Blueberry Almond Butter Maca Smoothie - Boost the Mood

Blueberry smoothies seem to be a staple in just about every smoothie shop you enter, and for good reason - most everyone loves a blueberry!

According to Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.Org, one should be including at least one serving of berries in their diet per day.  And with a fiber-rich profile, blueberries and their Vitamin C and Manganese content seem to be a good one to add.

Add in a handful of greens, banana, a spoonful of almond butter and a few teaspoons of one of the newest superfoods on the market - Maca - and we have another certified Super Smoothie.

Are you familiar with Maca?  A cruciferous vegetable native to the Andes of Peru, maca has been revered for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.  Maca, however didn't cross my radar until I did a little research on menopausal symptoms.

After a few sleepless nights along with a hot flash or two I took to the internet for natural perimenopausal symptom relief, and time and again maca came as a suggestion. Maca, it seems, helps to balance hormone levels and to control the amount of estrogen in the body.  According to a study in the International Journal of Biomedical Science, maca proved to balance hormone levels, relieved symptoms of menopause, and actually increased bone density in the study participants.

Good enough for me to try... And with its slighty earthy and mildly nutty flavor, maca seemed the perfect addition to one of my favorite smoothies including almond better. I've grown to love the combo so much this smoothie hits my blender 4-5 times a week, and the rest of the family asks for it as well.

And the symptoms?  I have to admit I didn't have many before, but I've not had any more hot flushes (or flashes), I'm sleeping well, and not a single night sweat to report.  I'll have to keep up with it as my age keeps aging and will definitely keep you posted.

I'll be researching more on maca and will let you know what I learn.

Cheers my friends!

Kim 

Blueberry Almond Butter Maca Smoothie

Filled with an assortment of fruits and veggies, this smoothie brings a healthy, fiber-filled addition to any part of your day (brekfast to post-gym workout!).  The maca provides an energy boost and can help balance mood and hormones.  Good for everyone at any age!

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1 handful of your favorite greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc)

1 cup blueberries

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1 Tbs almond butter

1-2 tsp dried maca root (I get mine at Trader Joe's, but you can also order the Navitas Brand from Amazon)

sprinkle of cinnamon (a scant 1/8 tsp)

a couple ice cubes (optional)

Water as needed (sometimes my handful of greens is bigger than others and I need a little water to blend smoothly)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy!

Makes one good sized smoothie or two smaller one.

Liv Life Note:  We are just returning from a week in O'ahu (travel post to follow!) and I dropped a couple slices of fresh Hawaiian ginger into the smoothie and loved it!  A good tropical addition if you are so inclined.

Liv Life Note 2:  This post includes an Amazon Affiliate Link where we receive a small (very small!) commission if you purchase through the link. For this we thank you!