This recipe is brought to you by the amazing Sergio. He’s still kicking it in Afghanistan. I’m still missing him. A lot. But we get to chat weekly, and now that I have a new computer, we can Facetime. I don’t know what that is, but I think it sounds cool. So once I figure out what the hell Facetime does, we still email lots. And this recipe idea came via email. Here’s what Serge said, “I was reading a study about how if you eat beets an hour before a workout it will help dilate your blood vessels which in turn increases the amount of oxygen delivered to your muscles. Soooo, if you could make a pre workout smoothie, something that contains protein, fat, and beets then BAM.” So that’s what I did, for my Sergio.
And it’s always funny when your pee turns pink from the beets. That’s way cooler than a better workout.
I need to tell you a story. It starts on Saturday October 27th. I’ll help you visualize. It was morning time, I still had my pajamas on, and I was getting ready to go to my friend Clark’s gym, CrossFit South Denver, for his Bears for Kids Charity Competition. But before Laura and I went to the competition, we wanted to get an almond milk chai from one of our favorite restaurants, Devil’s Food. So, we headed out the door to get in my car, but guess what?! It wasn’t there. Nope, she gone. Someone straight up stole my car. It was locked, had nothing of value in it, and I kept my insurance and registration with me since I kind of expected this to happen. So I guess that’s a good thing. But it turns out, it’s kind of hard to get around without a car. Like getting to Whole Foods. I feel like such an annoying mooch when I have to ask friends for rides. It blows.
But the story doesn’t end there. Oh no it does not. So get this. On Sunday October 28th, my good friends, wait my really good looking friends Jake and Krystle were out walking their obnoxious yet adorable bulldog and noticed a car very similar to mine. So when they stopped by so Jake could insult me with comments of how dirty our house is (which is true), they mentioned we should just go check it out since it was only 3 blocks from my house. Welp, you can guess where this is going. It was my car . My little civic that I’ve had since I was 16 was sitting 3 blocks from my house. The ignition is torn apart and the locks don’t work, but she’s still alive. Just wreaks like weed. Guess they found my stash. I’m kidding. Weed smells like skunk. Hopefully they can fix it! Keep your fingers crossed!!
No joke, I’ve watched Twilight 4 times in the last week. #sorryfornotbeingsorrythattwilightisthebestthinginmyliferightnow.
Sweet Beet Pre-Workout Smoothie
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large beet, peeled and diced (equivalent to 1 cup diced beets)
- 1 banana, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup frozen berries (I used strawberries and raspberries)
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 scoop vanilla Primal Fuel protein
- 1 tablespoon raw honey (optional)
Instructions
- First you gotta roast your beets. Try biting into one of those raw. No fun. So preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and peel your beets and dice them up.
- Arrange pieces on a baking sheet then drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil on top.
- Bake in oven for about 45 minutes or until they are tender.
- Let cool.
- Once your beets are cooled, add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Add more coconut milk or water if needed.
- Drink up!
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You May Also Like:
Raspberry Sunrise Breakfast Shake
Blueberry Chai Granola Smoothies
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Props to you Sergio, I spent a year long deployment to the ghan, its no bueno…be safe out there brother (Semper Fidelis if you too are a Marine.) Also nice find wit the beats and the dialation of blood vessels, leafy cruciferous veggies like kale and spinach have similar effects.
I like the recipe – but I would probably boil the beets for a better flavor…. for some reason I can’t stomach olive oil in smoothies, but I love the idea of a beet in a smoothie.
If you’ve got a high power blender like a vitamix you can skip the roasting part, it’ll blend those beets up. =) I love your blog by the way. I left the workout world for the stability of a teaching job now that I have a little mini me running around and reading your blog makes me miss it. I miss hanging out at the gym and I miss my body that now refuses to shed 25lbs of baby weight. maybe I should just go totally paleo? sigh. If you’re ever in the Dominican Republic I got lots of guys to send your way ;0
i wish i was in the dominican republic!! that sounds amazing!
Try using soaked cashews. They;re easier to digest, make basically everything amazing and give you a little pre-workout fat … doesn’t everyone want more fat in their lives. gross
I have a really bad-ass dairy free frappuccino recipe if you’re interested. I eat it like 30-60 min before my Saturday WOD’s. zing!
ummmmmm YES PLEASE
1/2 cup raw soaked cashews
2 T ground coffee
1 tsp lucuma
1/4 tsp vanilla or powdered vanilla bean
2 T honey
Stevia to taste
Add ice and water or coconut water
Blend and enjoy!
Sometimes I’ll add a raw egg white or other protein powder
Sorry to hear about your car! My car was stolen in high school and it was stripped when the cops found it. The worst. Glad to hear you got it back though and it is fixable (read your other posts!).
Just sported my very first PaleOMG headband and shirt at the local gym and got a million compliments/questions. Yay for spreading the word about PaleOMG! *Not yay for being hella interrupted during my workout :/
Love your blog and your IG photos 🙂
Hi. I’m new to the Paleo diet. Can I use a juicer for the beets instead of putting it in the oven since I don’t have much time in the mornings?
absolutely!
I think we’d all like that frappucino recipe!
What kind of egg protein do you use/recommend? Sorry if you already covered this, I tried skimming the comments:/
I don’t have a specific kind I like, just find what works in your budget and doesn’t have added junk in the ingredients
So, at the risk of being a bit of a downer (which I am not trying to be! I swear!) I just wanted to point out that while Beets do cause some vasodilation that doesn’t necessarily mean they will enhance the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood to ones skeletal muscles. The ability of our skeletal muscles to generate ATP (energy) has more to do with the adaptations in the mitochondria that make them better in utilizing oxygen. That being said, Beets are delicious and good for you! And the smoothie looks great! So it certainly couldn’t hurt! Just wanted to clarify that it doesn’t necessarily enhance workouts. 😉
I tried this as my first paleo meal. SERIOUSLY!
This is a fantastic concoction that will be on my “A” list for a pre workout wonder!
This is SO good, AND I didn’t use the honey.
YUMMMM!