Center Stage: Fruity Sweet Potato Smoothie with Broad Appetite

Marcella Lee grew up watching cooking shows, and would often destroy her mom’s kitchen trying out the recipes she’d seen. Now, she channels her love of food into her cooking blog, Broad Appetite, which was the Reader’s Choice – Best New Blog winner in the 2014 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Marcella can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

I have to admit, I’m the kind of girl who likes to roll out of bed and make a pot of dark coffee to wash down that plate of crispy bacon and eggs-over-easy. For better or worse, I’m a foodie that celebrates pork, fat, and carbs. But this year, I turned thirty, and the cholesterol-packed lifestyle is starting to catch up with me. In an attempt to improve the health of my arteries and spice up my morning routine, I joined the ranks of those who throw healthy things into a blender for a delicious breakfast.

At first I made your standard strawberry-and-banana-and/or-blueberry smoothie. Within two weeks, I was bored to death. Why was I treating the smoothie like a second-class meal, without any enthusiasm or creativity?

That’s when I looked to my Korean heritage for some inspiration and came up with a sweet potato smoothie I love. When I visited Korea a few years back, I was surprised to see sweet potatoes as the star in cakes, ice cream, and oh-so-yummy lattes. It soon became my personal goal to find the best sweet potato latte in all of Seoul. I thought if sweet potatoes could be incorporated into my morning Joe, why not try them in a smoothie?

The result was everything I was looking for: a silky smoothie with a creamy texture but still bright with the addition of mango and orange juice. And unlike other smoothies, it fills me up until lunch. It also feels good to know it’s packed with beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. But most importantly, it’s a breakfast I look forward to when I wake up each morning!

Hamilton Beach® Single-Serve Blenders deliver portability for people on-the-go. The single-serving travel cup is great for blending portable smoothies, shakes and frozen drinks fast. The ultimate in convenience, you can blend and sip from the same cup. Even better? It’s sized to fit most car cup holders.