Mango Sweet Potato Lassi

Lately when I've been teaching my evening Zumba classes, instead of eating dinner beforehand, I've been whipping up a quick smoothie. This is a fast meal, easy to prepare, and also quick to digest, so when I'm jumping around I don't have a heavy load in my belly. And ever since completing the Whole 30 (Paleo challenge) in September, I've been sticking (almost) to my whole foods regime. So I no longer use the MET-RX protein powder. These days, when I make a shake in the blender, I only use real food.

Today's recipe was an experiment. I threw a few ingredients in, tasted, then continued throwing stuff in until I was satisfied. The end result was a smoothie that was thick, a pale orange color, full of nutrition, and very slightly sweet. If you are expecting something like the mango lassis served in your favorite Indian restaurant, you will be disappointed. Those shakes contain plenty of sugar to make them irresistible. My shake is more like a meal and less like a dessert.

If your kids like a breakfast or an afterschool smoothie, this one might be perfect for Halloween due to its lovely orange color. You could also make it with canned or roasted pumpkin instead of the sweet potato.

By the way, has anyone purchased a Ninja blender? I have only ever used the traditional, old-fashioned blender and I'm considering splurging on something with more power. Our current blender sounds like it is dying every time we insist on making a shake. I'd really appreciate your recommendations on blender brands, styles, and options. Thanks, people!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped mango (I used organic frozen mango from Costco.)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage which is my favorite brand. Very creamy.)
1/2 cup whole milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or water
1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 TB raw hemp seeds (optional; adds protein, good fats, and fiber.)
1 packet Truvia or your favorite natural sweetener (optional)

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth. Thin with more liquid if necessary. If you prefer a smoothie that is not sweet at all, then just skip the optional sweetener.

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