Recipe: Heart Healing Love Smoothie
Brooke Slade
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
On Valentine's day, we celebrate love. We buy gifts, plan dates and dress up. We write love notes to our significant others. We express appreciation for our loved ones. But, how often (on Valentine's day or any other day) do we express appreciation for ourselves, treat ourselves to something "nice" or acknowledge all the work our hearts do for us from one Valentine's Day to the next?
While today is about expressing love and appreciation for things outside of you, I encourage you to invite some of that love inside.
In this post, I'm sharing a nourishing, heart-healthy smoothie recipe that I am hoping will remind you to take care of yourself and treat yourself well. To me, there's no better way to show yourself appreciation and love than to feed your body what it needs to thrive. This smoothie recipe feeds you in two ways: physically and emotionally. The ingredients were chosen because they each encourage your heart (and love zones) in different ways (health, heart and love benefits listed below).
The ingredients make a pink smoothie, meant to mimic the color of Rose Quartz, a crystal known to promote love and healing. The recipe also includes several aphrodisiac and mood-boosting foods. Enjoy alone or, since it is Valentine's Day, after all, share with someone you love.
Recipe: Heart Healing Love Smoothie
Health, Heart & Love Benefits
oatmeal: soluble fiber, lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood glucose levels
strawberries: antioxidants, can decrease blood pressure and help dilate blood vessels, packed with vitamin c, aphrodisiac
cacao: antioxidants and magnesium that boost heart health, mood balancing, mood boosting aphrosdisiac
almond milk: almonds are a known aphrodisiac, packed with heart-healthy vitamin e & oleic acid (from almond oil)
Ingredients
1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup ice
2 cups almond milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
1/2 cup organic rolled oats
1 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp granola
2 thinly sliced strawberries
3 raspberries
Instructions
Place strawberries, raspberries, oats, milk, ice and honey into blender. I like to add the honey last so that it doesn't sink to the bottom of the blender.
Blend everything on medium-high or "puree" option for about 60 seconds.
Pour smoothie into serving glass. Be sure to choose a glass with a large opening so that you can easily add toppings.
Dust the top of the smoothie with your cacao powder then, carefully, add other toppings (thinly sliced strawberries, 3 raspberries and granola). View image below for serving suggestion.
Enjoy!
Makes 1-2 servings.