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Help keep common colds and flu at bay with this sweet and tart Immunity Boosting Smoothie. Loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, this healthy smoothie acts as medicine but tastes like dessert!
Easy Immunity Smoothie Recipe
Smoothies are on my weekly meal plan, even in cold weather. For me, they always feel more like a sweet treat than like the healthy meal they actually are. Bonus – my kids love them, too! And they have no idea how many superfoods I’m hiding right there in plain sight. Of course, a cold, refreshing fruit smoothie tastes great on a warm day – but don’t count them out in the cold months. This immunity-boosting smoothie is great to serve your family during cold and flu season.
What Makes this Smoothie Healthy?
This healthy smoothie is not just any old smoothie. Sure, there are loads of delicious smoothie recipes out there, but many are designed simply to taste good. The ingredients in this smoothie were each chosen specifically for their immunity-boosting properties. Let’s take a look at them:
- Turmeric has crazy powerful medicinal properties and has become a staple in my kitchen. It’s an incredibly strong antioxidant and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Ginger is actually closely related to turmeric. It’s used to help digestion, reduce nausea and fight the flu and common cold. Additionally, Gingerol, the active substance in fresh ginger, helps to lower your risk of infection.
- Citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C, which boosts your immune system. They are also a great source of fiber.
- Cinnamon is also loaded with medicinal benefits and antioxidants. It can even help to fight bacterial and fungal infections.
Immunity Smoothie Ingredients
The best part about a smoothie is how easy it is to swap in different ingredients. I prefer to use the ingredients on this list, but I’ll definitely still make myself a great smoothie, even if I’m missing a few. To make this healthy smoothie, you’ll need a carrot, a banana, clementine, ginger, orange juice, lemon juice, turmeric, cinnamon, and plain yogurt. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, you can add some sweetener.
How to Make an Immunity Boosting Smoothie
- Load: Add all of your ingredients to a high-powered blender and process everything until it’s completely blended.
- Test: Give it a little taste to test for sweetness. Adjust accordingly. If you’re looking for a thicker smoothie, blend in more ice to make it thicker. To thin it out, add more liquid.
- Serve: Pour the smoothie into a glass or tumbler, insert a straw, garnish with fresh orange wedges, and enjoy!
Optional Smoothie Sweeteners
Depending on what you’re craving, your taste buds, and the fruit you use – this smoothie may be sweet enough for you as is, but if it isn’t, you can add a natural sweetener into the mix. If you decide to use a sweetener, I recommend using local, organic, raw honey. Honey’s antioxidant and antibacterial properties help improve the digestive system and boost immunity. If your honey is local, it will also help your body to fight against local allergens.
Depending on where you live, you could also opt for local pure maple syrup or agave. I like maple syrup because it’s a great source of zinc and manganese, which both work to strengthen your immune system. If you choose to use honey or any sweetener, simply blend it in with the rest of the ingredients.
How to Meal Prep Healthy Smoothies
Smoothies are a meal prep star! It’s so easy to measure out and chop your ingredients, then place them in a zip-top freezer bag. Pop the bag into the freezer and then pull it out the morning you want to use it, dump it directly into the blender, and blend it. You’ll be enjoying your smoothie in no time at all. I love that this avoids lugging out my cutting board and chopping all the fruit on a busy morning.
Storage
If you’ve already made your smoothie, but you have leftovers – you can pour the leftover smoothie into ice cube trays and put it into the freezer. Then simply pop your cubes out and lightly blend before serving.
More Smoothie Recipes
ENJOY!
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Ingredients
- 1 carrot,, washed, peeled, and chopped into about 5 pieces
- 1 banana,, peeled and chopped
- 1 whole clementine,, peeled, segmented
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger,, peeled and grated
- 6 to 8 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup ice
- sweetener,, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender in the order listed (sweetener is optional); process until completely blended.
- Taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly.
- Pour the smoothie into a glass and enjoy!
Notes
- If using a sweetener, I recommend using honey because honey’s antioxidant and antibacterial properties help improve the digestive system and boost immunity. If using honey, blend it with the rest of the ingredients.
- If you’re looking for a thicker smoothie, blend in more ice to make it thicker.
- High-Speed Blender: If you’re serious about smoothies, consider investing in a high-speed blender. They can handle tougher ingredients like nuts and frozen fruit much more effectively than standard blenders.
- Taste as You Go: Before you pour out your smoothie, give it a taste. Need a little more sweetness? A touch more liquid? Adjust until it’s just right.
- Frozen Fruit or Vegetables for Thickness: Using frozen fruit instead of fresh can give your smoothie a thicker, more ice-cream-like texture. Plus, it keeps the smoothie cold without diluting it as ice would.
- Clean Immediately: Smoothie ingredients can stick and harden quickly. It’s much easier to rinse out your blender and wash it right after using it.
- Storage: Pour the leftover smoothie into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator if you plan to drink it within 24 hours. Before drinking, give it a good stir or shake, as separation is natural.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Im healing my old 65 years old mother with this and it worked pretty well! I give her bowl of oat with this!
Absolutely delicious! I used grapefruit and orange juice in place of the other citrus which was on hand. Added egg whites for more protein! I’ll be saving this recipe. Thanks!!!!
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Hi, does anyone know if you need to cook the carrot? Thanks 🙂
I made it with raw carrot. A delicious smoothie, my new favorite! I enjoyed the entire recipe as my breakfast, which was more like dessert. Yum!
I made a few changes:
-Added a pinch of black pepper to make the turmeric more bioavailable
-Used a single serve cup of plain Greek yogurt so I didn’t have to measure it (I’ve also made it with almond milk yogurt to make it vegan)
-used freshly brewed green tea instead of the oj for antioxidants and so I didn’t have to squeeze oranges
Thank you, Katerina, for this fabulous smoothie recipe!!
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂