With a bit of thought, smoothies can be an awesome addition to your day and are perfect when you want something quick, easy and nutritious. I will often have a smoothie for breakfast or as a recovery snack after a hard training. Smoothies are a much better option than fresh juices because they contain all of the fibre, vitamins and minerals from each ingredient, whereas a lot of this goodness is removed during the juicing process.
You can get really creative with your smoothie and pretty much add anything you like, but I have created a fail safe formula (below) to help you get a well-balanced smoothie that will keep you going for a good couple of hours.
How to make the perfect smoothie:
Start with the star of the show. This could be any of the following:
- 1/2 cup frozen berries
- 1 peach/nectarine, chopped, stone removed (canned peaches in natural juice work well)
- 1 carrot
- 1 apple
- 1/2 small fresh beetroot
- 1/2 mango
- 1 small banana
Add a bit of sweetness (don’t need this if using banana/mango above as they are sweet enough):
- 1 tsp honey/maple
- 2 chopped dates
- 1 small banana
- 1 scoop vanilla/chocolate protein
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
Add some healthy fats (choose 1):
- 1 tsp nut butter (peanut/almond/cashew)
- Approx. 10 cashew nuts/almonds/walnuts
- 1 tsp LSA
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 1/4 avocado
Make it even more awesome (choose 1-2):
- 1 tsp cocoa/cacao
- 2-3 tbsp oats
- 1 Weet-Bix
- Handful baby spinach/kale
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
Don’t forget the liquid (1-1.5 cups depending on how thick you like it):
- water
- cows milk
- almond milk
- coconut milk
- coconut water
- soy milk
Tip: Ice is also a nice addition. Freezing your overripe fruit prevents wastage and gives you a chilled, thicker smoothie.
Tip: A good blender (I love my Nutribullet) is a great addition to your kitchen as it has no trouble breaking up nuts, veggies and fruit skins, giving you a much smoother smoothie!
Tip: I also like to top mine with a bit of muesli or coconut to give it some texture.
Remember: These portions below are just a guide, everyone’s needs are different so play around with what works for you and adjust to suit.
Happy blending!
Top left: carrot, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, lite coconut milk, water
Bottom left: frozen banana, spinach, vanilla yoghurt, LSA, oats, milk
Middle top: berries, maple syrup, cashews, oats, chia seeds, ice, milk (topped with granola)
Middle bottom: Frozen banana, peanut butter, oats, cinnamon, milk (topped with flaxseeds)
Top right: Banana, dates, avocado, cocoa, chia seeds, milk, ice
Bottom right: Apple, 1/2 banana, spinach, LSA, ice, coconut water (topped with muesli)
