Triple Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

Pomegranates were one of my favorite fruit discoveries as a teen. I remember the excitement of carefully peeling the pomegranate “skin” back to reveal the bright and crunchy red arils that would burst in my mouth. I still love pomegranates to this day, but I find the peeling part a bit more tedious when I am on the go.

So when I saw already peeled and ready-to-eat arils at Costco for a decent price, I happily added the package to my cart with a big smile on my face. I’ve added these little jewels to my yogurt, oatmeal and smoothies along with just munching on them as a snack…mmmmm!

This creamy smoothie is one of my new favorite ways to enjoy pomegranate – it’s thick and creamy and full of antioxidants. I’d say that’s pretty decent way to start my day!

Side note: Come to think of it, I should make time to peel a pomegranate; maybe it would be therapeutic and a stress reliever…well, that’s if I am not starving, right? 🙂

Triple Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (I used the combo of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
1/4 to 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (or you could sub pomegranate juice if desired)
1 to 2 scoops plain or vanilla protein powder (I used brown rice, optional)
1/2 ripe avocado
1-2 Tbsp chia seed, Mila or flax seed, optional for added nutrition
1 1/2 cup nondairy milk (almond, coconut, rice, soy or hemp)
ice cubes, if desired (I didn’t use this since I used frozen berries)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a blender (I used a high powered Health Master) and blend until smooth. Pour into glass(es) and enjoy!

Serves two (cut recipe in half if single serving is needed)

Note: I used a high powered blender in this recipe as opposed to my Magic Bullet to help blend/crush the seeds of the berries and pomegranate 🙂