I made a light summer-ready smoothie this weekend with two new experimental ingredients.
First up is maca. Want some serious energy from a natural source? Done.
Maca is a root. You can buy it raw sometimes, but it’s difficult to find. You can also buy maca powder, which has been dried and ground. Maca has been used in Peru for thousands of years. It is extremely energizing, and is often used by athletes. It has been linked to all kinds of great effects – increased energy, libido, fertility; as a treatment for chonic fatigue syndrome, depression, osteoporosis; reducing symptoms of menstruation or menopause; and is an immune booster! No complaints here. It has an earthy flavor, often described as “malt,” and blends well into smoothies!
Maybe it was all in my head, but I swear I’ve had more energy on the days when I’ve put some maca in my smoothies recently. No radical differences, but I didn’t have trouble getting into things at work, didn’t feel that afternoon slump, and jumped right into being a useful human being after work! I’ll take it.
The second new-to-me ingredient I used is rhubarb. Sure, I’ve had rhubarb before, but I’d never bought it and prepared it before. Slicing and blending totally counts as preparing, right? Sure. Apparently it’s rhubarb season, so I picked up a stalk (I think that’s what you call it…), and blended some up!
You know what I was surprised to learn? Rhubarb is a vegetable. I’m not sure what I expected it to be, but vegetable surprises me. You can eat rhubarb raw or cook it (I’m going to try sauteing some!)
Enough chat, recipe time!
serves 1
1 C frozen strawberries
1 C coconut water
1 t maca powder
3 T sliced rhubarb
1 T maple syrup
1 T ground flax seed
Blend away!
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 192; Calories from Fat: 20; Total Fat: 2.2g; Sodium: 35mg; Total Carbohydrates: 39.8g; Dietary Fiber: 6.5g; Sugars: 32.4g; Protein: 2.6g
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