Since moving into our new house we’ve gotten the chance to meet some of our new neighbors. We love our new neighborhood so much. I’ve told you before that it is completely walkable. I’ve really noticed how lazy I used to be to do the simplest things like going to the grocery store or the post office with a car instead of walking or riding a bike. Granted our old neighborhood was not walkable and didn’t have sidewalks. We are so blessed to now have everything we need within 2 miles of us (with safe sidewalks). There’s no use for a car when we have our three wheels (a.k.a. the BOB stroller)!
Children whose neighborhoods were like our old neighborhood where they are lacking in access to sidewalks, parks or playgrounds, or recreation or community centers had 20-45% higher odds of becoming obese or overweight compared to children who had access to these amenities.¹ Every child should have a safe and healthy environment to run around and live healthy, happy lives.
We are even blessed enough to have a park just a few blocks away from our house to let our mr. Liam run and play now!
Well, we went over to a little neighborly get-together the other day to get to know one another and let the kids play. It was SO much fun to meet other couples and let Liam play with children his age.
While we were sitting down at dinner, one of the moms and I started getting talk about our blender and how many great ways there are to hide fruit and vegetables in delicious recipes made with the Blendtec. I dub myself as a queen of hiding vegetables in sweet treats, but had never thought to incorporate beets!
The next day, I was on the hunt for raw red beets to make this healthy red velvet smoothie come to life. I was skeptical (as I always am with hiding vegetables), but I’m always pleasantly surprised at how amazing the healthy treats are! This smoothie is no different. It’s got absolutely no beet flavor, but exceptionally sweet flavors and hints of cocoa and strawberries. Mmm!
Every little thing I can do to feed my family healthy foods, even if that does mean hiding beets and fruit into a seemingly decadent dessert. “Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.” – CDC
Well, today I have the honor of teaming up with Partnership for a Healthier America, All-Clad and an amazing group of bloggers to help raise awareness for childhood obesity. When we teach our children how to make healthy choices, it will become natural and they will have the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives.
With 1 in 3 children and adolescents being overweight or obese, something has to change. Parents, help your children learn healthier options with both eating habits and physical activities. We have lots of ideas for you today!
Check out healthier back-to-school recipes here:
Texanerin Baking – Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Dinners, Dishes and Desserts – Tomato Balsamic Ravioli
Carla’s Confections – Dried Fruit & Nut Trail Mix
Table for Two – Lightened Up Chicken Salad Sandwich
Country Cleaver – Raspberry Peach Fruit Leather
All Day I Dream About Food – Guilt-Free Fig Newtons
Eat Good 4 Life – Nutella Breakfast Oatmeal
BranAppetit – Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders
The Lemon Bowl – Gluten Free Oatmeal Peach Bread
Healthy Red Velvet Smoothies
adapted from Keepin’ It Kind
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chopped raw red beets (or grated if you don’t have a Blendtec or similar blender)
- 4 medium hulled strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup skim (or unsweetened almond) milk
- 2 dried and pitted dates, sliced
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
How-To
- Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth.
Servings: about 2 cups of smoothie
Giveaway
Now, in hopes that you’ll take all of this knowledge and apply it to your family’s day-to-day routines, we have a little (CRAZY BIG) giveaway for you! Get excited!
There’s an All-Clad 7 piece set (MSRP $489.99) and nine 11″ All-Clad skillets (MSRP $139.99) up for grabs!
This post contains affiliate links. This giveaway has been sponsored by Partnership for a Healthier America and All-Clad. I did not receive any compensation for this post. Please read my disclosure policy for further information.
¹CDC
We plan meals and shop on Sunday. We make sure to have fresh food in the house and leftovers for lunch so we don’t want to go out to eat or order pizza.
This year we’re going to bring more leftovers for lunch (healthy of course)!
I was just thinking about red velvet and here you are. Love, love, love this!!!
Thanks for sharing. So glad your enjoying your new neighbourhood. what a blessing 🙂
Awesome looking smoothie! 🙂 I love how naturally red it is. I do love red velvet goodies but tablespoons of dye just aren’t my thing. 😉 Now I just need to overcome my fear of beets.
Yum…now that’s a pretty smoothy and I love that it’s sweetened with dates.
plan more meals in advance to avoid take out!
Ooh! With back to school just around the corner, smoothies are on my radar! Thanks!
To spend more time planning meals in advance to optimize nutritional value, minimize leftovers, and maximizing great flavor!
This smoothie looks yummy! Just pinned it for future use! 🙂
I’m trying to incorporate fresh vegetable juice into our daily diet!
The biggest change for us is that our oldest will be eating lunch at school so definitely doing a lot of fun homemade items for her to eat while there. But I’d love to try to incorporate more veggies into our diet.
So excited to try that smoothie!
I think I need to get back to my plan of eliminating processed junk. My kids will eat veggies & fruits, and I feel like I need to take advantage of that more. 🙂
We take two days out of the week & cook all of our meals for the week on those days. So much easier & keeps me organized.
I make my kids a smoothie every morning before breakfast to make sure they are getting a good 2 servings of produce. Their favorite is pumpkin pie smoothies which is just frozen banana, canned pumpkin, cinnamon and almond milk. It’s so creamy and yummy!
Not necessarily a new school year for us, but I plan to pack fueling snacks like dried fruit + nuts for my husband to eat throughout his long days on base.
Cannot wait to try the Red Velvet Smoothie!!! This looks absolutely yummy!!!!
We have been implementing “meatless” Mondays into our menus and we also try to make smoothies every day. As long as it’s pinkish in color I can get my three year old to drink it! Thanks for the recipe and giveaway!
I despise beets, but I have to say, this looks REALLY good!!
Well I don’t have kids, but I have a younger sister going off to college and she asked me what kind of food she should keep in her dorm room…I emphasized lots of fruit and healthy, easy choices like oatmeal and yogurt!
Definitely more walking/bike riding, and healthy snacks are a must this year
Using healthier ingredients
switching to more eco-friendly containers
Love to have a chance to win that All-Clad giveaway! Great smoothie recipe! Thanks!
I’m going to plan ahead, eliminate as many processed foods as I can from our diet and drink more healthy smoothies 🙂
Super healthy and refreshing. I love this combination.
I’m trying to pack more fruit and less crackers/chips/carbs for their school snacks!
Eating more fruit, we do not eat enough
I make the lunches the night before to make the day less hectic and stressful. This also gives everyone a say in their lunch and time to help prepare it or make it themselves. We use local and organic products and in the winter we use what we have frozen or canned or dehydrated.
Wow, what a gorgeous color! I have never tried beets in a sweet treat before, but this looks crazy good! I need to get more veggies in my son, this might be a good way to start!
I am basically in love with you for making a healthy red velvet smoothie! I hope that’s not creepy 😉
more home cooked meals!
I’m making sure there are fresh fruits and vegetables available for snacks. I include the kids and ask what produce they’d like to have available so there’s a better chance they’ll eat healthier snacks.
We’re definitely trying to eat at home more often. Not only is eating out expensive, but the meals are usually loaded with fat and sodium.
I am trying to plan my meals more. I am trying to be better st using left over vegetables
This year I will be making so many smoothies as i just got my Oster Versa blender!
prepare lunch from my leftovers!
I am loving all the smoothie recipes lately. They are perfect after a run!
I started purchasing from a co-op in our area: bountiful baskets, they have several in several states. I get a variety of fruits and vegetables every week and I know it is helping our family eat well. I know we have to come up with a way to use what is in the basket. It’s a surprise every week 🙂 And I’ve actually done really well coming up with new things and making sure nothing in our basket goes to waste. I am in LOVE with All Clad! I picked up a pan at a goodwill one day, knowing the name sounded like good quality, but not being able to place it. I was SO excited when I realized what I find I had found and even more excited when I realized how well it cooked everything! I would love the ‘entire’ set. My old pans are about to bite the dust!
Ive been making green smoothies every morning, adding beets is a great idea!
Red velvet? Oh dang, Monday you are looking GOOD!!!
This giveaway looks fabulous. I also love the idea of hiding veggies in your childs meal.
Healthy red velvet smoothies? Get out!
Gorgeous! I love that you made red velvet a drinkable flavor!!
This looks so delicious! I am not a fan of beets but this might change my mind!
Love this and the awareness it brings! Thanks for putting it together 🙂
Smaller portions, double the veggies and fruits, less protein, less “starchy” items.
I love having vegetable-based meals with a bunch of different veggie dishes.
This is an incredible smoothie. We already love beets, so just an extra way to love. Letting the children help plan and prepare their lunches gives them more reason to like what they’re eating.
This smoothie is gorgeous! It sounds delicious, and I love that it is healthy!!
We are trying to incorporate healthier ingredients as well as more produce at every meal. Our little son is now eating meals with us and it really makes us want to serve better foods and set a great example for him!
no kids so no school year so i don’t really have any changes planned.
less fast food and more home cooked meals
Delicious! I love using beets! Try out the red velvet pancakes with them! Yum..
I just started making smoothies and I always use 3 veggies, 3 fruits and one seed. So far I am happy with my new healthy snack! I will try the beets in my next smoothie!
Healthier breakfasts instead of just grab and go (no more pop tarts )
I have recipes ready for oatmeal,smoothies and fruit and yogurt parfaits
I neeed to get more veggies in!
Replacing convenient items like condiments with homemade, less processed foods.
I am hoping to incorporate into our family a nice walk at the end of the day with my Dad in hopes that it will motivate me to do more and get my Dad out and build up his energy level.
I love the color in this smoothie! Just gorgeous! I think I will get some beets and start the school year with this healthy drink for breakfast!
I plan to eat more fruits and veggies, in part using smoothies!
We are cooking more food at home rather than eating out so often.
Eating less processed foods.
I have vowed to not buy any more processed foods, especially anything sweet! If I want sweet, then I will make it.
I am limiting our eating out to once a week and the rest if the time cooking low fat meals at home.
We’ve been experimenting with more healthy sweet recipes, so your recipe today is perfect!
We are cutting down portion sizes into reasonable ones (oops!), walking more, and drinking more water.
I try to incorporate veggies in everything that we eat
I am going to try to make more paleo-based meals and purchase fewer processed foods! 🙂
I gave up drinking Coke and reduced my sugar intake. I’d like to move completely away from using high-fructose corn syrup.
No more processed food, everything is better from scratch.
I, being the youngest and a uni student, will endeavour to pack healthy lunches and premake breakfasts (overnight oats anyone?) the night before so I don’t run out the door with nothing but money to spend on caffeine…..also, being head baker/dinner maker, ensure that every meal has a rainbow of vegetables, and experiment with how much fruit one can hide in slices/muffins 😀
More fruit and veggies!
Pack more veggies and fruit, less bread and meat.
I’m trying to make my kids’ lunches healthier by incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies; we recently started making bento boxes, and they’ve really enjoyed that. It’s a great way to incorporate new fruits and veggies into their lunches, too!
We have begun to incorporate eating healthier: more non-processed foods, more fruits and vegs, drinking more water, and not eating late at night.
Add more vegetables to our meals
This year one change we plan on is to send our kids with their own drinks. I noticed last year that my 7 year old was having chocolate milk everyday at school (we paid for daily milk) and I hated that he was drinking all that sugar. So we’ve bought thermos type bottles to send with their own milk each day. It’ll even save us money in the long run!
I already cook all meals for my family, but I plan to prepare vegetables in new and interesting ways so that my kids don’t get bored.
Love using beets in my smoothies – I just have to remember not to wear light-colored clothing when I do 🙂 Best of luck with the giveaway. Great cause!
We’re planning to incorporate a lot more veggies and fresh/in season fruit for all of our meals
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
No school-age kids for us but with school starting, it always seems like a good time to hit “reset” and we are resetting by focusing on healthier snacks like homemade trail mixes, homemade Larabars and hummus with veggies.
I love smoothies, especially if they are hiding vegetables. I don’t mind eating my veggies, but I prefer to drink them in a smoothie!!
I can’t wait to try this smoothie. First, I have to go find some beets and dried, pitted dates. I love having a smoothie for breakfast whenever I can!
This school year, my husband and I (both teachers) are fully committed to healthier eating and exercise! We are doing things such as packing healthy lunches and snacks, taking walks as a family, and trying new, healthy dinner recipes!
Love this idea! Looks so yummy. I think meal planning and careful shopping goes a long way to making sure you don’t just reach for the takeout menu (and unnecessary calories!)
I used my one All-Clad pot to make quinoa today. I could certainly use more!!!
I cooked with my daughter all summer, taught her healthy meal planning, and bought her some healthy cookbooks.
Love beets! And that is a fabulous smoothie idea!
And this year my family is going to get more steps in each day by keeping track with our FitBits.
We’re cooking more fresh food than before. Gone with the frozen dinners!
Love your smoothie recipe and your wonderful giveaway! I have been incorporating more raw and organic foods into our diet. I make raw, organic smoothies every day now and LOVE them! The more raw and organic I eat, the better I feel! Definitely is the way to go! Thanks again!!!!
We try to eat as much raw, natural food as possible!
Less dairy = healthier.
More walking and less lazing around the house!
Oh yum!! Now I bet this tastes amazing 🙂 can’t wait to try it out!
We’re buying more locally sourced foods. For example, we found a butcher who raises her own grass fed beef and it’s SO much better than anything we could get at a grocery store!
We will be incorporating one healthy snack into each day. Good-bye store bought crackers and hello fun, fresh, and maybe even some made-from-scratch yummy goodness.
Definitely want to incorporate more fruits & veggies into all of our meals & snacks 🙂
My poor pans are 8 years old and a couple have bit the dust. I would love to replace with something beautiful like these!
i live alone but my goal for this school year (i’m a teacher!) is to drink more water throughout the day! With 22 Pre-K kids on my hands, it’s tough to even get a sip in, but i’m working on it!
Would love this set , so I can make some healthy food for me and my family, since in need to lose 140 more pounds
These smoothies look tasty!
more greek yogurt and switching to whole wheat bread!
We plan on incorporating more raw vegetables, rice, yogurt, and steamed vegetables.
i’m trying to make my snacks healthier!
Buying healthier snacks!
This recipe solves my lifelong struggle on “how to eat more fruits” and “how not to kill myself through red velvet”
…If only I could afford a nice blender!
I am teaching myself that sugar is the enemy!
Drooling over All Clad. I have been moving away from processed foods, white flour, and anything with ingredients I can’t pronounce. It’s tough, but I’m pretty sure I’m better off in the long run.
Yumm never had a red velvet smoothies, but I love my red velvet cake. Going to have to try making this over the weekend.
Thanks for the share,
Tony.
For anyone having problems finding Agave syrup, I finally found some in Costco and for a great price.