Omega 3 Red Smoothie (because green drinks are SO last year)...

I remember when all anyone would talk about was kale. Yuck! I made a few kale smoothies, but was never a big fan. Sure, it's REALLY healthy, but meh.

Well, it seems red is the new green! WebMD has a great article about the benefits of red foods. I will point out that I think it's important to get a color-balanced diet, but it's fun to experiment sometimes!

Since I'm in my third-trimester, I'm trying to focus on getting Omega-3s for baby brain development. For non-pregnant people, they can offer anti-inflamatory benefits, help with arthritis, asthma, etc. Being a non-fish eater I only use flax to get my omegas.

I was at Target the other day and came across a 'red power' smoothie drink. It was quite expensive, but I wasn't going to be home anytime soon and was craving something sweet. I turned it around, and they were nice enough to give me the recipe!

Wahoo! Guess who's making smoothies?!? A quick trip to the grocery store rounded out my supplies (I had the flax, grapes and bananas on hand).

Since I wanted to make a giant batch of juice, I tweaked the recipe. I ended up using:

• 20 red seedless grapes
• 2 bananas
• 3 red delicious apples
• 2 naval oranges
• 1/2 small bottle POM juice
• 1/2 small bag frozen strawberries
• 1/2 small bag frozen raspberries
• 1 cup 100% apple/cranberry juice
• 5 tbsp ground flaxseed meal

I put as much fruit in the blender that would fit! Then, after it reduced, I added the remaining ingredients (except the flax seed).

I wasn't sure how 'gritty' the smoothie would be, so I thought I may strain it before adding the flax. Since there weren't any seeds, the mix was very 'smoothie-esque' so I went ahead and added the ground flax. It's very finely ground, so it's not like you have seeds in your drink. If you had a really watery juice you may notice it, but in a smoothie it practically disappears.

I ended up with a full pitcher of the juice. It's slightly tart, but not cranberry juice tart. I had some fresh watermelon on hand I thought about adding, but it's so delicious raw that I didn't want to waste it! It would definitely be a good addition if you like a more sweet juice. 

I wasn't brave enough to add any red veggies (beets, rhubarb, etc.)... maybe next time!

What red juices have you tried? What are your favorite fruits/veggies to spruce up a smoothie?