With the warmer weather (finally!) upon us, refreshing smoothies can be a great, nutritious way to start the day!
The key to a good smoothie is really in the balance of ingredients; ensuring you have enough protein and fats for sustained energy, enough liquids to get the consistency right and packing in those plants to hit your daily fruit and veg quota!
This is the basic formula I follow when rustling up a smoothie and it never disappoints! You’ll get plenty of protein and fat to keep you feeling full and energised until lunch time plus get in at least 3 or 4 portions of plants-based foods.
BASE + GREENS + VEG + FRUIT + PROTEIN + FAT + ZING = ULTIMATE SUPER GREEN SMOOTHIE
| BASE
[1 cup] |
Water
Milk (cashew, almond, coconut, oat, rice) Coconut water Kefir |
| GREENS
[1 cup] |
Kale
Romaine lettuce Collard or spring greens Beetroot greens Herbs: parsley, mint, coriander |
| VEG
[½ cup] |
Broccoli
Cucumber Courgette Celery |
| FRUIT
[½ cup] |
Banana
Berries Apple Pear Kiwi Pineapple |
| PROTEIN
[2-3 tbsp] |
Protein powder: grass-fed whey, brown rice, hemp, pea
Nut or seed butter: almond, cashew, hazelnut, pumpkin, sunflower Nuts or seeds: almond, cashew, hazelnut, sunflower, pumpkin (preferably soaked overnight) Ground flaxseeds, hemp or chia seeds |
| FAT
[1-2 tbsp] |
Avocado or avocado oil
Coconut or coconut oil Flaxseed oil Nuts and seeds: raw or butters Ground flaxseeds, hemp or chia seeds |
| ZING
[1-3 tsp] [optional] |
Ginger
Lemon or lime juice Vanilla powder or extract Spirulina or green powder Maca powder Baobab powder Lucuma powder Cinnamon Turmeric Cacao |
MY ULTIMATE SUPER GREEN SMOOTHIE
1 cup almond milk
1 cup kale or romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup banana, preferably chopped and frozen
2 tbsps avocado
2 tbsps protein powder (I like a mix of brown rice and pea)
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp spirulina
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
This is my go-to recipe and it hits the spot every time. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
