Beetroot Smoothie #CooktheBooks

This colorful, pretty smoothie is packed with antioxidants.  It is a great pick-me-up after a fall hike or as a post-workout treat.

I was inspired to make this drink while reading our Cook the Books October/November selection......

Debra of Eliot's Eats is hosting this month and chose the coming-of-age novel Maame by Jessica George.  Debra had not yet read this novel, but had heard so much about it that she put it on her list and decided to have us join her in this exploration.

Anyone is welcome to join us and if you are interested you can learn how in the CTB Guidelines.

This book follows Maddie, Maame, to her mother, as she begins a late start to her coming of age.  This is due to the fact that her mother spends most of her time in her homeland of Ghana, leaving the care of her husband, Maddie's father, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, to Maddie.

Maddie works in a dead-end job she hates and has very little life outside her family and work obligations, living vicariously through the books she reads voraciously.  She needs to stay in the job because not only is she responsible for the household bills, but her mother also frequently calls to request funds.  Maddie's older brother has moved out and takes little to no responsibility for his family.

Maddie's mother announces that she is returning home to London for a year and that Maddie should move out of the house.  Maddie finds a room with two housemates and begins preparing to move when she gets fired from her job.  Having already paid for her rent, she moves in anyway and begins job searching, landing a job with a small publishing company.

As Maddie begins to rediscover and transform herself into the person she hopes to become, she is laden with guilt for not being with her father daily.  The night before his birthday, as she is baking his cake, her housemates convince her to go out with them and decorate the cake in the morning.  This results in Maddie oversleeping the following day until she gets a phone call from her mother that her father had died.

Maddie sinks into a deep depression as the hits keep on coming.  She learns that a man she is dating (her first boyfriend since high school) has another girlfriend, and that her mother has been involved with another man during most of her marriage to Maddie's father.  She fears that the concern shown to her by her new employer is a ruse to steal her ideas without giving her credit.  She has a falling out with one of her housemates and begins dating a man who is bisexual, all while trying to handle the funeral arrangements for her father.

Maddie does have two good friends who are always there for her.  One of them, Mia, invites Maddie to meet for lunch after Maddie's appointment at the funeral home, where she orders a beetroot smoothie. 

I did enjoy this book, with all of the teenage angst that was delayed until Maddie was in her twenties.  It was interesting to read about a person of color being raised in London while her parents clung to their Ghanaian culture.  

Drinks, Smoothie, Snack, Healthy, Nutritious, Beets, Fruit

Drinks

American

Yield: 1

Author: Wendy Klik

Beetroot Smoothie

This colorful, pretty smoothie is packed with antioxidants. It is a great pick-me-up after a fall hike or as a post-workout treat.

Prep time: 3 MinTotal time: 3 Min

Ingredients

• 4 strawberries
• 1/4 c. blueberries
• 1/3 c. apple cider
• 1/4 of a large roasted beet
• 1/2 of a frozen, ripe banana
• 1 t. ginger paste

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a heavy-duty blender and puree until smooth.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

137

Fat (grams)

1 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

33 g

Fiber (grams)

4 g

Net carbs

29 g

Sugar (grams)

22 g

Protein (grams)

2 g

Sodium (milligrams)

22 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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