My strawberry smoothie has a little secret 🍓 …

but before I tell you what it is, let me tell you a little more about it.
Not only is this smoothie creamy, delicious and satisfying, it can help you have firmer skin and give your metabolism a boost.  I’m all about the win-win!

So what’s in it?

🍓  Strawberries are the star of the show here.  Not only do they give great flavor, they contain generous amounts of vitamins A and C, and are high in fiber and lower in sugar than many fruits.
🍓  I used macadamia milk for the liquid, but you could use just about anything you like…cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk.  I used what I had on hand.  Whatever you use, find something without added sugar.
🍓  Collagen peptides are one of my happy, healthy and hot essentials.  They are easy to blend into hot or cold liquids, and will help firm your skin and give you stronger hair and nails.  The protein also makes your smoothie more filling.
🍓  Liquid coconut oil is a very clean burning fat source which helps you absorb the nutrients from the strawberries and doesn’t form clumps in the smoothie the way traditional coconut oil can.  Coconut oil gives your metabolism a boost, and the medium chain triglycerides are awesome for your brain.
🍓  Vanilla liquid stevia made the perfect sweetener, since frozen strawberries are usually pretty tart, and the vanilla flavor really complements them.
And now, for the secret ingredient…
🍓  Frozen cauliflower!  Yes, it sounds crazy, but hear me out.  The flavor is so mild that you don’t even taste it, but you get all the benefits of a cruciferous veggie, including vitamin C and many phytonutrients.  It even contains sulphur compounds that may slow the growth of tumors.

I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but it wasn’t mine.  I’ve been seeing cauliflower smoothies all over Instagram recently.  When my friend Sara Abdo posted a recipe using blueberries and cauliflower, I was finally inspired to try it.  Sara is a licensed esthetician who know the role nutrition plays in the health of our skin.  Follow her on Instagram @skinbysara .
This was super easy.  I basically threw everything in my Vitamix and gradually turned it up to high.
A word of warning…frozen strawberries and cauliflower florets are like little rocks.  Even with a powerful blender like a Vitamix it will be easier if you let them thaw partially.  It also depends on how thick you like the smoothie.  The more frozen they are, the thicker it will turn out.  But you may need to tamp it down a number of times to break up those frozen chunks.
So here’s the recipe.  You know the drill…feel free to modify so it suits you.  You could sub different berries, or add some protein powder (I am in love with Vanilla Coconut Collagen Fuel from Primal Kitchen).  You could also use the prepared cauli rice that is pretty readily available these days.  Use chia seeds for healthy fat instead of the coconut oil.  My vegan friends could use a plant based protein powder and skip the collagen.  Let me know how you play around with this.
happy, healthy and hot secret strawberry smoothie
1 cup partially thawed frozen strawberries
1 cup partially thawed frozen cauliflower florets
1 cup “milk” of choice
1 teaspoon liquid coconut oil (or MCT oil)
1 scoop collagen peptides
Liquid vanilla stevia to taste
Put first four ingredients in blender.  Start on low and gradually increase speed, stopping if you need to tamp everything down a bit.  When ingredients are mostly blended add collagen peptides.  Taste for sweetness and add stevia or other natural sweetener.  Enjoy!
Can this strawberry smoothie with a secret help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  Oh yeah!
You will be happy with your delicious (and pretty!) pink drink that is made with healthy ingredients.  A drink like this can help you lose weight, increase your energy and have glowing skin…all very hot!
Let me know if you have any smoothie secrets!
SHOP THE POST:
Vitamix
Collagen Peptides from Vital Proteins
NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia
Collagen Fuel from Primal Kitchen