Carrot Cake Smoothie? You Can Thank Davida!

Hey Loveys!
Today I'm having one of my new found Blends (yes, we've shortened Blog Friends to Blends... it's a geek thing, you may or may not understand) is going to post one of her MOUTH WATERING recipes on here, and I'm so excited! I first met her when she asked me to design her amaze-balls bloggy and we've kept in touch ever since! So without further adieu, here she is!

---------------------------------------------Hello to all My (Mostly) Healthy Life readers! I'm Davida from The Healthy Maven and I'm  thrilled Sarah is hosting me today. Sarah has been such a help in setting up my blog and giving me blogging advice so I am more than happy to share my knowledge (or recipe) today.Like My (Mostly) Healthy Life, The Healthy Maven is a blog where I share my food and fitness adventures. I'm far from perfect and definitely do not always make the healthiest or smartest decisions but I do my best! Focusing on how great I feel after eating a nutritious meal or completing a killer workout helps to keep me in line. My passion is coming up with new and creative recipes while also putting healthy twists on classic ones.That's exactly what I had in mind when I came up with this recipe for a superbly decadent and guilt-free smoothie! Now you die-hard MMHL fans (yes I shortened her blog name...) know how much Sarah loves her green smoothies. So today I decided to switch it up and go with some orangey goodness. What better way to get in your colours of the rainbow than with some carrots? Carrots actually have a multitude of benefits, and I'm not just talking about improving your eyesight (which they do). Here are some of the other reasons you should be eating carrots:- Carrots may help lower your risk of breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. Carrots contain a compound called falcarinol which in rat studies has been shown to reduce the risk of developing these cancers by 1/3. Carrots are actually the only food in the human diet that contains this compound.- A diet high in carotenoids (orangey-yellow vegetables that are a good source of vitamin A) is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in carrots can actually help decrease your blood cholesterol levels!- Carrots are great for your skin. They have strong cleansing properties which help detox the liver and thus are effective at treating acne and breakouts by eliminating toxins from the blood.- Carrots are life's natural toothbrush! They act as natural abrasives which help in eliminating dirt and plaque from the teeth and gums.

So clearly carrots are powerhouse veggies that should be consumed on the regular. But if you're like me plain old carrots just don't do the trick. Carrots and hummus? Yes please. Carrots and peanut butter? Don't knock it tell you try it! But today we're eating our carrots in a smoothie, and not just any smoothie, a Carrot Cake Smoothie! Yes you read that right, you can actually fulfill your daily carrot quota while also indulging your carrot cake fix. 

Davida takes her own photos - aren't they AMAZING?

All of the ingredients in this recipe are healthy and filled with nutrients but can also be adjusted based on your diet. Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo, FODMAPs, you name it and you will most likely be able to enjoy this recipe. Now let's get to it...Ingredients-1 cup carrots chopped
-1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (i used vanilla, coconut milk would be great too)
-1 medium frozen banana, very ripe
-1 tsp chia seeds
-1/4 cup of gluten-free rolled oats (or if not eating oats use 1 tablespoon of coconut flour or 1/4 cup cooked quinoa)
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/8 tsp (or a pinch) of ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg
-2 ice cubs-scoop of protein powder of choice (optional)Instructions1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend away! If your blender is not the greatest I suggest blending the carrots first with a bit of water before adding all other ingredients.2. Sprinkle with toppings of choice: I used 1 tsp of unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 tsp of raisins and 4 chopped walnuts.
That's all I have for you today but if you're looking for more delicious and nutritious recipes feel free to head on over to my blog at www.thehealthymaven.com. Thanks again to Sarah for hosting me! Enjoy :)--------------------------------------------------------Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. Omg. I must make this. Immediately. I did a post on the benefits of juicing over on her blog as well, so make sure to leave some comments for her!Q: Do you tend to stick to one kind of smoothie? Green like me? Or do you switch it up and really "eat the rainbow"?Q: Are you going to make this smoothie? If you do, PLEASE share with me how you like it!!!