Warm Cranberry-Ginger-Pear Smoothie

It's been a busy few weeks of November here. Hence my lack of presence. It doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Oh jeez- I have been cooking more actually! I have been cooking and baking again for another Women's Wellness Retreat . It is such a beautiful time together where women come together and rest, reflect, get nourished, just be, replenish their souls and find the mindful space to breathe, move, and dig deeper in asking questions of what their story is and where they want to go.


Women to me represent the life force of change and love in the world. We are the ones that can bring new life and healing into our worlds in ways that no one else can. And when we do this together- that's where the magic is.

So this little tonic was made a morning of one of the retreat days together and it was just about perfect as we watched the new snow fall outside our windows and were looking for a way to feel warm, nourished and grounded into this new season. It is similar to some ginger-blueberry shots I made this last summer, except this recipe embodies fall and all it's goodness. A must try if you are feeling need to nourish your immune system this season or you LOVE GINGER like I do :)

Warm Cranberry-Ginger-Pear Smoothie Recipe 
{gluten, dairy, soy, egg, nut, seed, and refined-sugar-free}

10-12 ounces of fresh organic cranberries
1/2 of organic orange sliced, with the peel, but pull out seeds if you have them
2 organic Bartlett pears sliced with peel is fine
1/2 cup of grated fresh ginger or 1/2 cup of fresh ginger roughly chopped
2-4 cups of organic pear or apple juice (2 cups of water can be subbed in)

drizzle to 1/3 cup of pure raw honey
pinch of sea salt
pinch of fresh ground cinnamon

optional: you could add in a few pinches of more warming spices like cloves, nutmeg and cardamon if you love spice and are looking for a bit more of it...

In a saucepan, put in the fresh cranberries first with 1/4 cup water and let them boil and pop open, then add in the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT the honey,  and let it cook on low to medium heat for at least 10 minutes but you could do this for 30 minutes too if you are enjoying the smells :) Use 2 cups juice if you want it thicker, otherwise I have found 4 cups of juice works great too- or you can sub in 2 cups of water for the juice if you want too. After it is all cooked down together, turn off the heat completely and let cool just a bit and you can then drizzle in the honey and the pinch of salt and cinnamon. Then transfer the boiled goodness into a high powdered blender and blend on high for 2 minutes until creamy smooth. Be careful if it is still very hot or boiling and make sure to taste test before if it is too hot or if you want to add in a little more honey. 

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:
You can sub the cranberries for 4 sliced apples instead or even 2 cups of roasted pumpkin too

Basically you can mix and match a few favorite fall fruits to make this smoothie. Use what you got.

I hope you give it a try and ENJOY and BE NOURISHED well.

So much love to you!