Presentation is Everything...Another "Green" Smoothie Fix!!!

Okay, this is genius.  I know that sounds conceited, but there is really no other way to describe the brainstorm I had today.  Am I a genius, heavens no...but this idea...well, it is!  If you are a frequent green smoothie maker, you know there is one major problem...those green smoothies, although good, are spotted from a mile away and immediately categorized outside of the realm of "yummy" smoothie.  These smoothies are usually some form of brown.  Bummer!  Kids immediately recognize it as food of the "enemy".  Enter today's brainstorm...okay, lets backtrack a little.  A few weeks back I got a certain vegetable that I know is nutritionally power-packed...its incredible for our bodies.  They offer Glycine betaine, which is great for your heart, folates, necessary for DNA synthesis in our bodies, vitamin-C a powerful antioxidant, many B vitamins (B-3, B-5, B-5), iron, manganese, magnesium and potassium.  Yep, its one of those veggies we should all eat, but MOST don't love.  Its color is a deep red.  What is it???  Beets!!!  I got a bunch of beets in my Bountiful Basket.  What to do...what to do?  Who likes beets?  Well, I decided to puree them.  Here's what I did:

I brought a pot of water to a full boil
Cut the tops of the beets
Boiled them for 20-30 minutes until tender
Let them cool and rinse with cold water
Peel skins off
Pureed them with some of the beet water (just enough to get a good smooth consistency)


Now...for my green smoothie

2 frozen pellets of kale and spinach using this method.
1/4 of a honeydew melon
5-10 frozen strawberries
about 1-1 1/2 C water
1 frozen banana
5-10 frozen 1 inch. chunks of pineapple
1 pear
1 orange

This smoothie made for a nasty brown color...ENTER THE BEETS!!!!  I added about 1/4 C of pureed beets and VOILA!  A smoothie my kids LOVED because it had a bright red color!  It looked just like a Jamba Juice Smoothie!!!


P.S.  That frozen fruit is fruit that I realized was getting too ripe and being eaten too infrequently...those fruits are AWESOME for green smoothies!!!

P.P.S.  You could probably use raw beets, and it would be even healthier!  I never have done it, though.  If someone does, please tell me how it turns out!!!

UPDATE!!!!  My husband just came home, drank the smoothie and said, "mmm...raspberry"...yep, that's what it looks like!