Smoothies are fabulous at any time of the year as they are a great way of packing in your 5 a day and are super quick to prepare. Smoothies really come into their own during the summer as they are so refreshing, plus there’s lots of lovely summer fruit around to put in them.
I always have a stash of frozen bananas in my freezer as they add sweetness to smoothies and freezing them makes the consistency a lot creamier (and colder!). Tip: wait till your bananas are fairly ripe and spotty, peel and chop them in half and put the pieces in a freezer bag. You can also freeze other fruit when it’s in season or buy it frozen from the supermarket so you always have something delicious to pop into your smoothie.
Here are some of my all-time favourite smoothie recipes. Even my fussy kids find it hard to resist these!
You will need a high-speed blender or smoothie maker for these recipes. You just throw the ingredients in and whizz them together, then pour into a large glass and enjoy.
Green Goddess
This one has spinach, avocado and cucumber for a triple green-goodness hit. You can add a scoop of your favourite protein powder if you fancy adding a protein hit.
1 handful of washed spinach
¼ avocado, chopped
½ peeled cucumber, chopped into chunks
½ frozen banana
1 ½ cups of coconut water (alternatively you can use 1 cup of almond or other plant based milk and ½ cup of water)
Blueberry & Oat Protein Smoothie
This is a great breakfast option since it contains rolled oats which provide slow-release energy. You can swap the hemp protein powder for another type (i.e. whey or pea) or you could add a couple of spoons of unsweetened Greek yoghurt for a protein boost.
1/3 cup of rolled oats (not porridge oats!)
1/3 cup of frozen blueberries
1 pitted medjool date
1 small handful cashew nuts
1 tablespoon hemp or other protein powder (optional)
200ml almond or other plant based milk
100ml water
Tropical Smoothie Bowl
This tastes like summer in a bowl. You can buy fresh tropical fruit (mango, pineapple and melon), chop it up and freeze it, or buy packs of frozen mixed tropical fruit from the supermarket. This smoothie bowl is very sweet and creamy so it’s a great, healthy alternative to ice cream. The toppings really elevate this recipe and provide a lovely crunchy texture so do try them!
1 frozen banana
½ cup frozen tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, melon)
2 teaspoons of coconut oil
80ml milk almond or other plant based milk
Topping: 1 tablespoon each of cacao nibs, chia seeds and desiccated coconut.
