Quest for the perfect smoothie
We have owned a Nutribullet 1000 Series blender for a month now, and every day we have experimented with a new breakfast smoothie. We have tried all sorts of ingredients - cauliflower, sauerkraut, peas, kefir, turmeric. My husband, the maverick, even put in celeriac although I can’t say I recommend it.
The biggest revelation has been that my extremely fussy (and extremely allergic) 2-year-old enjoys a smoothie every morning. It doesn’t matter what we put in it or what colour it is, he’ll drink it. We’re not making them overly sweet either - around 50% of each mix is spinach or kale. It’s such a weight off my mind to know that however picky he is for the rest of the day, he has had a great range of healthy ingredients first thing. And it might be coincidence, but this major improvement in his diet has coincided with a noticeable improvement in his overall behaviour.
Here are a couple of things we have learnt along the way:
5 smoothie truths
A banana is essential, particularly when going heavy on the veg.
Adding at least one frozen ingredient makes your smoothie 99.9% better.
Avocado creates a lovely rich creaminess.
Stirring whole, soaked chia seeds into your final smoothie adds a great ‘chewable’ texture.
Using water, milk or kefir is a healthier liquid base then sweet fruit juices.
Glorious Green smoothie
Every time I make a smoothie, it comes out slightly different. But my favourite smoothie recipe goes something like this:
50% spinach leaves
half an avocado (or a few frozen pieces)
a 3cm chunk of cucumber
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 banana
a sprinkle of dried coconut flakes
a few mint leaves
half a teaspoon turmeric
water and unsweetened almond milk
And for myself, I stir in soaked, whole chia seeds at the end.
