have used a little more ginger to amp up the spice, so don’t hold back if you love a good punch-you-in-the-face ginger drink!
Recipe super-powers:
Carrots most definitely stand out in this drink. As little as 1 cup of carrots contains more than your daily recommended intake of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), and a healthy dose of biotin, vitamins B6, K, C and fiber. And beta-carotene is just one of the anti-inflammatory carotenoids present in carrots – the other two are lutein and alpha-carotene.
Eating carotenoid-rich foods has great long-term health benefits! Some include a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved bone health, and protection from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Studies have also suggested a possible link between carrot intake and a lower incidence of breast cancer – largely due to the tumor-suppressing, antioxidant and anti-mutagenic benefits of these carotenoids.
What’s more, beta-carotene absorption in the body seems to increase when the veggies are cooked or combined with fats (such as olive or coconut oil, avocados, eggs, wild fish and nuts). I guess blending carrots with cashews wasn’t such a bad idea after all!
Orange Glow Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 carrots (medium size)
- 1 ripe peach or nectarine
- 1 banana
- 1/4 cup oats
- 2 inch ginger adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked for at least 30 min
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Wash and prep all ingredients. Peel carrots if needed (I left mine unpeeled) and de-seed the peach or nectarine.
- Add all ingredients to blender.
- Blend at low-speed at first for 30 seconds, then on high for another 30 seconds or until you get the consistency you want. Add more water or ice to thin out your smoothie as needed.
- Pour, sip and LOVE.
