Did you know that all the spices found in chai are packed with antioxidants? How could I not create my Sweet Chai Smoothie Recipe that has the warming flavors of India, and acts as a natural digestive aid! Happy guts, happy life!

Let’s get to it…

Sweet Chai

I absolutely love the flavors of chai, and drank tons of it during my first journey to India! Um, this is before I was totally dairy-free, and before I gazed out on a long train ride and noticed people filling thermoses of water to make chai in from the troughs were people were washing their feet and hands!

That’s all I’ll say about that! Chai is typically a spiced milk tea made up of rich black tea, heavy milk, various combination of spices, and a sweetener.

For us Beauties, we’ll be keeping this smoothie Beauty Detox approved. Using our very own handmade spice mix, unsweetened almond milk, and a natural sweetener- dates! (other sweetener choices could be coconut nectar or other substitutes).

So what’s in chai? The most common spices that are used are, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Though the spices can vary from region to region, and among households in India.

We’ll be using all these warming spices (except for the pepper and ginger), in today’s recipe. Plus, we’ll be adding allspice for a little change (it’s always a good thing to mix things up).

What do these spices have in common? They provide anti-Inflammatory effects, antioxidants, and digestive support!

Here’s a little recap of what these four spices can do in aiding our bodies from the inside out!

Cardamom:

In the ancient healing art of Ayurveda, it’s recommended that cardamom be used for low libido. This spice contains high levels of cineole— increasing blood flow to the male and female sexual regions—that may ultimately increase desire.

• Cardamom also balances doshas (Ayurvedic body energies), and has detoxifying properties
• Helps absorb nutrition
• Beneficial for the heart
• Balances all 3 doshas, or elemental body constitutions
• Calms pitta in the GI and moves pitta from the body fluids

Cinnamon:

I love cinnamon and would put it on everything, if I could. And if you haven’t seen my travels to Sri Lanka, you can check out that video here! It’s where I took full advantage in speaking with a local about the amazing cinnamon trees they have there.

Cinnamon can actually help you achieve:

• Your weight loss goals (boosting your metabolism)
• 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

I even use it my Lickable Immunity Paste! that Doctor Jay (my Ayurvedic teacher), suggests using. You can enjoy it every day in the morning or in the evening after meals. It helps to cleanse your system because these are warming herbs.

And if you’re already sick with some type of congestion, you could also have this paste at the same time. You can take this twice a day; especially if you feel like something is just coming on.

Allspice:

Allspice is another one of those spices that has the ability to:

• Lower inflammation: due to the active ingredients in the spice have chemical compounds that eliminate inflammation
• Soothes the stomach and really facilitates healthy digestion
• The eugenol found in allspice aids in eliminating digestive issues like constipation, while stimulating regularity—reducing bloating and excess flatulence in the process
• The anti-inflammatory aspect can even ease cramps, which will then ease the entire process of digestion

Want everything you need to dive deeper into the Beauty Detox Lifestyle? Click here!

Cloves:

I think cloves are pretty cool, in that, they are actually the unopened pink flower buds of the evergreen clove tree. I’m all about connecting with our food choices and cloves give us the perfect opportunity to really appreciate how much work goes into every mouthful.

That’s because these buds are picked by hand (when they are pink), then dried until they turn brown. This shows 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.

This herbs standout benefits are:

• Very hard exterior, and inside contains an oily compound which is essential to their nutrition and flavor
• 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
• It has the power to break away mucous that feeds viruses and/or stagnation in the body.
• Renowned for providing their uniquely warm, sweet and aromatic taste to yummy recipes like desserts, other smoothies and kitcheree

As you can see, all these amazing spices should be added to the forefront of your spice rack, and highly considered when creating your own smoothies, soups, and entrees—gaining lasting health and vibrancy!

Let’s start prepping….

Prepare ingredients.

First, add the unsweetened almond milk to the blender.

Next, add the banana.

Third, add the dates.

Then, add the cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and cloves. Blend until you get a smooth mixture.

Sprinkle some cinnamon on top and enjoy!

See full recipe below…

Let me know what your favorite smoothie bowl creation is, and don’t forget to add this recipe to your Pinterest Smoothie board!

Happy blending! Have a wonderful rest of your day and week!! Take good care of yourself, and see you back here soon.

All my love,
Kimberly

I love weekend loungy mornings with Bubby and fam…have a great day!! xo