Can't Get Enough Avo

I just can't get enough, I just can't get enough.... Avocado!!! Seriously, folks, it's the most under-rated smoothie addition I've ever heard of. We need to change that! Avocados are delicious, nutty, smooth, and not to mention super-duper nutritious and also filling. All things we ask our smoothies to deliver every day, so what's the excuse? Beats me.

Try this, you'll love it, I promise.

1 small banana

1 avocado

1/2 cup balkan style yoghurt

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup almond milk

To reduce sugar and acidity and to add protein, I've been subbing in almond milk for half of what I'd usually use in orange juice. I've experimented with water and various types of cold tea, which also work great. What do you add to your smoothie to thin it down a little? Smoothie on!

Papaya the Sailor Man

It's been far too long between smoothies, I'm afraid. But this morning's sure does feel great! It's pretty basic since my fridge is pretty bare, but sometimes simplicity is just what the body needs. I'd like to try this recipe again and beef it up with some avocado, or perhaps some coriander, or even some nuts. Any suggestions?

2 teeny weeny bananas
1 cup Balkan style yoghurt
1 cup papaya (ripe)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup milk

So in this smoothie I did something that I almost never do - used milk. Why don't I use milk? Dunno. But after this smoothie, I think maybe I'll try it more often, since it really adds a nice smoothness and creaminess to a smoothie. Of course vitamin D and calcium are all good things, too, and protein... The papaya and the raspberries balance really nicely. Papaya contains an enzyme called "papain" which helps digestion, though it's more concentrated when the papaya is unripe (papaya salad anyone??). It's also an excellent source of vitamin C (more than 50% of RDV), and decent source of folate (30% RDV). It's also available pretty much year- round, which is nice. How about use half of the papaya for a nice salad, and the other half a few days later for a smoothie? Genius! Smoothie on!

Fun With Fennel

Gee I love when I try something new and it turns out delicious! I'm particularly excited about this smoothie because I've been thinking about trying this for quite some time now. So here's what I did this time:

1 banana
1/2 cucumber
2 stems fennel, with leaves
about a cup of red grapes
1/2 cup balkan style yoghurt
cold water
3 kiwis, peeled

This was another smoothie that was a delight to taste, and to smell. Some of you may not be used to fennel, or anise (Foeniculum vulgare), but it's a veggie that's an absolute staple in our household, both cooked as a side dish and raw in salads. It has a fabulous licorice flavour, and though I don't like licorice, I loooooooove fennel. The seeds are used frequently as a seasoning spice (great pounded with a mortar and pestle and used as a rub for meat, fyi), and the leaves as a herb. It was also used in the making of absinthe... Lots of very interesting properties make it great for health - it's been said to improve digestive tract health (also reducing flatulence), be great for eyesight, reduction of hypertension, and even for increasing breast tissue improving breastfeeding. Pretty neat stuff for something that is so absolutely delicious.

Since it's a lot like celery in texture, I wasn't worried about using it in a smoothie at all. In fact, it's much more smoothie-friendly, I believe, since it has a nicer taste, even when used in higher quantities. Celery, on the other hand, can become very overpowering in a smoothie or a juice. This is just my first attempt, stay tuned for more experimentation with fennel. Oh, and it's just perfect with the tartness of the kiwis, by the way... Smoothie on!

Kiwi-Coriander-Kraze

Oh was this smoothie ever a success.... Fragrant, smooth, yummy, everything a super smoothie should be. Did I mention nutritious? No fancy business here, but one I'm sure all you coriander addicts will adore. I was craving yoghurt this morning, so I went a little heavy. If you'd prefer a less creamy version, just decrease the amount of yoghurt.

1/2 cucumber
1 banana
1 apple
2 kiwis (peeled)
3/4 balkan style yoghurt
1 small handful coriander leaves and stems
1 cup cranberry juice
splash cold water

The kiwis really added a nice tang to this smoothie, and I have some neat ideas about what to do with the rest of the punnet, so stay tuned. And not surprisingly, kiwi and coriander go great together! Smoothie on!

What did you think?

Apple Pie Smoothie

Hello everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus, I have just started a great new job, and the new schedule has taken some getting used to. I have been smoothie-free, but now we're going to make up for it. Continuing with my excitement over using oats in my smoothies, I had a great idea to do a nice, seasonal smoothie, and I'm so pleased to report that it was a HUGE success, I'm sure you're going to love it. Ok, so the ingredients:

2 apples
1/2 cup balkan yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 handful old fashioned oats
1 tsp honey
1 large pinch cinnamon
Cold water as needed to thin

Since apples are usually quite hard, be sure to blend for long enough to make sure you don't get any chunks. One of the nice things about this creation is the fragrance, which is just as tantalizing as the taste. Many studies have shown that cinnamon has a positive effect on blood sugar, insulin response and even cholesterol levels. Commonly used for all kinds of ailments in traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is also believed to improve energy, vitality, and circulation. So there you go, something else that tastes great, and is also great for you! I so enjoy finding out how so many natural things work to keep us healthy, and it just reinforces my opinion that as long as you're eating "real" food, you'll be ok...

So tell me, have any of you tried a pie in a smoothie before? Smoothie on!

Blueberry-Oatmeal-Cookie

Oh how I love this smoothie!! Can you tell I'm excited? I always tend to get a little excited when I try something new and it ends up being delicious... Since with this cooler weather I've been craving oatmeal, I thought to myself it'd be the perfect time to add some oats to my smoothies. So this is the beginning of my Adventures In Oats, I'm sure you're going to love it.

1 banana
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 handful rolled oats
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
splash of cold water

I'm noticing a bit of a trend lately, with my deep purple smoothies. This is of course due to an overstock in frozen blueberries in my freezer... This smoothie has a really neat flavour to it because of the oats. Being my first foray into the realm of oats in smoothies, I was quite conservative adding only a handful. I'm going to experiment with more, but you'll notice I had to add a splash of cold water because the oats really thickened this smoothie up.

Oats, as most of us know, are a fantastic source of fiber. Doing my homework about oats I came across a great website www.eatmoreoats.com which is chock full of great info about the benefits of adding more oats into our diets. One of the major benefits is in cholesterol reduction and heart health, but there are plenty others, such as blood sugar control, cancer reduction, blood pressure, weight loss, bowel health, and many more. I have lots of great ideas which will be blended up this week, so stay tuned! Smoothie on!

Have you tried oats in a smoothie before?

It Ain't Easy Being Green

This smoothie was inspired by me looking at my garden sadly, knowing that to my dismay all my cauliflower plants ever did this season was grow humongous leaves. No cauliflowers at all. Since the leaves are so beautiful and awe-inspiring, I thought it'd be worth checking out whether or not they're edible. Turns out not only are they edible, but they're a lot like kale, ie. full of wholesome goodness. The colour of this smoothie is spectacular, and it's really nice and fresh tasting. I think next time I'll add a bit of honey to sweeten it up a bit, or maybe some mint for some zing... I've also noticed that a disadvantage of using green tea in smoothies, is that there's quite a time lapse between brewing it and it being cool enough to go into s smoothie. Here I added 2 ice cubes to the tea to hurry the process along, but I think in the fututre what I'm going to do is brew a big batch and put it in a jug in the fridge. I enjoy cold green tea, already, so I'm pretty sure that'll work out great. Here we go:

1 ripe avocado
1 small banana
1 cup balkan style yoghurt
1 humongous cauliflower leaf, or kale leaf
1 1/2 cups green tea
1 apple

Here's a photo of my big, beautiful cauli leaf. It might not pack quite the nutritional punch of the much darker green kale, but it still measures up with plenty of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.





What did you think of this smoothie? Comments are welcome, smoothie on!

Antioxidant Punch

I'm just so excited about today's smoothie! It's something I've never tried before, and never even thought of, except that I was reading an article on green tea, and bam... it hit me... (because ever since starting this blog my whole world revolves around smoothies) put it into a smoothie! This has sparked lots of ideas for the next few smoothies I make. I was also requested by Emily in a comment on Zingy Speckle a couple of weeks ago to include some banana replacement options, so here goes:

1 ripe avocado
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 handful pineapple chunks
1 handful honeydew melon chunks
1 handful strawberries
1 handful cantaloupe chunks
1 acai blueberry yoghurt Astro Biobest smoothie
1 1/2 cups green tea, cool

I can't describe to you how refreshing and tasty this smoothie is. I will by trying it with a banana in the future, but for the banana averse amongst us, the avocado does a great job at adding thickness and smoothness to this concoction. It also gives that nice nuttiness as an added bonus. The subtle bitterness of green tea is not an issue in this drink, it just gives the whole thing a really great flavour, and of course the benefits of all those antioxidants.

There are tons and tons of websites extolling the virtues of green tea, but in a nutshell because there is very little oxidation in the processing of green tea, it is widely considered the healthiest of teas. It's rich in antioxidants, particularly catechin polyphenols which have been shown to slow the aging process. Handy for weight loss because of its ability to enhance fat oxidation and increase the body's metabolic rate, it also has documented uses in all kinds of areas of health and well-being, including reproductive health, digestive health, etc.

One thing I was surprised to read was that green tea is actually a great source of vitamins and minerals, containing vitamin C in comparable amounts to a lemon, and tons of different types of B vitamins which are water soluble and so readily available in a tea. In summary, 5-6 cups of green tea a day, and you have a lot of your body's mineral requirements covered, and this smoothie helps you get there.

Have any of you tried a green tea smoothie before? Tell me all about it in the comments below. Smoothie on!

Berry Bonanza

This lilac beauty is as yummy as it looks. I'm starting to feel a little better, so I've indulged my yoghurt craving today with this smoothie.

1 banana
1/2 large cucumber
1/2 cup strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup yoghurt
1 cup pineapple juice

Cucumbers are fun in smoothies, because you really can't tell they're there unless you put a heck of a lot it, and they're nice and juicy. They're also a good source of Vitamin A, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium, according to Self Nutrition Data, a great site for finding out what really is in your food.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2439/2#ixzz0znw6szYf

Purple-People-Eater

So today for our first smoothie together, I decided to be a bit of a purist. Start simple, and all that... So the ingredients are a large, pretty ripe banana, frozen blueberries, Balkan style yoghurt, and a mix of orange and grapefruit juice. Delicious and nutritious as it, isn't the colour purty??