My sister Jill is a health nut just like me, and when I visited home on Thanksgiving Weekend, I wasn’t too surprised to see a whole basket of about 50 small turmeric roots in her refrigerator. I talk about turmeric often and have been using it in several of my recipes as well as supplemental tinctures, capsules, and teas. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory effects on the body and so many other benefits. If you’re not in love with this gorgeous root yet, here’s a few more reasons why you should be.

Turmeric is one of the most potent edibles out there. If you are pregnant or planning to be, stick to small amounts of the powder itself and do not consume in concentrated form.

Jill drinks healthy smoothies every single morning before she goes to work and usually leaves whatever is leftover in the fridge for when she gets home. One afternoon, I happen to stop by when she wasn’t home yet and saw this brightly colored orange-red shake, no doubt left there from her morning blender adventure. I immediately pulled off the lid and reluctantly took a sip. I mean WOW.

The nutrition nerd in me wanted to instantly identify every ingredient in this concoction and that’s what I did. It turns out there were only 4 ingredients: ginger root, berries, cranberries, and the beloved turmeric root. When she got home we made another batch because I wanted to add some fat to it plus some black pepper (If you read my blog post on turmeric, you know why). It turned out fantastic.

It seems not many people get excited about drinking healthy shakes outside of summertime, but when you try this, you’ll see why it’s the perfect way to welcome the winter months. Cold? Well yes, but warming at the same time. You seriously feel 50 times healthier after you had 2 sips of this. Like squeaky clean.

This smoothie is also great for the immune system with its Vitamin C filled berries, plus a TON of enzymes, amino acids, and minerals from raw honey.

The coconut oil, aside from being delicious, is there to help stabilize blood sugar levels and help absorb the nutrition in the shake and seal in the anti-inflammatory benefits.

Ingredients

5 2-3 inch pieces Fresh turmeric root, peeled and chopped

1 4-inch piece fresh ginger root, chopped or crushed

1 cup frozen organic berries

1 cup frozen organic cranberries

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted or liquid

1 tsp raw honey (grab local if you can)

1 scoop grass fed whey (optional)

Water to liquify
Add all ingredients to Vitamix or high power blender. Add enough water to come up to the edge of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Makes about 4 servings

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Anti-inflammatory Winter Smoothie