At this time of year, a delicious, creamy and refreshing smoothie can be hard to resist! Every cafe appears to have a few pretty amazing concoctions on offer. But, it’s also nice to make your own at home as this allows you to create a flavour, texture and thickness that you love. I’ve finally started to make a lot more smoothies at home (yes, a little late I realise, we’re well into summer!).. and why? Well, apart from loving smoothies I recently bought us these nifty stainless steel straws (highly recommend!).
Creating a nice balance of flavour, sweetness and texture is really a matter of playing and experimenting but if you love smoothies, don’t make them often and are not sure where to start the below flexible recipe (which makes a nice amount for two) is easy and works every time. Sometimes I’ll make this amount, pour myself a glass or jar and store the rest in the fridge for the following day or I use leftover smoothie to make little ice-blocks – perfect for snacking and desserts.
The basic recipe below is a guide, which allows you to use the fruits and greens and extra bits that you love. I’ve also included a recipe for this creamy yet refreshing fruity cacao smoothie which I now make quite often (featured in the photo above). It’s not your standard chocolately style smoothie as it exhibits layers of tropical flavours while also having a strong chocolate punch. This may sound a little odd but it’s delicious, very energising and uplifting and a seriously nutrient dense one, which leaves you feeling bright and bouncy. I hope you love it too!
A basic flexible smoothie recipe (this makes a nice amount for two):
- 2 cups fruit (eg. banana, strawberries, berries, mango, stone fruit, etc)
- 2 cup greens (eg. spinach, kale, collard greens, lettuce, parsley, mint, avocado)
- 1 cup fluid (water and/or coconut water and/or milk
- A handful of nuts (walnuts and/or almonds are lovely)
Optional (For extra creaminess and nourishment, I love adding these too)
- Yoghurt
- Oats
For more umph and thickness, try adding:
- Oats
- Nut butter
- More nuts
- More yoghurt
- Avocado
- Flaxseed oil
For more sweetness, try adding:
- Dates
- Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar
To boost nutritional value, try adding:
- A little nutritional yeast
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseed oil
- Macca powder
To decorate, try using:
- Goji berries
- Seeds (chia, pumpkin, sunflower)
- Dried coconut
- Cocoa/cacao/cacao nibs, cinnamon
- Bee pollen
- Fresh berries
Fruity Cacao Smoothie
- 2 cups fruit (1 banana, strawberries, frozen raspberries, 1/2 an orange)
- 2 cups greens (raw curly kale, cucumber, ~ 1/2 an avocado)
- 1 cup fluid (1/2 coconut water, 1/2 water)
- A good handful of almonds
- 1.5 Tbsp. cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- Maple syrup (I use ~1 tsp.) or you could a date or two (if you like smoothies to be sweet)
- Optional: Macca powder or nutritional yeast (I often add one of these, usually ~1 tsp.)
Method:
Mix all together in a blender or in a jug using a handheld mixer. Pour into 2 glasses/jar and decorate with your choice of beautiful things. Or, make a smoothie bowl – just pour into a bowl and top with your favourite things e.g. dried fruits, fresh fruit, fresh berries, seeds, nuts, coconut, bee pollen, cacao nibs, buckwheat kernels (aka buckinins), etc.
Gestational Diabetes –
Smoothies can be a great breakfast for ladies with GDM. However, what is a suitable amount of fruit, oats and yoghurt/milk will depend on the individual. If you have GDM and would like a great smoothie recipe I would recommend seeking personalised guidance from your Dietitian or feel free to reach out to me via email or social media.
Lara x
