Cran-BERRY Smoothie

The day after Thanksgiving is rough.  Everyone has a food hangover and is exhausted from traveling or prepping the big meal.  Also, many of you are planning on braving the crowds and scoring some black friday deals.  It's times like this when you are in danger of getting sick and could use a pick-me-up (and I'm not talking about anything alcoholic).  This smoothie gives you energy and is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that will ward off any winter cold.  I love this cranberry smoothie because it contains only four ingredients and packs a whole lot of awesome!

Cranberries are in season now and I make sure to buy a lot fresh and freeze them so I can enjoy these smoothies throughout the year.  Most people are used to eating cranberries either dried or baked with a lot of sugar.  I'm not a fan of all the extra sugar and instead opt to eat these berries fresh, paired with a sweet fruit to achieve an amazing sweet and sour taste!  In this smoothie strawberries and orange juice are the perfect compliment to the tart flavor of the cranberries.  I guarantee you won't miss added sugar in this recipe! When making this recipe, I like to leave little flecks of cranberry instead of blending it until it is one uniform color.  The dark maroon cranberry color against the light pink strawberry adds a gorgeous visual element.

I love pairing this smoothie with peanut butter.  The combination is wonderful!  Come on, isn't that a pretty and fantastically delicious looking breakfast?

I know, I have an unnatural love of peanut butter.  This smoothie is also delicious on it's own, with pistachios, or any other nut/nut-butter of your liking!  One trick that I always give friends and family for making the best smoothie is to freeze your fruit so you don't need to use ice.  I dislike watered down smoothies and freezing the fruit guarantees a creamy, flavor packed smoothie every time!  I plan on having this smoothie for breakfast as a Thanksgiving detox and as a jump start on a day filled with baking my family's traditional Italian cakes.  Hope you all have a safe and productive black friday!

Cran-BERRY Smoothie
vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free

1 banana, frozen and broken into chunks
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1/2 cup cranberries, frozen
1 cup orange juice

Directions:
Add all frozen fruit to blender with 1/2 of the orange juice.  Start blending and add the rest of orange juice as needed until desired consistency is reached.