All in Juices and smoothies
Winning all round hybrid smoothie. When I have a big day starting with teaching a class (which I do 90% of), followed by my own strength training session and back to back clients this is a winning breakfast I enjoy between class & training!
The nitrate in beetroot helps with stamina. The protein is there to feed and repair the muscles.The blueberries are full packed with antioxidants. The avocado is rich in fibres and good fats.
If you love a shot of coffee in the morning then you’ll love this smoothie. We use Exhale coffee, which is tested for high polyphenols and no mould. We use Nuzest protein powder, but use whatever your favourite is.
I know what you are thinking - cauliflower in a smoothie - yuck! However, please believe me when I say you really can’t taste the cauliflower and you get all the cruciferous vegetable benefits. I buy packs of frozen cauliflower rice and keep in the freezer as a useful and very easy meal side. If you haven’t got vanilla protein powder then use your normal protein powder and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the vanilla flavour. I often freeze cut up bananas that are going brown in the fruit bowl and they are great for adding to smoothies.
Smoothies can make a really quick on the go breakfast option. However most smoothies don’t contain enough protein and we often need to add a protein powder to ensure adequate protein. You can use any protein powder you like. At the moment my current favourite is the vanilla flavour by Nuzest. It doesn’t taste artificial like many of the vanilla protein powders out there. For this recipe we have used Arctic Berries blueberry powder which is made from blueberries that come from the Arctic forests of Finland, but you can substitute with fresh or frozen blueberries.
Smoothies are often requested by our clients when we design personalised meal plans. In spring and summer they are a great breakfast option if put together properly and hit your micro and macro nutrients needs. This smoothie will give you very adequate protein for breakfast and also contains your first portion of veggie for the day! A double win. Who can resist the pineapple coconut combo?
Winter may not seem the time you fancy a smoothie, but they are so handy for packing so much goodness.
When I set out to create a new smoothie recipe, I was aiming for at least one vegetable, high fibre content, high in vitamin C, a good morning boost, a light textured and a pretty colour! Oh and why not include that daily dose of flaxseed (really helps with the hot flushes). I think I managed to tick all the boxes and it’s delicious! Give it a try and let me know!
Who does not like a smoothie? But sometimes if you’re at home it’s nice to actually enjoy it in a bowl. I find it easier to eat mindfully when sitting at a table, and using a spoon, rather than just sipping! This smoothie bowl is a total crowd pleaser at home with eaters of all ages! We always keep fruit in our freezer so we can enjoy colourful smoothie bowls all year round.
When your spring or summer isn’t playing ball and you need an injection of sun to your day this is the smoothie to reach for. Also good when it’s hot and sunny outside! Zingy from the turmeric with the taste of tropical sun from the pineapple. Refreshing and filling.
If you go into a supermarket the array of smoothies you can now buy is overwhelming. We find more and more people are reaching for a smoothie as a healthy choice. However, many of the shop bought smoothies are very high in fruit and contain very small amounts of vegetables. This makes them very sweet and palatable. While this is great for increasing the amount of fruit in one’s diet, it does mean that we often get a blood sugar spike. Without any protein or fat to slow down the absorption you get the same effect as reaching for a sugary drink. A blood sugar spike results in an evitable blood sugar crash a few hours later, which leads to cravings for more food (often unhealthy food) as your body needs the energy fast!
Sometime, a beautiful purple, green or yellow smoothie is not going to do the job! So, back in the days of taking my son to rugby, I embarked on a fairly long journey to convince a then pre-teen Rugby mad son that I could make him a healthy, nutritious and energy boosting shake he would be proud to take to rugby training. The aim of the game was to avoid him bowing down to the peer pressure of gulping a fluorescent blue or orange energy drink! Today, I can happily report that this shake is fab for my own post workout refuel too.
Possibly my 3 favourite Bs: Balance, Breakfast and Bowl. Building a balanced breakfast bowl is so much fun and far easier and quicker than it looks. This is how I built this pretty and colourful bowl of yumminess. Most ingredients can be swapped for similar items you will have in your fridge or cupboards, fruits can be changed based on seasonal availabilities and yoghurt can be replaced with your dairy-free option if necessary.
In the summer I love nothing more than a lovely fresh green smoothie for breakfast. If it’s a spin class morning, I like to enjoy it after but if I am strength training, I need a boost of power before I hit the weights. This is my recent most favourite to give me that boost on a summer’s morning! One of my favourite Plant based protein powder is by ThatProtein and contains Baobab, recognised for its immune boosting properties, high iron and vitamin C nutritional profile!
I never drink smoothies in the winter or cooler months - but in the summer they make a lovely light breakfast. I especially enjoy them if I am not feeing that hungry - or have trained before eating and then it might only be a few hours before lunch. I always include some protein - but if it’s close to lunch then I don’t need to go overboard. I have included flaxseed in this smoothie for its importance in female hormone health - see tip below.
Why have we called this smoothie help your hormones? We originally designed it for those that came to our Menopause workshop to highlight some fantastic hormone balancing ingredients. We have shared with you all as it’s also perfect for hormones at any age, not just women going through the peri-menopause. See our tip at the bottom for why these ingredients are perfect for your hormones. And also note the warning about grapefruit if taking some medications.
When the weather gets warmer we love nothing better than a smoothie for breakfast. This smoothie is deliciously creamy due to the addition of avocado and banana. Suitable for children - the first time I made this my daughter drank most of it! There is some protein from the avocado, but not much, so if you want to drink on its own then you might want to add a few nuts. I often like a smoothie post run and then I’ll have lunch a few hours later.
Smoothies are a quick, easy, practical and versatile way to refuel efficiently during sports events. Packed full of nutrients, real fresh ingredients, they should become your best friends.
This new smoothie tastes like a treat and contains balanced amounts of good carbs, fibres and protein, with the added bonus of that sweet summer strawberry flavour.
When the weather gets warmer we love nothing better than a smoothie for breakfast. It's light and refreshing. The problem with many of the smoothies or smoothie mixes from the freezer you can buy from supermarkets is they are really high in fruit not vegetables and there's no protein to keep you full. This has protein from the chia seeds, healthy fat from the flaxseed and a good mix of vegetables with a touch of sweet from the mango.
Could this purple bit of goodness be any prettier? Not only will a smoothie offer one of the easiest and most versatile way to add goodness to a healthy diet, I have found that with kids, it is such a practical on-the-go way to supplement their diets with essential vitamins and minerals they may lack. Packed full of seasonal ingredients they have become part of our daily life.
Smoothies are the easiest, quickest and most versatile way to add goodness to a healthy diet. Packed full of seasonal ingredients they have become part of our daily life.
We aim to incorporate vegetables in them in our attempt to always increase our daily portions of vegetables.
Smoothies are the easiest, quickest and most versatile way to manage a nutrient rich balanced healthy diet. Packed full of seasonal ingredients they have become our best friends.
This new smoothie is sunshine on tap and nice little health boost for a peachy smooth skin.