BANANA, FIG & DATE SMOOTHIE

I saw this recipe on instagram and thought to myself; ‘nope I don’t see that combination of flavours working at all’. I was so intrigued by this abnormal blend of ingredients that I decided to try my hand at making this smoothie yesterday afternoon. Luckily for me, I had all the ingredients in my cupboard; don’t stress if you don’t have the psyllium husk as it is optional. I was very pleasantly surprised by how delicious this little drink was and how prevalent the fig, date and cinnamon flavour was in every sip. Definitely a humble moment for me; never again will I judge a smoothie until I make it myself. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 frozen banana (skin peeled)
• 5 dried figs (or fresh, if available)
• 2 fresh dates, stones/pips removed 
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (powder)
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk 
• ice cubes
• 1 teaspoon white/black chia seeds 

PREPARATION 

1. Blend all ingredients in a fast-speed blender until combined. Serve topped with a cinnamon stick, more chia seeds and goji berries (cinnamon stick just for decoration). 

Serves / 1-2 
Total Fridge to Glass time / 5 minutes 

x Emily 

BERRY SMOOTHIE

This recipe happened by mistake, as I was planning to make a smoothie I had made several times before from a recipe I found on yourdailyshake on instagram (check out this account its amazing! So many mouth-watering smoothies). As I got my blender out and thawed my blueberries I realised that I had no bananas and no avocado, which were key ingredients in the smoothie recipe. Hence the tofu, which you actually cannot taste blended in with the other ingredients. Try it if you can get over the tofu in it! 

INGREDIENTS

• a large handful of baby spinach, washed
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or thawed if frozen
• 5 tablespoons silken tofu (or around 75 grams)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 teaspoon mesquite powder
• 1 cup coconut water or organic apple juice or a combination of both 
• ice cubes 

PREPARATION

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until combined and serve topped with extra blueberries, if desired. Serve immediately in a large glass. 

Serves / 1-2

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes maximum

x Emily 

BERRY, CACAO & COCONUT MILK SMOOTHIE

Another day, another smoothie. This smoothie is a good choice for the chocolate lovers out there, as the slight teaspoon of cacao powder really gives the drink this flavour. Fresh berries would be ideal, however frozen will work too, just make sure they are thawed. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 scant teaspoon raw cacao powder
• a generous handful of mixed frozen berries, thawed 

PREPARATION

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender with a handful of ice and blend until smooth. 

Makes  / 2 servings

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes max

x Emily 

GREEN POWER-PACKED SMOOTHIE

Green smoothies. I always had my doubts. I was very sceptical that vegetables could actually taste good in a smoothie. I considered green smoothies to be a new craze, fad and phase that would die down quickly. Turns out I was so wrong. 
Green smoothies do entail a bit of trial and error when starting out. I will openly admit that I have made more than a few green smoothies that have been undrinkable! I try to drink a green smoothie everyday with my husband; believe it or not but we actually think of them as treats for ourselves! We drink them for afternoon tea or after a light lunch or dinner. Sometimes we even freeze them so we can take a long time to consume them (with a tiny spoon) and think of them as ice blocks! Here's a foundation/base that I have learnt to use for all my green smoothies to ensure a drinkable and delicious refreshment every time: 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pieces of fruit 
• I always use a banana, pear, a handful of mango or 1/2 a medium avocado as a compulsory fruit and I love to add them frozen, as they thicken up the smoothie.
• The 2nd piece of fruit can be anything such as kiwifruit, pineapple, apple, orange, nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.
• I only add 2 pieces of fruit to each smoothie as I am conscious of not going over the 2-3 servings of fruit each day. This smoothie serves 2, therefore you will still have a serving or two of fruit to enjoy throughout the remainder of your day. 
• No added sugar liquid 
• Coconut water: I only ever drink Hawaiian Coconut Energy coconut water as it has no added sugar. This product is available at my Pilates studio and online. It is excellent as it contains no sugar, is extremely low in calories and is full of calcium, minerals, potassium and electrotyles. 
• I love adding unsweetened almond milk to smoothies as it creates such a creamy consistency. I usually use almond milk more in winter than summer for my smoothies. I add a percentage of almond milk and a percentage of water to my smoothies (see the recipe below). 
• I add coconut water or unsweetened almond milk sparingly as I like to create a thick, smoothie consistency  
• Greenery
• A generous handful of baby spinach leaves is a must! 
• I'm not a huge fan of kale in smoothies, but some people love using this vegetable! 
• Lemon or lime juice
• The juice of 1/2 or a whole lemon or lime gives the juice a nice kick 
• Vegetables
• I enjoy grated ginger in my smoothies as well as cucumber, grated carrot and/or celery...however go easy on these ingredients or they can overpower the final taste! 
• Protein
• I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of pea protein powder or 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds to my smoothies. 
• You could also add flaxseeds, maca powder, cacao powder, hemp seeds, goji berries or any other natural supplement/superfood you can think of! 

Here's an example of a very simple favourite smoothie of mine: 

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup Hawaiian coconut energy water or around 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk and 1/4 cup plain water (more liquid added if needed)
• a large handful of washed baby spinach 
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon 
• 2cm of fresh ginger, grated 
• 2 tablespoons pea protein powder 

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend for a minute or until combined. Add more water or almond milk if you want a thinner consistency or more ice cubes if you want a thicker smoothie. 

Serves / 2 

x Emily