Berry Good Smoothie

"It smell delicious!" says my almost-3yo.  He has no clue there are beets in it...shhhh!!  This is my latest attempt to slip more vegetables into my kids' snacking routines.  You can use whatever combo of berries you wish, just be sure to get about 3-4 cups of berries total.

This recipe makes a lot of mix.  I needed 4 full ice cube trays to stash it all.  It also has a high mess/stain factor, and I'd use paper towels or a red dish cloth to mop up after yourself.  Be prepared.


Berry Good Smoothie
Makes about 14 small smoothies or 7 large smoothies

1 medium beet (about the size of a baseball), peeled
2 cups beet juice, reserved from cooking (see below)
2 pints (~12 oz.) fresh blueberries or 12 oz. frozen blueberries, thawed but not drained
1 lb. strawberries, fresh and hulled or frozen and thawed but not drained
1/4 cup honey
4 whole allspice
2 cups (16 oz.) mixed berry yogurt

Shred beets in a food processor with the shredding plate.  There should be about 2-3 cups of shredded beet.  Bring two quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add the beets.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Drain, reserving 2 cups of liquid.

While the beets are boiling, process the berries with the S-blade in the same food processor (don't bother washing it out), until pureed.  Do this in batches if necessary. 

Process the boiled beets in the food processor until smooth.  Return pureed berries, pureed beets, reserved beet juice, honey and allspice to the same pot used for boiling the beets.  Bring to a simmer, stirring to incorporate the honey, and simmer 5 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then stir in yogurt.  Pour mixture into ice cube trays to freeze.

To make smoothies, add 3-4 cubes to a blender with 1/4 cup water for a small smoothie (or 6-7 cubes with 1/2 cup water for a large smoothie).  Blend until well mixed.  Pin It