Sweet Potato Power Smoothie

This vegan sweet potato power smoothie packs a punch of immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals. Sweet potato purée is blended with frozen bananas, frozen cauliflower (see this post for more information about this surprising smoothie addition), almond milk, dates, almond butter, and a dash of cinnamon. The result is a thick, frosty fall smoothie that nourishes just as much as it satisfies. 

When you first find out you’re pregnant, you’ll find yourself swirling, hazy-headed, in an abyss of new warnings and not-to-do’s, many of which you’ve unwittingly collided with via interweb pregnancy forums. (If you understand the following acronyms, then you, too, have been a victim: TWW, DH, LO, BFP, TTC, CM, DD, DS.)

Everyone, but especially those compelled to convey their opinions on public forums, seems to have an opinion about  pregnancy.

But be forewarned, some of these opinions are more closely aligned with the truth than others, and some are just downright inaccurate…

Don’t sleep on your back, only your side and preferably your left side. Yes, yes. Stay on your left side all. night. long. What’s that? You’ve lost feeling in all of your appendages? Just ignore that. The left side is the ONLY way to have a healthy baby. You can spare a toe or two, right?

Out with the herbal teas and essential oils! 

So long anti-aging creams!

Throw away ALL of your makeup! All of it. It’s all toxic. Wear only pure shea butter and the tears of newborn children on your face for the next 9 months.

You can have caffeine but not too much. Like you should probably not have more than half a sip of coffee every day. I had 1 full sip every day while pregnant with DD (Dear Daughter), and now she’s a chatty kathy. The kid won’t. shut. up. Which is funny, because sometimes I can’t stop yammering either. It drives DH (Dear Husband) NUTS! But with DD it’s not a personality thing, it was definitely the coffee. Just warning you all! Stay away from the coffee, okay? And just make sure you drink lots of water, because it’s so important to stay hydrated. Oh yes, and eat your greens! Need that iron! Oh, oh, and one more thing: sleep on your left side!! Okay, TTYL. BYEEEE! p.s. Baby dust to all!!!

Rest in peace red wine, see ya later beloved teeth whitening strips, farewell hot yoga!

In the third trimester, your feet will swell so much that you’ll outgrow ALL of your shoes. Instead of buying new shoes, I made some out of cereal boxes. Works great! #minimalism 

A friend of a friend’s mom’s sister’s pet chinchilla’s previous owner who attended med school for 12 days 23 years ago said that it’s best to avoid lifting anything over 2.34 ounces while pregnant. Has anyone else heard this?! I’m terrified to even pickup a tube of toothpaste—it’s 3 ounces.

Be sure to go to the dentist and the ophthalmologist while you’re pregnant. Pregnancy makes your teeth rot and your eyes go bad! Seriously. I didn’t go to the dentist the entire time I was pregnant (or the 11 years prior), and I had 17 cavities because of it!

As you’ve likely gathered, there are small to large amounts of truth in each of the above statements, but many well-intentioned tips are taken to alarmist-level heights.

But of all the wacky warnings I stumbled upon, why did no one warn me about the crazy, crazy dreams that pregnancy hormones bring about?

My goodness, the dreams are so vivid and detailed and bizarre that they’re absolutely exhausting.

Sometimes I wake up gasping for air and then feel immediately thankful that, no, a Stealth Bomber jet flown by murderous clowns wasn’t actually trying to land in our condo.

Nope. No need to worry, that freakiness was wrought purely from my own subconscious.

But beyond the scary, breath-stealing dreams, there are lovely ones, too. Dreams that have left me feeling reconnected with grandparents who passed away long ago and others that have elicited ideas for tasty new recipes like this one…

Yes, somewhere amidst the horrors of clowns and stealth bombers, there was a sweet potato power smoothie recipe just waiting to be summoned from subconscious thought. Who knew?

To make this immunity boosting, nourishing fall smoothie, you’ll need a simple list of ingredients, including:

» 2 frozen bananas
» A cup (or so) of sweet potato purée
» A heaping cup of frozen cauliflower (sounds crazy, but trust me)
» Unsweetened almond milk
» Medjool dates
» Drippy almond butter
» Ground cinnamon

Add everything to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until smooth.

The result is a subtly spiced, nutrient-dense smoothie that packs a punch of energizing vitamins and minerals.

Think: vitamin a, vitamin c, manganese, vitamin B6, folate, and choline.

5 from 1 vote

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Sweet Potato Power Smoothie

This vegan sweet potato power smoothie packs a punch of immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals and is rich with fall flavor. Sweet potato purée is blended with frozen bananas, frozen cauliflower (see this post for more information about this surprising smoothie addition), almond milk, dates, almond butter, and a dash of cinnamon. The result is a thick, frosty fall smoothie that nourishes just as much as it satisfies. 

Course Breakfast, Smoothie

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 2 (12-ounce) smoothies

Ingredients

• 2 ripe and speckled bananas, peeled, sliced, and frozen
• 3/4 to 1 cup canned sweet potato purée, to taste*
• 1 heaping cup frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more only if absolutely needed to encourage blending**
• 2 soft, sticky Medjool dates, pitted (optional for a sweeter smoothie)
• 1 tablespoon drippy almond butter**
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until smooth, stopping as often as needed to scrape down the sides. You'll want to add as little almond milk as possible to maintain a thick, frosty texture. Patience is a virtue here—just keep stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, and you'll be rewarded with a delightfully thick, shake-like treat.
2. Pour into a glass (or two).
3. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*Feel free to substitute unsweetened pumpkin purée for the sweet potato purée if that's what you have on hand.

**No Nuts? No Problem. To keep this smoothie nut-free, simply swap out the almond milk for a nut-free plant-based milk (e.g., soy milk, oat milk, hemp milk, etc.) and swap out the almond butter for sunflower butter.

***For a protein boost, add 1 to 2 scoops of pure pumpkin seed protein. This adds a whopping 9–19 grams of complete protein to the smoothie.