Spiced Cinnamon Vanilla Smoothie Recipe

Vanilla + cinnamon is a superstar combo, and wait ’til you try them together in my new delicious and healthy Spiced Cinnamon Vanilla Smoothie Recipe!

This smoothie is filled with the warming, digestion-enhancing spices of cinnamon, clove, and ginger, mineral-filled banana and vitamin E and calcium-filled almond milk. It’s designed to keep you feeling energized, fresh and beautiful!

Let’s see how…

Warming Beauty Herbs: Cinnamon, Cloves & Ginger

Cinnamon

I love to learn everything I can about the foods I use in my recipes because I believe that what we put into our bodies has a profound affect on our entire well-being. So when I traveled to Sri Lanka, I took full advantage in speaking with a local about the amazing cinnamon trees they have there (you can check out that video here!).

You will be happy to know that cinnamon can actually help you achieve your weight loss goals (boosting your metabolism), and helping to cure sugar cravings in-between meals, control blood sugar levels (valuable for those with a sluggish metabolism caused by insulin resistance), and by offshoot fat levels.

Besides using this spice in smoothies and desserts, you can also get more cinnamon in your life by sprinkling some in warm almond milk, like my Almost Raw Vegan Vanilla Latte, or mix with chia seeds and almond milk to make a yummy snack pudding.

Cloves

Did you know that cloves are the unopened pink flower buds of the evergreen clove tree? Pretty cool, huh? Try to really appreciate and think of every mouthful since these buds are picked by hand (when they are pink), and then dried until they turn brown. That is real care in getting this herb to where we can enjoy it, so don’t forget to show some gratitude when adding this to your recipes—helping you to connect with the foods you choose to fuel your body with.

Cloves kind of resemble tiny nails, being about 1/2-inch long and 1/4-inch in diameter, with tapered stems. Their English name is derived from the Latin word clavus, meaning, nail…pretty fitting, right? Cloves have a very hard exterior, and inside contains an oily compound—essential to their nutrition and flavor.

Speaking of oily compounds, the primary component of clove’s volatile oils (Eugenol), functions as an anti-inflammatory substance.

Clove also contains a variety of flavonoids (such as: kaempferol and rhamnetin), which also contribute to clove’s anti-inflammatory (and antioxidant) properties.

This warming herb is another favorite of mine because of its power to break away mucous that feeds viruses and/or stagnation in the body— lowering our natural vibrance. Ugh! Be gone excess mucus ! Knowing you have the power to make healthy food choices that will cleanse your system is great news though, right?!

And since cloves are renowned for providing their uniquely warm, sweet and aromatic taste to yummy recipes like desserts, other smoothies, kitcheree, etc.

Ginger

I love ginger for its detox properties, and use it quite often in my Immunity Tea, simply slicing it thinly, and steeping it in boiling water for a few minutes. Ginger is one of the best all around health and beauty foods.

If you want further help in the detoxification process, click here!

In The Beauty Detox Solution I refer to “intestinal sludge” as being a primary cause of aging and weight gain. Ginger is wonderful for clearing sludge (aama: toxicity), out!

Ginger also calms our digestive system, and is believed to be great for the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems, and post-partum care.

It not only helps promote detoxification, but elevates metabolism and immunity. Ginger is also warming without being irritating—providing an earthy, fresh flavor.

Here’s how to choose your fresh ginger and some other helpful kitchen tips!

Cinnamon, clove, and ginger are very versatile, so don’t hesitate to use them in your savory dishes as well as your smoothies!

Beauty Sweetener: Vanilla

Vanilla is such a fragrant ingredient that I love to use in smoothies. Here’s why I love vanilla, besides for it’s wonderful taste:

Vanilla is amazing at promoting healthy digestion. I love vanilla-infused herbal teas when I need to soothe inflammation in my gut, or even help treat nausea. The antioxidants actually protect our bodies from damage from harmful components like toxins and free radicals. Two of these antioxidants are vanillic acid and vanillin- found in natural vanilla extract.

The vanillin (I mentioned above), is a natural antioxidant and is what gives vanilla beans their distinctive aroma. Preliminary research found that vanilla extract had powerful liver-protective abilities and anti-inflammatory abilities (due to the vanillin content), and when treated with vanillin.

What Kind Of Vanilla Should We Buy?

When it comes to buying a brand you like and can trust, read the labels. What makes vanilla so expensive is largely due to the environment it needs to be grown in. Vanilla flavoring is extracted from the seed pods of orchids that only grow in the tropical climates and can be very difficult to cultivate artificially because of they way in which it needs to be pollinated.

Steer clear of artificial vanilla, which is made with pure vanillin diluted with water, and alcohol. Even though the vanillin is chemically identical to that found in real vanilla, it’s being extracted from coal tar (or wood pulp), as a by-product of paper production and extremely inexpensive to produce. And of course, isn’t going to have the beauty building properties we just talked about.

Try buying an organic brand from your local health store or market, and never hesitate to ask advice on which brands are the best quality.

Prepare all your ingredients.

Blend all the ingredients together.

Enjoy!

This smoothie is super simple, and therein lies its beauty. It is easy for your body to digest and absorb nutrients and will warm your whole body from within.

See full recipe below…