Healthy Purple Smoothies

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m really excited to stuff my face next week. We’re going back up to MA to spend Christmas with Dan’s family (who I’ve already mentioned are all fabulous cooks), and I just know that there will be so many holiday goodies to eat.

Cookies galore, of course. At least a few pies (Dan’s mom made four different kinds of pie for Thanksgiving – Kathryn, if you’re reading this, can I have your coconut cream pie recipe???). Definitely a roast or two. Fish. Pounds and pounds of cocktail shrimp. Pizza dip (it’s not a family gathering without my MOL’s famous pizza dip). Crispy roasted potatoes, for sure. Kahlua Cake. Roasted veggies. Endless appetizers.

Oh man. Is anyone else starving right now?

Needless to say, I will be wearing stretchy pants this holiday season. Thank goodness leggings and tights are in still in style, because I plan on rocking those with some slouchy over-sized sweaters and/or sweater dresses all next week (to hide my food belly).

As excited as I am for holiday indulging, I know that in the aftermath my stomach is not going to be happy with me. I know this because I just ate a single piece of candied walnut fudge (recipe coming soon) for my post-lunch dessert, and I already have a slight stomach ache. That’s bulls***, stomach…quit it!

18 year old Tina would have been able to eat several helpings of everything, take a breather (and/or a poo), and then go back for more. And then she’d wake up the next day fresh and dewy-eyed, ready to run a billion miles and eat more food.

28 year old Tina will likely have a few bites of everything (not as many as she’d like) and drink a few glasses of wine, then require Tums, ibuprofen and many, many naps the next day to recover from the inevitable hangover/stomach pains.

*whine*whine*whine*

#firstworldproblems

To help my old lady stomache recover from marathon eating over the holidays, I’m planning to load up on fruits and veggies between  now and Christmas, and then drink a lot of detoxifying green and purple smoothies post-Christmas to help things settle down inside.

You guys know about green smoothies, right? Looks like pureed grass, is packed to the gills with vegetables and other good-for-you-things, but tastes deliciously fruity and light and refreshing? If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend you give it a shot. I drink one for breakfast almost every morning, and every gulp makes me feel good and clean all over.

Purple smoothies are basically the same concept, only with dark berries and purple veggies instead of green stuff. They are equally packed with healthy, good-for-you ingredients, but look slightly more palatable to the masses. They’re also my preferred method of sneaking vegetables into Dan’s diet.

My favorite purple smoothie is made up of berries, bananas, beets, red cabbage, spinach, Chobani greek yogurt, and a splash of orange juice. Don’t let the vegetables throw you – once everything is blended together you can’t taste anything but creamy, tangy, berry deliciousness.

If you don’t like beets or some other ingredient I list in my recipe, you should feel free to switch it out for something else. The great thing about smoothies is that you can put pretty much whatever you want in them. I highly recommend you keep the Greek yogurt in, though – it’s full of protein, and adds a wonderful creaminess to the drink. When I’m out of yogurt and make smoothies without it, it always feels like something is missing.

But no matter what fruits/veggies/yogurts you make them with, these smoothies are the perfect way to jump start your day – with lots of fiber, antioxidants, and protein. Unlike store-bought or made-from-mix smoothies, all the ingredients are fresh and you know exactly what you’re putting in your body.

On the days when I have a purple or green smoothie for breakfast (vs. say, a bagel or greasy breakfast sandwich), I feel noticeably more energized and clear-headed. Here’s hoping they can get me (and my stomach) through all that holiday feasting!