Clementine Cream Smoothie (Vegan)

So, it’s the middle of winter here, but the weather has been strange…very strange. Last year at this time, we were locked down in what felt like the deep freeze of the century, with temperatures and the windchill so cold that your fingers would freeze within seconds of going outside if they weren’t covered up. This winter has been the polar opposite. Last week, we were wearing spring jackets and biking around the neighbourhood. I kid you not. K had his bike out and was cruising around, no mittens in sight. And while temperatures have dropped somewhat this week, it’s still way above average temperature-wise, and sadly, tobogganing might not be in the cards for us this winter. Crazy! I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t love winter, but this is too weird. Regardless, the pesky germs that seem to come with the season have still been kicking around it seems, and we’ve been loading up on our vitamin C and other natural immunity boosters to ward away the nasties.

To me, clementines are almost synonymous with the winter season. When I was pregnant with baby K last winter, I probably ate 10 a day. Not even joking. I’m curious to see if she grows up to be as citrus-obsessed as I was when she was on the inside. Anyway, clementines. They are an amazing little healthy snack packed full of vitamin C, which can help boost your immune system while simultaneously giving you a head-start when it comes to fighting off the cold and flu germs. I picked up a humungous bag the other day because they were on sale for a crazy good price. As I sat there looking at them spilling all over our countertop, an idea popped into my head. Freeze them! I know, it seems a bit odd. Freezing clementines? But friends, trust me. It’s a good idea. An amazing idea. It took me all of 5 minutes to peel, separate and pop a dozen of these little fruits into a bag and place them in the freezer. When I came back the next day, I took them out of the freezer and made this ridiculously delicious and healthy clementine mango cream smoothie, packed full of vitamin C and other essential nutrients and vitamins. It was the perfect drink, especially since both kids were coughing in my face and I was wiping runny noses all day. Thankfully, I dodged that cold! I’m thanking the smoothie.

Clementine Cream Smoothie (Vegan)

(Serves 1-2 people)

Ingredients

4 clementines, peeled, separated and frozen beforehand
1/2 cup of mango chunks, preferably frozen
1 banana (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of almond milk (or any other milk of your choice – make it non-dairy for a vegan smoothie)
1/2 cup of coconut milk from a can
1 tbsp chia seeds

Method

Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender, like the awesome Vitamix blender, and blend well. Pour into a large glass (or two smaller ones) and drink up.