Red Cabbage and Sweet Potato Smoothie

Smoothies are my absolute favorite breakfast. I always get sad once the mornings start getting cooler, because an ice-cold smoothie bowl no longer seems like a very appropriate breakfast option. I continue making them into October anyway :)
For years, I’ve had the same smoothie formula that consisted of frozen banana, frozen berries, as well as any greens and super-powders I had on hand. This past year though, I decided to start packing more stuff into my smoothies, specifically more veggies. If you have a blender, especially a high-speed one like a Vitamix, it’s so easy to ‘hide’ all kinds of things in your smoothies. I’ve been favoring steamed and frozen cauliflower, sweet potato, and zucchini in place of frozen banana. I’ve also been adding things like raw beets, red cabbage, and even mung bean sprouts into the blender. At first, eating a barely sweet smoothie was strange, but now I can honestly say that I’ve grown to appreciate and love having a less sugary breakfast. I realized that it’s more important to me to have a smoothie, any smoothie than to have a sweet, dessert-like one in the morning.

This red cabbage and sweet potato smoothie has been my favorite variation since I randomly decided to throw some leftover red cabbage into the blender. Its flavor is barely noticeable in the final product, but it adds excellent color and nutrition into the mix. Steamed and frozen sweet potato contributes some sweetness and creaminess, while making the smoothie quite filling and satisfying. Avocado ensures an even silkier smoothie and brings all of its healthy fats to the table. Frozen berries make the whole thing seem and taste like an actual smoothie. I like to add maca, because I swear it gives me all kinds of energy in the morning, as well as puts me in a really great mood. You can also add cacao, medicinal mushroom powder, or any other super-powders you like. I doctor it up quite a bit with nut butter or coconut yogurt, more berries and seed sprinkles, and eat it with a spoon. I love seeing the rainbow of color that all the ingredients create in the blender – a colorful breakfast tends to put me in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.
Would love to hear about your favorite smoothie combos! Have a nice Sunday.

Red Cabbage and Sweet Potato Smoothie

 

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Serves: 2 big smoothie bowls

Ingredients

• about an eighth of a small head of red cabbage (should be a small wedge, smaller than in the photo)
• half of an avocado
• ½ cup cubed, steamed and frozen sweet potato
• ½ cup frozen blueberries, plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup frozen strawberries
• 1-2 teaspoons maca powder (optional)
• handful of any greens of choice (optional)
• 1½ - 1¾ cup purified water
• almond butter or coconut yogurt - for garnish
• sprinkles like chia seeds, cacao nibs, bee pollen or any other nuts/seeds of choice - for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine the red cabbage, avocado, sweet potato, blueberries, strawberries, maca, if using, greens, and water in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. I like to start out with just 1½ cups of water for a spoonable smoothie consistency and add more water if needed. If you would like the smoothie to be drinkable, add 1¾ - 2 cups of water.
2. Serve right away, garnished with more berries, almond butter/coconut yogurt and sprinkles.

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