Very Berry Cherry Protein Smoothie

Learn more about the health benefits of consuming tart cherries — one of nature’s superfoods, containing powerful amounts of antioxidants — and how to incorporate them into your diet with this very berry cherry protein smoothie recipe.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I love a good smoothie. I’ve even deemed Saturdays as #smoothiesaturday to share yummy smoothie recipes with you all so that you too can take part in the goodness.

Improving Tart Cherries & Other Superfoods Improves Overall Health

What goodness am I talking about? When I started incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet, I started with green smoothies. They are easy to assemble, pack a lot of nutritional punch in one glass and the taste never gets boring with so many flavor combinations.

This is also when I started to notice health improvements including increased energy, clearer and brighter skin and greater clarity. As I started making smoothies almost daily, I got increasingly interested in the superfood add ins that could really take them up a notch.

While I’ve played with maca powder, spirulina, hemp seeds, chia seeds (the list could go on), there’s still one that I hadn’t tried yet – tart cherry juice concentrate. As I was browsing the Swanson Health Products website (my go to source for health foods I might not find in the store), I saw it and I knew that I just had to have it. Is it weird that I feel that way about foods? Probably.

Give Your Immunity a Boost with the Very Berry Cherry Protein Smoothie

This very berry cherry protein smoothie (try saying that 5 times!) is great to whip up when you want a little immunity boost and are feeling under the weather, need to replenish your muscles after exercising, or just want something that tastes amazing and just so happens to be insanely nutritious. Speaking of…

Nutritional Spotlight: Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate

As the name implies, tart cherries are often too sour to be consumed as a whole fruit, which is why it is often seen in the form of juice or juice concentrate.  I like the thought of using the concentrate instead of the juice because you’re getting more bang for your buck by consuming a smaller amount, but reaping maximum benefits.

So just what are the health benefits of tart cherry juice? Tart cherries, aka nature’s superfood fruit, is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. They are also a rich source of phytonutrients, a disease fighting agent found in plant-based foods, and gets its deep red hue from a specific class called “anthocyanins”. These specific phytonutrients are known to fight against cancer, improve nerve function and support healthy circulation of the blood.

The anti-inflammatory nutrients found in tart cherry juice have sparked research studies as it relates to athletic performance. Studies show that those who regularly consume tart cherry juice experience less muscle-damaging symptoms of exercise including soreness, inflammation and even post-race pain.

Verry Berry Cherry Protein Smoothie

This very berry cherry protein smoothie is like a nutritional goldmine in a glass! It has bananas, berries, beets, tart cherry juice, spinach and hemp seeds (for a little extra protein power) that are all blended together with almond milk to make a deliciously sweet and creamy smoothie.

This very berry cherry protein smoothie is a great go-to breakfast in the morning (and can even be made ahead and stored in the fridge!) or a post-workout treat. Cheers!

Very Berry Cherry Protein Smoothie

★★★★★ 4.9 from 11 reviews

• Author: FitLiving Eats by Carly Paige
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: N/A
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
• Category: Drink
• Method: Blended
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Learn more about the health benefits of consuming tart cherries — one of nature’s superfoods, containing powerful amounts of antioxidants — and how to incorporate them into your diet with this very berry cherry protein smoothie recipe.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 medium beet, peeled and cut into cubes
• Handful of spinach
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tablespoons tart cherry juice concentrate

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Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

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Notes

• You can use any kind of milk you might have on hand. 
• If you would like a smoother texture, you can use steamed beets instead of raw. 
• If you don’t have tart cherry concentrate, you can use ¾ cup almond milk and ¾ cup tart cherry juice. 
• For a boost of protein, you can add 1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 smoothie
• Calories: 227
• Sugar: 21g
• Sodium: 66mg
• Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 8g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: anti-inflamatory, berry smoothie, smoothie, superfood, tart cherry juice

If you want to give this recipe a try, but have a hard time finding tart cherry juice, check out Swanson Health Products!

*This post was sponsored by Swanson Health Products and I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. You can read more about my policies, here.

The recipe is part of the Meatless Monday link up hosted by The Fit Foodie Mama and Running on Happy, as well as Meatless Monday hosted by Confessions of a Mother Runner and A Whisk and Two Wands.

So tell me, what are your favorite smoothie add ins? Have you ever tried tart cherry juice?