It’s September, a.k.a National Fruit and Vegetable Month, and this week’s smoothie: Beet, Carrot and Ginger Smoothie packs 3 servings of plant power into your morning start up beverage! Everyone knows our health is benefited by colorful produce, but we’re still falling short of meeting the current recommendations. Here are a few ways we like to guide our clients to enjoy more health-serving fruits and veggies:
Easy as 1-2-3!
Incorporating fruits and vegetables into your daily diet can be as easy as 1-2-3. To begin your day, aim for including 1 serving of fruits/vegetables with breakfast.
Examples:
- Adding arugula to eggs
- Topping oatmeal with berries
- Our beet, carrot and ginger smoothie (3 servings!)
As the day progresses, aim to include 2 servings of fruits/vegetables with lunch.
Examples:
- Butternut squash soup topped with roasted chickpeas
- Roasted veggie sandwich with zucchini, squash and pesto
- Tuna salad melt with a side of carrots and apple
To end the day – aim to incorporate 3 servings of fruits/vegetables with dinner!
Examples:
- Chicken, broccoli, potatoes and side salad
- Salmon bowl with brown rice, snap peas, peppers and mushrooms
- Turkey chili with beans, veggies and avocado toast
The 1-2-3 method is a great reminder to incorporate and eat your fruits and veggies throughout the day!
Produce for Breakfast
Smoothies, such as this beet, carrot and ginger smoothie are one of the easiest ways to include more produce into your day. Check out some of our other produce-packed smoothies:
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Triple Green Smoothie
Peach Recovery Smoothie
Pickled & Nutrient Packed
The McDaniel Short- Cut this week, pickled beets are just as nutritious as raw/fresh. Fruits and vegetables don’t always need to be fresh, other alternatives such as: canned, frozen, pickled are great ways to get those nutrients you may be lacking into your diet. Worried about a lack of time to prepare a meal featuring beets? Consider using pickled beets! Fermented foods are rich probiotics, which can promote gut health and enhancing your immune system. More specifically – pickled beets are rich in nitrates. Nitrates are important in delivering oxygen to our bodies and blood flow first thing in the morning. Not only are pickled fruits and vegetables tasty, but they’re also convenient. Begin your day with at least 1 serving of vegetables in a beet carrot smoothie. It’s a great start to your day and is packed with nutrients. See below for the recipe!
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Beet Carrot & Ginger Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. kefir milk, plain
- 1/2 c. milk (I used vanilla soy)
- 1/2 banana, frozen
- 1 large carrot
- 3–4 pickled beets
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 T. unmodified potato starch
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger or 1 t. ginger powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.