Gingerbread Molasses Smoothie

Christmas may be over, but I’m not ready to give up the flavors of the season just yet.  Here is contributor McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN with a healthy way to enjoy the taste of gingerbread!  

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Tis’ the season…of gingerbread! I LOVE ginger therefore, it’s natural for me to gravitate towards gingerbread cookies and everything ginger infused. I wanted to make a special treat and a twist on the classic gingerbread cookie, so meet the Gingerbread Molasses Smoothie. It’s a super thick, creamy, chilled, and full of sweet fruits, warming spices, and nutrient dense! The cold smoothie filled with warming spices of nutmeg, all spice, ginger, and cinnamon make this a wonderful ying-yang balance of warming and cooling foods.Gingerbread Molasses Smoothie

In comparison to a yummy gingerbread cookie, this smoothie contains far more fiber, healthy fats, protein, iron, vitamin C, and minerals. All of these macronutrients and micronutrients are even more important this time of year for our bodies when we may be under a little more stress (good or bad stress) because of the holidays, traveling, working, socializing, etc. All my ladies out there will also love this smoothie because of one mineral in particular.

Not only is this smoothie incredibly delicious, seriously it’s so good, but it also contains very high amounts of iron! The star players in this smoothie that make this one so high in iron is the black strap molasses and the chia seeds. Smoothies are already super easy on our digestion making the nutrients from the ingredients easier for our bodies to assimilate and utilize. The iron rich ingredients black strap molasses and chia seeds are perfect matches for the vitamin C containing pear and banana.

TIP // To make sure you’re getting the maximum amount of absorption of iron especially from non-heme sources (i.e. plant-based foods), be sure to pair them with foods high in vitamin C (think bell peppers, citrus, fruits, and vegetables in general).

I hope you love this smoothie as much as you love gingerbread cookies! Also note, this can be eaten any time of day, I actually prefer this one as a dessert smoothie when I’m craving something sweet and filling.

With love and gratitude,
xo McKel

Ingredients
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 fresh pear
  • 1-2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (adjust to your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds (soak in the almond milk for at least 20 minutes)
  • ½ scoop Sunwarrior warrior blend vanilla protein (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root (adjust to your taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • ¼ teaspoon maple extract
  • handful of ice cubes, as needed
  • gluten free gingersnap cookies to garnish, optional

{Click here for the full instructions on how to whip up this smoothie…}

 

McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN is a Registered Dietitian and Health & Wellness Coach who is the owner and blogger at Nutrition Stripped. McKel is a nutrition professional and advocate for getting back to basics with whole real foods (gluten-free friendly) but also encouraging the flexibility with eating healthy. Nutrition Stripped focuses on nutrition information and research integrated into simple and delicious recipes. McKel’s mission is to help you gain knowledge of healthy food choices, nutrition, and apply them to your daily life. It’s your stripped-down guide to an unprocessed lifestyle with no expiration date.  Connect with McKel onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram andPinterest.

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