All The Smoothies - my favourite smoothie recipes
Smoothies can be a fast, simple and delicious way to pack in lots of tasty goodness in an easy to make and grab drink that’s packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals. You can also mix and match to whatever you have in your fridge/cupboard/freezer - and frozen fruit is great for this. Make up a batch in the morning / night before and you can sip through the day or take it out with you too. A ‘nutribullet’ type blender with a high powered motor will work best, and in my opinion worth the investment. Any leftovers can also be popped into lolly mounds and frozen for a healthy, cooling summer treat too.
I love smoothies, and coming up with different combinations. Here’s some of my favourites. You can swap out any of the milks for your own choice, and any of the fruit can be tailored to what you have in or you like best of course!
And also at the end is a ‘smoothie formula’ to follow so you can create your own. So get blending and enjoy!
~ The Ultimate Green 'Mojito' Smoothie ~
You can see a video here on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/KVozFJG40uQ
or on Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yogaformodernlife%20/videos/2502942063270639/
Great to boost iron levels in a gentle way, and for energy levels, combating tiredness. This is my absolute favourite smoothie packed with mint and lime to give it that refreshing mojito deliciousness!
Add the following to a blender cup:
2 kiwi fruits peeled & chopped
2 limed zest and flesh chopped
1 apple quartered (core removed)
loads of mint
chopped kale (remove the really big tough stalks) or spinach - to fill up the blender cup.
4 ice cubes
liquid of choice - water / coconut water / apple juice / orange juice
optional extras: peanut / almond butter 1 tablespoon,
teaspoon of spirulina or supergreen powder,
tablespoons of nuts or seeds (flax, pumpkin, sunslower etc),
sachet of Spatone for even more iron!!
Blend it all up REALLY well, so its smooth and not lumpy of chewy!! (Kale will take more blending that spinach)
Pretend you are on holiday and enjoy!
Banana, cherry and chocolate smoothie
Inspired by some very overripe bananas glaring at me from the fruit bowl, and frozen cherries in the freezer. This one looks particularly damn pretty thanks to the cherries 🍒 😊
Add the following to a blender cup, and whizz. Add more liquid if too thick::
. 1 overripe banana 🍌
A good handful of cherrys🍒 (from the freezer, but any berry would do)
1 desert spoons of raw cacao (or use grated dark choc or cocoa powder).
Enough milk to get to your preferred consistency of your choice (I used coconut, deliciously tropical 🥥)
Optional:
a teaspoon of maca powder
a dessertspoon hemp seeds or other seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)
The Energy Booster
The banana and nut butter in this smoothie make it a great energy booster. Bananas are rich in potassium and easy on the stomach. Yoghurt is a good source of calcium, you can use Greek yoghurt as it contains significantly more protein, or if you are vegan a coconut yoghurt would be great. Live cultures in yoghurt can also help with gut bacteria or use Kefit instead for even more of a microbiome boost.
Add the following to a blender cup, and whizz. Add more liquid if too thick:
250ml Almond milk
1 banana
1 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
I tablespoon almond butter
Pinch cinnamon (to taste)
2 tablespoons of oats
Optional - 1 teaspoon maca powder -
Another Green One
Both spinach and avocado are high in folate as well as a host of vitamins including vitamin C and, in the case of avocado, B6, which is important for brain growth and (can help relieve morning sickness, pregnant folks note).
Add the following to a blender cup, and whizz. Add more liquid if too thick:
Large handful spinach
1/2 avocado
Handful mint (to taste)
4 or 5 chunks Pineapple
1 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
Coconut water (to taste)
Creamy Fruit Smoothie
This delicious sweet smoothie is chock full of vitamin C from the berries and mango, plus calcium and protein from the yoghurt. An added bonus is the magnesium that mangoes and coconut water contain, which helps prevent leg cramps (another common in pregnancy ailment).
Add the following to a blender cup, and whizz. Add more liquid if too thick:
1 cup berries (frozen work well)
½ mango (again you can use frozen)
1 banana
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1 cup coconut water
Optional - a desertspoon of tahini or nut butter or seed butter
Flapjack Smoothie
Nut butters are high in a number of important minerals and good fatigue fighting fats, but if possible choose a brand that doesn’t contain added palm oil. The oats provide iron and fibre – both very important during pregnancy.
Add the following to a blender cup, and whizz. Add more liquid if too thick:
½ cup oats
1 ¼ cups coconut milk
1 banana
1 tbsp honey
2 tablespoons nut butter (peanit/cashew/almond)
1 tablespoon seeds (sunflower, almond, pumpkin, sesame or a blend of them)
1 tsp vanilla extract
A ‘smoothie formula’
Here’s an idea of how to put together your own recipes. Super simple but great to remind you to add the extra goodness and nutrients. Do let me know how you get on too
1 Start with your base flavour (fill about 2/5ths of the blender beaker)
Greens (kale, lettuce, spinach, spring greens), banana, mango, pineapple, strawberry, peach, blueberries, cherries, pear, avocado, apricots, raspberries, beetroot, kiwi, apple
2 Add a compimentary flavour (fill about 2/5ths of the blender beaker)
Choose from one ingredient above
3 Add your chosen liquid (fill about 2/5ths of the blender beaker, but depends on how thin or tick you like your smoothie)
Water, coconut water, cow’s milk, almond milk, oat milk, any fruit or vegetable juice, drinking yoghurt or kefir (great for adding to a healthy gut), tea (chilled)
4 Add 1 tbsp of a ‘ booster’
Nut or seed butter, tahini, oats, chia seeds, flax/ hemp seeds (high in omega 3 and 6, good protein, vits and minerals), yoghurt, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, maca powder (calms the nervous system, helps bodies cope with stress, balances hormones, reduces tiredness and fatigue), bee pollen ( a super vitamin and mineral booster, and with digestion boosting enzymes too) to give it a real boost.), spirulina, super greens powder
5 Pimp the flavour with a pinch of ...
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, goji berries, fresh grated turmeric, dried spices (ginger, cardamom, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg), fresh grated ginger, desiccated coconut, cacao powder or nibs
6 If you need extra sweetness ….
A soft date, a squeeze of honey, a little maple syrup, one chopped dried fruit (apricot, fig, prune)
7 For extra zing and acidity add……
Lemon juice or zest, lime, orange, kiwi
8. Add ice
if you main fruit/veg isn’t frozen