Detox with a Carrot Cake Smoothie

Well, that’s the festivities over. Gone in a flash, and some of you, like me, might be feeling a tad over-indulged!

Well, this January I am intending to share a few lighter recipes – for my own sake as much as anything else. And to dust away those cobwebs, how about a detoxing smoothie? The added benefit with this one, as the title suggests, is that it tastes just like eating a slice of carrot cake – honestly!

All it takes are some soft carrots, a banana, fat free Greek yoghurt, milk, vanilla extract and a few spices. All of the ingredients are healthy and some have benefits such as the bananas antacid properties, carrots flush toxins from the liver, greek yoghurt is packed with protein. Cinnamon can improve brain function and ginger can relieve nausea. Put this altogether and you have a perfect pick me up from all of the holiday bingeing!

Tips:

• For the milk, I use sweetened soya milk, but any milk would work here.
• I freeze my bananas for smoothie making as it brings out the sweetness.
• Do not salt your carrots when boiling them (to get them soft!).
• If you have a lethal blender or a Vitamix then boiling carrots isn’t required
• The addition of ice is optional if you want it cold and refreshing.
• Add more milk if you would like it less thick.

Yield: 2 large glasses

Ingredients:

500 ml milk 

125 ml 0% fat Greek yoghurt

3 large carrots, softened (and cooled if pre-boiled)

1 large banana, frozen then thawed slightly

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ice (optional)

Adapted from Happy Healthy Mama

Method:

Place all of the ingredients (except the ice) into a blender/smoothie maker and blitz until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses over ice and sprinkle with some ground cinnamon if so desired.

See you can have your cake and drink it too! Enjoy....

I am entering this recipe into the new challenge In my VEG BOX, run by Nayna over at Citrus Spice. The veg this month, you've guessed it, is carrots!