The Tale of the Beet Smoothie

Beets and I have an iffy relationship.  Ok I don’t really like them.  I’ve tried them several different ways over the years and we just haven’t connected yet.  They always taste a little “earthy” to me, in other words they taste like dirt.

We have a subscription to Door to Door Organics and in the last few weeks we got a box that came with three beets.  I had forgotten to go in and edit our order or else I definitely would’ve substituted those beets!  In trying to figure out a way to use them, I had the bright idea to put them in a smoothie.  I am a big fan of smoothies and make them several times a week.  One of my kids is a picky eater so I use smoothies to make sure he’s still getting his fruits and veggies.

So one morning I loaded up the Vitamix with water, two of the beets, a chopped and cored mushy apple, greens and a lot of frozen berries.

I whirred it up like normal and then had a taste.  (Every time we make a smoothie my kids have to taste it first before we pour it out into glasses.  Tantrums ensue otherwise.)

I think my eyes crossed with that tiny sip off the spoon.  I assumed the beets would disappear into the smoothie, much like the greens do, and all I would taste is mixed berry bliss.  Um no.  That was not the case.  All I tasted was beets.  I hated to waste all that produce so I added a ripe banana and a big glug of honey.  Whirred it up again.  It was better….but still beet-y.  I added one more ripe banana and decided we were drinking it no matter what after that.

It was a gorgeous purple color but the taste still wasn’t that great!  As I poured it into cups and served it to my kids I braced myself for their reactions.  And to my COMPLETE surprise, my two little kids (ages almost four and 20 months) drank those smoothies like they were milkshakes.  They sucked them down so fast and made no comment whatsoever about the taste.  Meanwhile Benzo and I were choking it down and hiding the disgusted looks on our faces.

A day or two later I made up another smoothie using the last single beet.  I figured well the first one tasted so “beety” because we used TWO beets.  Surely using only one would be better right?  Wrong.  It was still too earthy for me though I managed to choke it down.  Again my kids happily drank it without question.  Shocker!

So needless to say I will not be making beet smoothies again any time soon.  It was a funny experiment but not one I want to repeat!

If you do like beets and want to try a beet smoothie, here are some recipes I found:

Mixed Berry & Beet Smoothie – NY Times

Pink Power Detox Smoothie – Oh She Glows

Beet Smoothie Recipe Benefits & 5 Reasons Why to Try It – HellaWella (bringing sexy back…? 😉 )

Red Beet Vitamix Smoothie & 10 Benefits of Beets – Spinach Tiger (this was the original one I found and loosely followed)

Any suggestions on how I should next try beets?

This post was NOT sponsored in any way by any of the products or companies mentioned above.