Make the most of the warm weather and summer’s abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables by creating quick and delicious juices and smoothies
With the dawn of a new year, we are all gearing up to get (back) into shape and adopt a healthier lifestyle. After weeks of indulgent eating, and all those cookies and cakes, it’s time to go back to basics.
If you do not already own one, head to the shops, hit the sales and get yourself a blender to whizz together some healthy drinks. Make a smoothie your breakfast or post-gym routine, or just have one as a healthy drink when the snacking demons beckon.
Almond Yoghurt Green Smoothie
You can’t look past green smoothies this season. This super creamy green smoothie uses almond yoghurt making it vegan and also suitable for those who cannot digest dairy products.
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe green pear
½ ripe red apple
½ banana
2 cup greens (I used chard, use any you wish to)
½ cup parsley
1 tbsp chia seeds
200 ml almond yoghurt
Water/ice
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
Method
Blend all the ingredients with enough water or ice until smooth.
Notes: The beauty of this recipe is that it is a basic guideline to making your favourite green smoothie. You can use any kind of greens you wish to and you can rotate between chia, flax or hemp seeds and add nuts if desired. Use coconut yoghurt instead of almond for a sweeter and creamier smoothie, or you can use regular milk or yoghurt too.
Banana Coffee Smoothie
For a breakfast on the go, a delicious and healthy banana coffee smoothie will not only provide you some much needed energy to tackle all those emails, but also that extra caffeine rush.
Ingredients
2 small bananas; fresh or frozen
1 cup milk
½ tsp medium roast coffee powder (adjust measurements to taste)
½ tsp honey
Ice cubes, optional
Method
Blend all the ingredients together into a smoothie consistency.
Enjoy your caffeine kick!
Papaya Delight
Keeping in mind our soaring temperatures over summer, sometimes you want more of a juice than a smoothie. ‘Papaya Delight’ is another great option for those who wish to avoid dairy products. Papaya already has a tonne of health benefits, but add to it the nutritional benefits of aloe vera and the immune boosting power of freshly grated turmeric and you’re super healthy!
Ingredients
½ papaya; deseeded and cubed
2 cups aloe vera juice
¼ tsp freshly grated turmeric root
A dash of honey
Method
Blend all the ingredients with ice and enjoy.
Easy On The Tummy
There is a big misconception that smoothies or healthy drinks need to be filled with lots of ingredients. Well, that’s not true; instead, is important that the ingredients chosen exist in balance within that drink and also in a combination that provides nutritional or health benefits to your body. ‘Easy On The Tummy’ is one such drink. It not only incorporates the goodness of papaya and coconut water, but has ginger blitzed through to aid digestion – especially after you have a night of heavy eating. A dash of honey provides the necessary sweetness. Make sure you use only local organic honey and not the bottled stuff in the supermarket aisles.
Ingredients
½ ripe papaya
½ tsp grated ginger
2 cups coconut water
A dash of honey
Method
Blitz all the ingredients together with ice. Enjoy!
Apple Smoothie
They say, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’! It’s time to put that to practice; apples are inexpensive, delicious and contain loads of nutrients. A handful of sunflower seeds not only adds a nutty flavour to an apple smoothie, but also generous amounts of essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.
Ingredients
2 ripe red apples, diced
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp honey
2 cups milk
Method
Blend all the ingredients and enjoy this delicious smoothie.
Kiwi Cooler
This drink is another great summer option – a banana, kiwi, lemon concoction with loads of ice to stay cool and hydrated.
Ingredients
1 small banana; chopped
3 kiwis, diced
Juice of half a lemon
Water
Ice cubes
Honey (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients and enjoy this cooler on a hot, sunny day.
Oats it up!
This one is for those who would love to incorporate oats into their diet but can’t stand them in porridge form. Raw oats are ground along with fruits and nuts to get this delicious smoothie.
Ingredients
2 tbsp oats
1 small banana
½ green apple
4 almonds
Honey
2 ½ cups milk
Method
Soak the oats and almonds in one cup milk for 15 minutes.
Blitz it with all the other ingredients.
Enjoy!
Raspberry Choco Delight
All of us need the occasional treat and this raspberry chocolate delight is just that. It’s a sure hit for the kids and a good way to silence them for a bit during the school holidays. Add a scoop of ice cream to make it a dessert or freeze in ice block moulds for a deliciously creamy icy treat which children will adore. Or, simply enjoy it as a smoothie.
Ingredients
150 gm raspberries
2 cups chilled milk
1 tsp grated dark chocolate
Honey, to suit taste preferences
Method
Blend all the ingredients till creamy.
Grate some dark chocolate on top
Note: For children, you may add some sugar and blend especially for making ice blocks/popsicles.
