Have you ever tried tart cherry juice? If you haven’t, well then, run right out and get some!
Okay, maybe that’s a little impulsive.
Perhaps don’t run right out, but, next time you’re at the store, consider picking up a bottle. Make sure it’s 100% tart cherry juice, without any added sugar or other ingredients.
Tart cherries are an anti-inflammatory food, and, the juice can be used in quite a few different ways. Here is the nutrition data on the actual fruit – its juice is a bit higher in sugar since the fiber is stripped out.
When it comes to day-to-day use, I mostly use the juice in a homemade spritzer consisting of about 1/2 cup juice to 1.5 cups sparkling water. However, I made up this smoothie for breakfast one day, and it reminds me so much of cherry pie that I had to share.
I used a mixed berry blend for this, but if you can find only frozen cherries, that would be ideal. If you go with this blend, I recommend picking out the blackberries – even the Ninja cannot grind up their seeds.
I have suggested sprinkling a little bit of almond meal/flour in between layers of smoothie for this to give you a fairly continuous “crust,” but you certainly don’t have to. It does make for an interesting presentation, though! Keep in mind that almond meal is ground up almonds, so it is fairly high in calories (translation: don’t go too crazy with the almond meal!)
Cherry Pie Smoothie
Best Ninja Jar Choice:
- Ninja Pulse: Single serve cup
- Ninja Professional Blender: 72 ounce jar, or single serve cup if you have it
- Ninja Kitchen System: Single serve cup
- Ninja Mega Kitchen System: Single serve cup
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (1 cup) pure tart cherry juice (I get this at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 cup frozen cherries or frozen cherry blend (pick out any blackberries if they are included)
- 1/4 to 1/2 fresh avocado, depending on preference
- 1 scoop preferred protein powder, if desired, vanilla or unflavored
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
Method:
- Add all ingredients except the almond flour to your selected blender jar
- Pulse a few times to combine, and then steady state blend for 20-30 seconds until fully combined: If not using a single serve, blend on “2” for the steady state
- Sprinkle a layer of almond meal on the bottom of a glass, then add about 1/4 of the smoothie mixture, continuing to alternate the almond meal and smoothie until you have poured out the entire mixture
- Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or other preferred seed for an added nutritional boost!
If you taste it and it’s just a bit too tart for your taste, add a bit of natural sweetener to your taste – a few drops of liquid Stevia, a bit of honey, or pure maple syrup.
Nutritional Breakdown
Using 1/4 avocado, 1 scoop Jarrow Optimal Plant Protein powder, and 2 tablespoons almond meal.
