CRANBERRY Smoothie

This Cranberry Smoothie is a wonderful way to start your day! November is here and that means cranberries are in season, and my local wholesale club has huge bags of fresh cranberries for 3.99! With a deal like that, I can’t help but buy a few to throw in my freezer to enjoy all winter long and this smoothie is one of the things I love to make with them.

Cranberries are an excellent addition to smoothies because of their high antioxidant content. One of my favorite benefits of consuming cranberries is that they have been shown to boost good gut microbiota and improve metabolism. While I love my normal green smoothie recipe, it’s fun to change it up sometimes and I love the tartness that cranberries add to smoothies, taking them from blah to wow!

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Cranberry Smoothie

For this cranberry smoothie you will need:

• fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries– I would not use dried cranberries in this recipe unless you could soak or powder them ahead of time. Fresh or frozen works best here.
• mandarin oranges – You can certainly use any type of orange for this recipe, but I like the sweetness and juiciness of the mandarins.
• water or plant milk of choice – I personally prefer water with this recipe, but if you like a more creamy-style smoothie you could use a plant-based milk or even yogurt to make it creamier!
• banana – I think a small to medium-sized banana works well in this recipe, you could use a larger one if you wanted, but it may overpower the flavor a bit.
• frozen strawberries– fresh starwberries work well too, I just usually have forzen ones in my freezer and use those.
• pitted Medjool dates – MAKE SURE THEY ARE PITTED! (do as Nicc says and not as she has done in the past, lol!)
• a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix , Ninja, or Blendtec – Technically, you can use a regular blender for this smoothie, but you might end up with bits and pieces of fruit that don’t liquify completely.

To make your smoothie, you will simply add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until everything is liquified. I sometimes add ice cubes to make it more frosty! Enjoy!