Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie.

Crushing the winter colds with this Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie.

So I never told you guys this, but that week before and after Christmas my family was literally almost all hit with one bad string of colds. We all went down one by one, I swear it was a domino effect. Mine came a couple of days after Christmas, and while I only had one really bad day, the cold lingered, and lingered, and I’m only now just getting over it.

From the day I started to feel the cold come on, I was consuming citrus like no other, eating orange, after orange, after orange. I’ve kept up with the mass amounts of citrus, but have since decided to blend them all up into a vibrant smoothie, along with some other winter favorites, to keep me feeling great all day long.

Plus, I kind of just wanted to make a pretty layered smoothie with all the gorgeous blood oranges that are in season right now.

Also? I’ve always wondered why the perception of winter produce is that it lacks in color. I mean, beets? oranges? rainbow chard?

So much color!

Here’s the deal.

I actually hesitated to post this smoothie because it seems as though everyone and their mother are talking about smoothies right now. Something about January must just scream smoothies, because they seem to be trending.

Anyway, after a lot of back and forth, I decided that I really just needed to share this smoothie with you guys.

One, it’s too pretty not share.

Two, it’s too full of good for us things not to share.

Three, it’s way too freaking delicious not to share.

So I’m sharing…bring on the January smoothies!

In all honesty, I’m not usually the biggest smoothie person. I really just prefer to eat my food rather than drink it, but I have times when a smoothie is all I crave. Whenever I make smoothies, I have to make sure they are one, not boring, and two, filled with both veggies and fruits.

Enter this layered smoothie.

The red layer is a mix of beets (YUPPPP, BEETS), frozen raspberries, oranges, and pomegranate juice. This might sound odd, but the red layer is full of some of my most favorite fruits and veggies. Granted, I normally prefer my beets roasted, but when they’re all blended up, you don’t even realize you’re eating beets. Especially with the sweet berries and pomegranate.

It’s delicious.

The orangey yellow…ish layer is a mix of mangos, turmeric, ginger, a pinch of cayenne, and more orange. Again, sounds a little odd, especially the cayenne, but you guys, I swear this is so GOOD. The mango pairs so well with the turmeric and ginger and its sweetness cancels out the heat from the cayenne. The punch of citrus adds just the right amount of tartness.

You can really use any variety of citrus you love most, but I use a mixed of blood oranges and cara cara oranges. If you can’t find either of these, grapefruits and navel oranges will be amazing too!

As you can tell from the ingredients (and even just the vibrant color), this smoothie is jam packed with vitamin C and plenty of nutrients like fiber and antioxidants. It will keep your immune system strong and help you to feel your best plus stay energized all day long!

Um, and did I mention it’s also addictingly good? Kind of like candy?

I swear.

My goal is to try to push this smoothie into my brother Red’s hands next time I see him. The Olympics are less than a month away and I have got to get that kid eating some more color. He’s what we call a snackster, and loves to just snack. So chips, maybe some carrots, and more chips…ya, I really have to work on him.

Anyway, this makes for a great morning smoothie or mid afternoon snack and no matter what, it’s going to brighten your day. That I know for sure!

For real though, I love this smoothie! It’s taste plus looks…too good.