This morning I was poking around on some of my fav websites and saw a short article about a smoothie that stood out to me because of the tremendous amount of information being shared lately about one if its key ingredients: the fabulous spice Turmeric. I personally buy it in bulk (Frontier Natural Products Co-Op brand, 1lb – I get it via Vitacost) and just fill my spice bottle when needed. Known mainly for cooking up in Indian cuisine, Turmeric has a lot of other health benefits, one being a crazy good anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant… a lot of “anit’s” 🙂  My hubby puts it on his eggs in the morning, makes a rockin’ grilled shrimp dish with it (recipe to come 🙂 ), and there is so much more that can be done with this healing spice.  ANYWAY, this article shared a yummy smoothie recipe utilizing this great spice, along with some other key ingredients, as well.

The smoothie recipe was adapted from the Collective Evolution article Turmeric Smoothie Recipe. I am going to relay it to you the exact way I made it this morning, as it was the perfect way, with this combo of ingredients, to start my day.

• 1 cup hemp milk – Living Harvest Hemp Milk (unsweetened, original)
• 1/2 cup frozen organic mango chunks
• 1 fresh organic banana
• 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil – Nutiva Coconut Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon organic turmeric (I increased to 1 tsp) – Frontier Co-Op Ground Turmeric Root
• 1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon – Frontier Co-Op Vietnamese Premium Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon organic ginger (I used actual ginger ROOT)
• 1 teaspoon organic chia seeds – Greens Plus Organic Chia Seeds
• 1 teaspoon organic maca root powder – Navitas Naturals Maca Root Powder

Add all ingredients into a Vitamix or high-powered blender and process until smooth. The article said to try to drink this smoothie in the morning before you have anything to eat. It is creamy and soothing, and it was a great way to start of the day!

PRINT RECIPE:  Yummy Turmeric Smoothie Recipe

ALL of the ingredients have tremendous health benefits, but to highlight a few of my favorites…

TURMERIC – “Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence. It is what gives curry its yellow color, and has been used in India for thousands of years for medicinal purposes. Turmeric is high in curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.” Read more: http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/

CINNAMON – “Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have long revered cinnamon as a superpower used to treat things such as colds, indigestion and cramps and also believed to improve energy, vitality and circulation. It can lower your bad cholesterol, lower your blood sugar, which is good for those with diabetes, and has anti-fungal properties.” Read more: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

MACA  – “Maca is a root that will grow in the Andes mountains of Peru.This root has been used like a food source for hundreds of years, and many Peruvians use it for its medicinal purposes.  Mineral deposits which includes calcium supplement, mineral magnesium, and iron are all located in maca, in combination with C vitamin and nutritional vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12. It has a exclusive sense of balance of proteins, carbs, anti-oxidants, plant sterols, minerals and vitamins. Maca offers energy, given it account balances the endocrine system, such as the adrenals, pancreatic, pituitary and thyroid gland.” Read more: http://macapowderbenefits.net/