Smooth Operator - Healthy and Tasty Smoothies for all the family

Smoothies have been around a long time now and at first I wasn't that convinced by them. They seemed packed with sugary foods that taste good but weren't actually that good for you.

However, I have slowly come around to them as a way to pack a lot of nutrients into one meal or as a way to mask some not so tasty ingredients that you know are just so good for you! So long as you make them yourself and don't add too much fruit or lots of fruit juices they are just fine as part of a balanced diet.

This is especially useful for children. I know parents are constantly trying to get as much nutrition into kids as possible without them realising what they are eating is healthy! I was the fussiest eater when I was a kid and I know my mum used to tear her hair out trying to get veggies into me! If you sell these to your kid as a treat, something exciting and fun like a milkshake then they won't even notice you are nourishing them from the inside out! Put them in a fun glass with a cool straw and they will love it.

So I've put together a few smoothie recipes here for you to try out. If you aren't a morning person then these can be made the night before and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. However, like most things in life!, these are best served fresh. 

If you don't have a blender or Nutri-Bullet (which I don't so hint hint family! Christmas is coming!) then you can get relatively cheap hand held blenders in most shops and trust me it is worth the investment!

Black Forest Smoothie:

Ingredients:

1 Banana

Handful of frozen spinach
Handful of frozen berries
1 teaspoon of Spirulina
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Raw Honey
Milk (dairy or non diary such as Almond, Rice milk etc) or water/Coconut water added to achieve your desired consistency.

You could also add protein powder if desired to make a great pre or post work out shake.

Or if you are on an intense work out programme or just started exercising and have very sore muscles then some cherries or cherry extract would not only taste delicious but also aid with that muscle pain! You can read more on how cherries aid muscle recover here.

Method:

Blend and enjoy!

Storage instructions:

This will keep for about 24 hours in the fridge in a sealed container. But it is best eaten fresh.

Dietary Benefits:

Full of iron, potassium, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Good for the skin, nails and hair.

Gluten Free

Sugar Free

Dairy Free

Paleo

Vegetarian

Vegan

Raw

Breakfast Berry Delight

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado‬

‎1 banana‬
Handful of ‪‎berries‬
Handful of ‎spinach‬
‪‎2 table spoons of chia seeds‬
‪‎1 teaspoon of cinnammon‬
‪‎Coconutwater‬ or water/milk/almond milk etc added until you reach your desired consistency.

You could also add protein powder if desired to make a great pre or post work out shake.

Method:

Blend and enjoy!

This is a great one for kids as it's naturally sweet and looks like a strawberry milkshake but is packed full of ‪greens‬ and goodness. You could even make it the night before and have it ready to go for the morning school dash! You or your children could drink this in the car on the way to work/school in the morning.

Storage instructions:

This will keep for about 24 hours in the fridge in a sealed container. But it is best eaten fresh.

Dietary Benefits:

Full of iron, potassium, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Good for the skin, nails and hair.

Gluten Free

Sugar Free

Dairy Free

Paleo

Vegetarian

Vegan

Raw

So there you have it Jeanies. I'd love to hear from you if you have another super smoothie recipe and I will feature it on the blog. Stay healthy.