On this week’s podcast, we’re making smoothies … but not just any smoothies. The blended drinks we’re making today are designed to support your family’s gut and heart health and to deliver benefits like glowing skin and strong muscles. My guest is Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, author of Smoothies & Juices, and she joins the podcast fun to explain why it’s time to break out your blender, because smoothies are the perfect thirst quencher all year long.
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Frances Largeman-Roth is a registered dietitian, mom of three, avid runner, and author of Smoothies & Juices: 100 Delicious Recipes for Optimal Wellness. (Keep reading to find out how you can enter for a chance to win this delicious book.) Frances is the founder of FrancesLargemanRoth.com where you will find recipes for the whole family and many free healthy eating guides. She’s a cookbook author and contributor to Today.com, Parents, and Parade. She has appeared on TV shows like Good Morning America and the Rachael Ray Show. Frances is a whiz when it comes to making smoothies.
Me please! Ginger-Mango Orange Creme.
On today’s show, we’ll share smoothie recipes made with unexpected ingredients like fresh and frozen peaches and whole grain oats, and we’ll blend up one of my favorite recipes from the book for Ginger-Mango Orange Creme. Frances shares inside information about what to stock in your gut-healthy smoothie pantry, and she gives us the scoop on protein powder and collagen and why you may want to add them to your smoothies. It’s time to break out your blenders again and make smoothies!
“Smoothies deliver nutrients in small, portable packages and aren’t just for summertime.”
– Frances Largeman-Roth
Giveaway:
We’re giving away a copy of Smoothies & Juices to one lucky U.S. winner. For a chance to win, post a comment in the comments section below and tell me about your favorite smoothie recipe and/or your favorite go-to smoothie ingredient. I’ll pick one winner at random on December 16th at noon ET. Good luck!
Show Highlights:
- Frances Largeman-Roth family’s move from Brooklyn to Westchester with her husband and three kids (ages 11, 9, and 6) and how she’s preparing to add a new puppy to the mix
- Frances’ work for food magazines, writing cookbooks, and her website/newsletter
- What mealtime looks like in her busy household
- Frances’ cookbooks: Feed the Belly (a guide for pregnant moms who want to eat a healthy diet), The Carb Lovers Diet, and Eating in Color (prompted by her picky daughter)
- Her latest cookbook, Smoothies & Juices, focuses on the nutrients packed into smoothies
- What you need to start your smoothie adventure: a blender, measuring cups, and freezer bags
- The ideal smoothie for gut health includes prebiotic fiber (good sources are bananas, oats, apples, kiwi, chia seeds, flax seeds, honey, and maple syrup) and probiotics (good sources are kefir and yogurt)
- Frances’ Gut Health Smoothie is made with kefir, kale, almond butter, banana, and kiwi
- Why you should add oats to your smoothies for body and texture
- Other surprising smoothie ingredients include avocado, chia seeds, and flax seeds
- Try Frances’ Ginger-Mango Orange Cream Creme that’s made with carrots, ginger, mango, orange carrot juice, and vanilla yogurt
- Frances’ helpful tips:
- Add juice to your blender before other ingredients
- Add baby spinach for iron, fiber, and a mild sweetness
- Clean your blender by adding two drops of liquid soap and water; blend it and it will clean itself!
- How smoothies and their powerful nutrients can promote a healthy immune system
- How smoothies can help improve your skin if you add collagen and beta carotene
- To reduce inflammation:
- Reduce added sugars, refined carbs, and saturated and trans fats
- Use grapes, cherries, turmeric, ginger, chia seeds, and blueberries
- In smoothies, avoid added sugar, but don’t shy away from the natural sugars in fruits and dairy ingredients because they provide energy and added nutrition
- Should I add protein powder to smoothies? Which ones are best? Check out Frances’ book for all the information you need
- Frances’ family favorite smoothies:
- Strawberry Avocado Refresher: strawberries, avocado, frozen banana, lime juice, and ice
- Banana Avocado Zinger: banana, avocado, baby spinach, coconut water, frozen pineapple chunks, chopped fresh parsley, and lime juice (jalapeño is optional)
LINKS and RESOURCES:
My email: [email protected]
Resources:
Find Francis on the web:
Instagram and Twitter: @FrancesLRothRD
Get her FREE monthly FLR VIP newsletter with recipes and discounts: www.franceslargemanroth.com
Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen
Author of Eating in Color and Feed the Belly
Contributor At Today.com and Parents magazine
Host of The Milk & Honey Kitchen with Frances on YouTube
Like Frances on Facebook
Frances’ collagen recommendation: Unflavored collagen from Vital Proteins and the vanilla multi collage from Ancient Nutrition. Frances uses it in her coffee daily and also enjoys adding it to smoothies.
For other Liz’s Healthy Table Podcasts, check out:
Cooking with Pulses with Jenny Chandler
Sick of Cooking? We’ve Got You Covered with Wendy and Jess
Cooking with Beans with Joe Yonan
I can’t wait to listen to this episode and expand my smoothie horizons! I get stuck on the classic chocolate, banana, PB combo, and I’d love to mix it up. Also, I saw in the notes that collagen can be added to smoothies. I hadn’t thought of that! I’ve been adding it to my coffee, but this would be a great option for an alternative mixer. Love your show!
Thanks Meredith. I have not tried collagen, but I may need to. I like the sound of the benefits that Frances talked about on the show 🙂
My fav: frozen bananas, milk, PB, vanilla.
Hello As I was walking this morning I was listening to Frances . A bell went off in my head. I have 5 grandkids I am always cooking healthy recipes for them Disappointed when they just do not like what I make One recipe they always enjoy is my ice cream I call it that
In my mini processor which is like 45 years old but works great I make them Banana nice cream with frozen strawberries & blueberries a little almond milk Topped with mini choc chips in a ice cream sundae glass. Well your podcast got me thinking ,If I buy a bullet blender for each family Then I can teach them to make smoothies with the Ingredients they need to stay healthy Then I can be done experimenting with recipes that are wasting money & time.
So thank you for offering the very informative podcast today
Eileen Greenberg
Ellen, it sounds like the bullet blender may be just the holiday gift your family has been dreaming of! Thanks for listening to the show and stopping by 🙂
I always add cacao powder to my smoothies and banana to sweeten! 😊
My favorite to-go ingredient is spinach.
I like making smoothies with strawberries, bananas, yogurt and honey
My go to ingredient is low sugar yogurt
My favorite: spinach, almond butter, frozen blueberries, frozen tart cherries, 1/2 frozen banana, add ground flax seed and collagen and filtered water.
I need to jump on the collagen bandwagon!
The first smoothie I actually enjoyed was banana, any milk and chocolate protein powder. It’s good enough that it’s replaced ice cream as a summer treat.
I’ve tried a few using bananas as a creamy base but they always add a strong flavor so I have to consider that.
Kefir, matcha, frozen banana, Frozen Kale, baby Spinach, avocado, frozen cauliflower- not all together but so hard to pick one favorite ingredient
This will sound insane but my most recent go-to smoothie ingredient is….ground mushrooms. Lol! They apparently pack a nutritional immune boosting punch. I can’t taste them when I add to my smoothies, rap when I add chocolate protein powder or cacao powder in a greens based smoothie.
1/2 cup Milk, 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 container Greek yogurt, and 1 Tbsp. Trilogy Health Seeds.
Favorite ingredient is ginger!
Great show ! My favorite smoothie “add in “is a large spoonful of canned pumpkin.. adds fiber, sweetness and its other nutrients .. goes with most everything!
My favorite smoothie ingredient is baby spinach. You can add tons without even tasting it. Great way to get your greens!
I drink one that is called a PMS smoothie and it’s ingredients are supposed to help with bloating and such that comes during that time of month.
Collagen, cashew milk, spinach, frozen banana and cinnamon. Cinnamon is key and the secret ingredient!
Ooooh. Cinnamon. I love that secret ingredient, and a healthy one too 🙂
I’ve been having a smoothie every morning for the last 3 years. I add frozen cherries, frozen mango, full fat greek yogurt, oats, flax seeds, a date (for sweetness), prunes, milk and marine collagen. I use a Nutribullet, and make a small smoothie for my husband and myself. I’m in my late 50’s and feel great! I started making the smoothie, because I wanted to increase the amount of fruit I was eating. I’m interested in expanding my smoothie flavors, and really enjoyed listening to Francis’s ideas!
My favorite smoothie is from Katie Morford: https://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/recipes/creamy-dreamy-banana-date-shake/
I have it almost daily in the warmer months.
I like coffee and mocha mixtures.
A couple of my favorite smoothie ingredients are raw cacao powder and coconut ice cubes that I made by freezing coconut milk in an ice cube tray.
I love the ice cube idea!
Plain Greek yogurt is my favorite way to add protein and creaminess to smoothies!
Hi Liz, What a super show. My daughter and I eat a smoothie Monday thru Friday so this book is just up my alley. 😁
I also use collagen daily. Favorite add ins are pitted dates for sweetness, frozen cauliflower for a flavorless veggie boost and persimmon ( which are inexpensive in the markets right now) makes a delicious flavor addition.
Hi Liz,
My favorite smoothie ingredients are greens (kale, spinach, or chard), homemade kombucha, spirulina powder, kelp powder, ashwaghanda root powder, collagen powder, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, chia, flaxmeal, frozen berries or cherries, banana. I upgraded from my old blender to a Vitamix (thanks to the stimulus bonus!) and LOVE it! I make enough for my husband and myself. I also keep them for the next day. Putting all ingredients except greens and liquid in a freezer zip-top bag saves so much time. I make a bunch of smoothie bags at once.
I love smoothies! My latest favorite thing to add is the Power Green mix of baby kale, spinach and swiss chard from Costco. My kids don’t love eating those veggies in salads, but they like them in smoothies.
I love adding cherries to smoothies… it elevates every smoothie for me. 🙂
I’m looking at the show highlights and I’m wondering why some of the hyperlinks have a line through them? Loved the episode and am going to get the cookbook.
That’s weird. I’ll ask my web guy why it’s doing that. The links all work, so the line is odd! Thanks for pointing it out. Glad you loved the episode 🙂