Let’s be honest for a moment. The color of these smoothies is equal parts awesome and kind of freaky, right? Freaky because it’s so bright and candy-colored that it’s a hue I would normally associate with artificial coloring. Awesome, because it’s 100% natural! Beets are not only one of my favorite foods, but they are one of nature’s best natural food colorings.

I’ve used beet juice to dye Easter eggs and add a boost of red color to a red velvet cake. And since the brighter and more fun-looking a smoothie is, the more likely I am to want to drink it, I’ve been using beets in my smoothies lately, too!

Since I’m helping Milk Means More celebrate Better Breakfast Month in September, I’m sharing one of my favorite (bright and cheerful!) smoothies today. If you have five minutes and a good blender, you can whip up these Berry & Beet Smoothies quickly. Simply blend together half of a beet, a banana, some raspberries, a touch of lime juice and honey, and some lowfat vanilla yogurt and milk for added protein and calcium. Blend in some ice at the end to keep it nice and frosty!

Want to win a Back to School Healthy Meal Kit courtesy of Milk Means More? Enter the Rafflecopter below the recipe for a chance to win a Smoothie Maker for breakfast on the go, 4 Sustainable Lunch Boxes for packing healthy lunches, and a $50 Kroger gift card. Open to U.S. lower 48 residents only, thanks!

The dairy products used in this recipe were produced by members of the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. For more information on UDIM and to find out why Milk Means More, please visit their website and connect with them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Yield: 2 (10 ounce) smoothies

Berry & Beet Smoothies

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1/2 medium beet, peeled
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 3/4 cup ice

Instructions

1. In blender, combine banana, beet, raspberries, yogurt, milk, honey and lime juice; blend until smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: As a Milk Means More Ambassador, this post was sponsored by The United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Posts like this help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries … lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.