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.

Tuesday's Change Week 2 - Eat your '5 a day'

So how did everyone get on for week one? Do you feel better? Sleep better? Look better? Let me know any benefits you felt. I'd love to hear from you. Week one's post here. Now try and keep it up while tackling Week 2.

This week's change is another one that sounds simple, we all have heard of it but how many of us actually do it? Eat your 5 a day! It's a common slogan bandied around in the media and you often see it on food labels. I'll discuss this in a bit but first let me outline the challenge.

See if you can eat 5 portions of Vegetables everyday for 7 days. 

Notice I have said veg and not fruit. Feel free to eat portions of fruit on top of your 5 Vegetable portions. Just ensure you are getting 5 portions of vegetable as well!

Here is some more information on the specifics:

1) A portion is roughly 1 hand full. 

2) Try as much as possible to eat organic vegetables only.

3) Raw is preferable to cooked but if you are cooking make sure not to over cook. Steaming or baking is good! Keeping the skin on where possible is also added benefit!

3) At least 2 or 3 of your 5 portions should be of green, leafy vegetables like Spinach, Kale,  Brocolli, Rocket, Salad greens, Pok Choi, Cabbage etc. The rest should be a variety of brightly coloured options e.g. Red Cabbage, red and yellow Peppers, Beetroot etc.

3) You can eat them raw or cooked but never from a packet (i.e. you can not include processed or tinned fruit and veg) and try and cook the veg yourself if having it cooked.

4) If a label on a packet says "this is one of your 5 a day portions" ignore this. If something is in a packet (besides whole fruits and vegetables that come in trays or packaged for the supermarket) then it has been processed and so lots of the benefits and nutrients are lost on processing. You are more than likely just getting the sugars left over. And we all have enough of those in our diet.

5) Plan your day in advance the night before. Where am I going to be? Will I have access to fresh food? Do I need to bring food with me? And plan accordingly so you are prepared.

Ok now you have all the information here are some tips on how you can easily add in the portions to your everyday diet.

1) Add vegetables to your breakfast. This way you start the day right and have half your portions done before you leave the house! Make an omelette with some spinach, peppers and onions. Recipe here.

2) Make a smoothie for breakfast! Adding vegetables to a smoothie is a great way of having a portion of vegetables without realising. Making a berry smoothie with some natural yoghurt, blueberries, cinnamon and honey tastes great. Adding a handful of spinach and blending will not alter the flavour too much and tastes just as good! This is a nice sweet treat on a Saturday morning!

3) Eating a large salad for lunch or dinner and get your 5 portions into you in one go! I like to use mixed salad greens with spinach rocket and baby lamb's leaf then add some spring onion, peppers, grated carrot and courgette. You can add some left over meat from the night before or cook some fresh and you have an entire meal. If you want to bulk it up a bit cook some sweet potato wedges as a side. Drizzle the with extra virgin olive oil if you find it too dry.

4) Snack on celery, cucumber and carrot sticks between meals if you are hungry. Have them chopped and ready in the fridge, sealed in a container to keep them fresh. Reach for these instead of biscuits or bread when you are famished and waiting for your dinner to cook.

5) Hide vegetables in food! Take what you might consider a regular dinner. Shepard's pie, Pasta Sauce etc. Try chopping vegetables into the sauce or if you have very picky eaters in the house you can even blend the vegetables into the sauce to thicken it. They won't even know!

6) If you are finding the vegetables bland then season them. Freshly grated black pepper is delicious on salads or cooked veg, try a small sprinkling of organic rock salt (link here), Simplee do an amazing range of salt free seasoning like paprika and lemon or chilli. Mix it up and try new spices! Link here.

7) Cook your least favourite veg with your favourite food! Brussels Sprouts taste amazing when stir fried in a small bit of bacon! A green, leafy salad is delicious when sprinkled with some olive oil and parmean cheese! All in moderation of course!

So here is a comprehensive list of veggies you should aim for that are available in most large supermarkets. Alternatively places like Quay Co-Op in Cork, Ballincollig and Carrigaline for the Cork followers (link http://www.quaycoop.com/) or organic vegetable shops will have a great range!

Spinach
Kale
Cabbage
Rocket
Lettuce
Pok Choi
Brocolli
Asparagus
Celery
Beetroot
Peppers
Red Cabbage
Carrots
Courgette/Zucchini
Onions

P.S. 'Vegetables' that are good for you but don't count as 5 a day and are more connected to the carbohydrate family are:

Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Parsnips
Peas

FYI: Lentils, beans and peanuts are not vegetables. They are legumes!

Vegetables to avoid: 

Sweetcorn. This is not a vegetable it is a grain and a GMO one at that! More on this is a future post.

So that is it Jeanies! Do you think you are up for the challenge? I have no doubt. Planning is key and let me know if you need any more information on anything!

#EatClean

A Drop in the Ocean

It's Kinsale Arts week and I decided to check out one of their installations by the water called 'The Sweat Oratory'. It's the most beautiful temporary Sauna, heated with hot stones and steamed with water.  

I went for a dip in the ocean, sauna, dip in the ocean, sauna, repeat. What a way to boost your metabolism and detox! It was so relaxing to sit in the heat listening to the waves lapping outside. Sheer Bliss! 

You can find more details here and it's open until Sunday. It was such a beautiful evening and I enjoyed watching the sun set as I dried off.

The water in Ireland is warmer than you think this time of year, especially after the wonderful Indian Summer we have had. Top Tip: just jump in, head and all, get the whole body wet and you'll soon start to warm up. Don't mind your wet suits!

 I'm a big fan of swimming in the sea and I am so fortunate I've never lived more than 30 minutes from the ocean. It's one or Ireland's greatest resources and in most locations the water is pollution free and fresh as can be. The salt and sea weed is amazing for your skin (people pay top dollar for these treatments in spas!) and it just makes you feel so good. It makes you feel alive!

 In fact I love the ocean so much myself and my husband decided to go for a swim with all our friends on the morning of our wedding. We got married in Dingle on 29th of December, just after one of the worst storms the town had in a century. Now that was refreshing! 

When I came home from the Sauna last night I cooked some fresh salmon (I always leave the skin on, it's where all the goodness is, sear it in some Grassfed Butter like Kerrygold full fat and it tastes delicious). Season with some freshly ground black pepper. I had this with white rice cooked with organic courgette and spring onions. Tasty! 

I cooked enough for two so I have a quick and easy lunch today. It's all about the preparation!