Blissful Beet & Berry Smoothie

I haven't been feeling the best the last couple of days and I think I might be fighting something off. Yesterday my stomach was hurting really bad and it made me remember one of my favorite cures for a stomach ache: aloe juice. I know it might sound weird, but I've used it the past couple of years for stomach pain, heart burn, and general indigestion. It's amazing! You can read more benefits about it here, but I highly recommend it! I learned this morning that it also neutralizes toxins in your body, regenerates tissues, improves the immune system, and helps fight cancer. You can't go wrong there.

You also can't go wrong with a beet & berry smoothie! I found this recipe on one of my new favorite blogs: Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. It was absolutely delicious! I left out the stevia and substituted spinach for kale. Drink up!

1 medium beet, baked until soft, peeled and cut in chunks
1 cup mixed fresh or frozen berries
3 large or 4 medium kale leaves (or spinach)
1/2 medium cucumber, cut in chunks
juice of 1/2 lime
1 scoop of rice protein powder (or hemp)*
1 cup rice milk (or hemp or almond)*

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (Note: if you use fresh berries, you may wish to add 1-2 ice cubes for a cold smoothie). Drink immediately. Makes 1 large or 2 small servings.

Soy-free, gluten-free (make sure you are using soy & gluten-free milk & protein powder)*

If you wish to make this smoothie raw, substitute fresh apple juice for the milk and throw in some raw almonds instead of protein powder. If your blender can handle it, you can use raw beets, or you can use beet juice instead of apple.