Saw this idea a little while ago on a post by goop for Carrot Cake Shake. I’ve been a fan of goop (Gwyneth Paltrow’s website) from the beginning and it’s been fun to watch it expand and grow. The posts are a smartly curated blend of healthy living, fashion and travel.

The goop recipe recommends blending carrots and then straining the pulp to make the juice. I just used my juicer, but I think a good cold pressed store bought version would be fine too.

I really and truly love my Omega juicer! It’s a masticating juicer that does well with leafy greens and just about anything else. It took about 6-8 carrots to yield about 1/2 cup of carrot juice. I don’t peel them, just rinse them off and run them through the machine.

Goop’s recipe is really simple, just a few ingredients. When I make a smoothie, I can’t help it, I start tossing all kinds of things in the blender.  So my recipe has a few more ingredients, but that’s just because I happen to have that stuff in my pantry. Really you can add whatever like…just think about ingredients that you might find in a carrot cake recipe and give it a try.

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Serves 1-2 (Inspired by Goop’s Carrot Cake Shake)

1 banana, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup carrot juice (freshly juiced or store bought)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (such as coconut or almond)
1/4 cup non-dairy vanilla yogurt (I used coconut milk yogurt)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp white chia seeds
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3 pitted dates (or liquid sweetener such as agave, to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender, such as a Vitamix. Blend until smooth on high speed. (You can always add a little ice if you like it thicker.)