This smoothie is one way to make it feel like summer all year long. Peach season is a magical part of the late-summer harvest in New Jersey. If you don’t have fresh peaches, you can use frozen peaches for this smoothie. Pro tip: Frozen fruit is picked at the height of ripeness. Frozen peaches will also make your smoothie cold, so you won’t need ice cubes.

The addition of maca, an adaptogen known to boost your energy, is optional. It's not for everyone. Do your research before adding maca to your smoothie.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup almond milk or preferred plant-based milk

• 1 pitted peach, sliced, or 1/2 cup frozen peaches

• 1 scoop EVOLUTION_18 Beauty Collagen

• 1 tsp. maca powder (optional)

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3–5 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the almond milk, peach, collagen, maca powder, and vanilla to the blender. Blend on high until smooth (about 30–60 seconds).
2. Pour over the ice cubes.

Serves 1

Chef Carla Contreras is the founder of the online cooking school Cook+Chop. She competed on season 12 of Chopped! on Food Network. She is Nutritious Life Certified, a Certified Holistic Health Coach, a food stylist, and photographer with a stacked culinary resume.