I’m a great fan of making smoothies. This week I thought of sharing my recipe which I make and tweak as per ingredients in my fridge.
So my reasons for including a smoothie to your day:
- Very easily portable
- Can fit into the meal plan easily
- Adds nutrient density in ways where other meals may need a lot of time.
- Can be a meal in itself but can complement part of a healthy meal too
- Such an easy way to feed the gut bacteria
- Great way to get goodness into children
- Good way to include the synergistic effect of nutrients which often can be missing when planning meals on the go ..( and not hob cleaning!)
- Extremely easy way to include variety of fruits and vegetables
- Satiating if made with the right ingredients
- Supports weight management whether it’s gaining, losing or maintaining the pounds.
- Can be a good part of intermittent fasting
So before I dive into the recipe, it is important that you use a powerful blender and my go to is always my ‘Vitamix’. I actually bought it just for my smoothies but it helps making the lentil pancakes and nut butters too. It is a super good investment! (I sound like a salesperson-lol!)
Using organic ingredients is best but if not, make sure you wash everything well.
My recipe of a healthy green smoothie
Serves two
Handful of spinach
Handful of spring greens (these are normally very tender cabbage leaves)
350ml of water and some ice
Two tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Two table spoons flaxseeds (I use whole)
Half an inch of ginger and turmeric
A pinch of black pepper
One banana
Handful of mixed berries
Half an apple (I like the green ones)
I have put in the ingredients in an order that they blend well without most of the linseed and pepper sticking to the lid, so it would help you add it is a similar order.
Add all the ingredients in the Vitamix jar and make sure you close the lid of your blender before turning it on for two minutes on full speed. And there you go …. enjoy a healthy meal which provides you with a phytonutrient rich mix!
The fruits and greens used provide several micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. The essential fatty acids from the flaxseed is nourishing at cellular level by providing omega 3. The pumpkin seeds provide the protein content. Ginger and turmeric help prevent inflammation and the black pepper is there to make these nutrients get absorbed properly. The overall fibre content is high and hence feeds the gut microbiome to keep it healthy.
This smoothy is very filling and I enjoy it most days as my lunch. One thing is for sure, constipation will be a thing of the past if you have this. And that is just one of the many benefits!
Little tips
You can add beetroot to add nitrates, which can help reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.
Make it nutrient dense by adding sweeter fruit like mangoes or pineapple. However I would advise against doing that all the time as the sugar content goes up which can result in an insulin spike, which is not really healthy.
The protein source can be changed to tofu, nut butter or hemp seeds. I don’t normally advice use of protein powders as often there are several other ingredients like sweeteners included in them, which are not very healthy.
Add some form of cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, cabbage and the likes. These are super nutrient dense and an easy way to include to your day.
When adding different colours be mindful that sometimes the smoothie may look purple or muddy green if palette is mixed without thinking. In the big scheme of things, it does not matter but if you plan to take your smoothie to work, like me, be sure to be asked ‘what on earth are you drinking’! So be creative and mix reds and oranges with yellow or greens with yellows to keep the smoothie looking vibrant.
Hope you enjoy trying my smoothie recipe!
I am looking forward to the Jubilee Week and bank holiday.
Anni
x
