Inspired by pomegranates sitting on her kitchen counter, Melanie Albert created a smoothie recipe reminiscent of her youth. She paired the sweet pomegranates with homemade almond milk to create a thick and creamy treat. View the recipe here and in Melanie’s new cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

Ingredients:

1 pomegranate

1 cup coconut water

1/2 cup whole almonds, plus additional chopped almonds for sprinkling

1 Medjool date

1 frozen banana

Directions:

1. Cut pomegranate in half and place in a bowl of cold water.

2. Tear apart the pomegranate with your hands. Seeds will settle at the bottom of the bowl, and the membrane will rise to the top. Mindfully examine the seeds and take out any small pieces of membrane.

3. Create the almond milk by blending the coconut water, almonds and date in a high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add banana to the almond milk and blend for about a minute.

5. Sprinkle in pomegranate seeds and blend for another minute.

6. Pour smoothie into a glass and top with a few pomegranate seeds and chopped almonds to add crunch.

7. Enjoy!

Recipe and image courtesy of Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author and speaker; founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition Group.