healthy green smoothies
to breakfast with
The best basic smoothie recipe – with options
+ my super yummy discovery in a trendy dark lilac grey smoothie
+ my Saint Patrick’s day especially healthy, green white and gold smoothie
We all know that smoothies are simple to make. Full of fruit & veg, this one will set you up, for a great day of work and play… I’m just having my first creation of my own ( the blue/grey one) later in the day as I’m doing a fast till 5pm today. I wonder if I will need anything else or will this be my OMAD – one liquid meal a day discovery too. I’ll update you tomorrow!
Servings : 2 Prep Time : 5 mins Cooking Time : 0 mins Difficulty : 1/5
Tips
in your store cupboard
Buy ready chopped bagged spinach or kale so you can quickly add a handful of goodness.
mise en place / prep
Freeze pre-sliced bananas, and you get to make a faster smoothie with a nice iciness built-in.
Soak some flaxseeds in the fridge (overnight will do). They will bloat and makes a jelly-like consistency. Perfect for adding a teaspoon of morning flaxseed.
serving suggestion
Save some jam jars and store pre-roasted & chopped almonds to sprinkle on top.
tools
Hand blender or Personal blender : if using frozen fruit, make sure it can blend ice / hard iced fruit
Chopper or grinder: pulverise the nuts, seeds, or oats as smooth as you like
General recipe
Essential Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup fresh or frozen berries
- 1 handful spinach or kale (organic if possible)
- 1 – 2 cups unsweetened nut milk (start with one and add more according to how thick you want it)
Optional Ingredients
- stir in: 1 flat teaspoon spirulina powder
- stir in: 1 teaspoon chia or seeds, OR, 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal ( golden and pre soaked is best)
- sprinkle: ground cinnamon or ginger
- sprinkle: chopped, roasted nuts eg almonds
Method
Step 1
Add all smoothie ingredients to a jug or bowl and blend away until creamy and smooth. No need for a heavy duty hand blender for this recipe, the Russell Hobbs 22241 should do just fine.
Step 2
Taste and adjust flavour as needed..see variations.
Step 3
For more protein, add nut butter! This also offsets/enhances the natural sweetness of the smoothie
Step 4
Divide between 2 glasses, or if you are having it thicker… use serving bowls and add even more healthy desirables from the optional ingredients list!!!
Step 5
Best when fresh, though leftovers can be kept in jars in the fridge for up to 1-2 days
Variations
Lighter
Coloured fruit and veg. (e.g. strawberries), will give you a brighter green drink, and darker ones (e.g. blackberries /blueberries) should make for a purple one! Spirulina will just make your smoothie a very dark green.
Thicker
Try adding this to flavour your bowl of porridge. Or, add to kefia or natural yoghurt and freeze for dessert later (just blend again when you take it out of the freezer!)
Even healthier
Add half a teaspoon turmeric powder and a pinch of black pepper
More protein
Add more nuts, nut butter
More good fats
Add half a ripe avocado, or coconut oil
Nut free
Replace the nut milk with orange juice, replace nut topping sprinkle powdered cinnamon or coconut
Sweeter
Add some raw honey, more banana, a pinch of stevia, or black molasses for a treacly taste
Too sweet!
Add a pinch of salt or teaspoon lemon juice
source / inspiration
Adapted from the minimalist baker site’s favourite green smoothie. This is the be all and end all of smoothies when you add all the options! I do. I can’t get golden flaxseeds at the moment so I use ground brown ones. I always like to vary things and I start from scratch every time and just add as I feel. So do the same and have fun with this!
Variety is the spice of life right! I should also mention that my inspiration to put ‘variations’ up came because I felt so relieved to see this kind of thing by Jules of Stonesoup fame way back in 2017. She always adds variations to all her recipes so I’m following her great habit here.
Blue/grey Smoothie
My Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 cup frozen wild berries
- 1 handful rocket
- 1 flat teaspoon spirulina powder
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- I had an inch of vanilla pod left so I ground it up with the cinnamon – not sure what difference it would. be without it
- pinch of salt ( after the first taste, it was so creamy tasting that this would give it a tiny kick – and it did 🙂
- 1 – 2 cups unsweetened nut milk (I had a nice thick smoothie using 1.5 cups)
Method
Step 1
Add all smoothie ingredients to a jug or bowl and blend away until creamy and smooth. Add the big ingredients to the jug first and work up to the spices at the top.
Step 2
This made 600ml for me. Divide between 2 large tall glasses.
Step 3
Best when fresh, though leftovers can be kept in jars in the fridge for up to 1-2 days
Enjoy
Saint Patrick’s day Smoothie
My Ingredients
The green
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 handful rocket
- 1 flat teaspoon spirulina powder
- Stevia ( check how much you need by tasting – my stevia liquid that I make with the leaves was quite weak and I used 3 teaspoons but still tasted a little spirulina so I stirred in another 2 at the end and that was perfect!
The white
- 1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil
- 3cups unsweetened nut milk (I had a nice thick smoothie using 1.5 cups)
- 1 chopped frozen banana
The Gold
- 1 ground and pulverized tablespoons of golden flaxseeds ( you could also use seeds steeped in water overnight to make a jelly)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 heaped teaspoon of turmeric powder with some black or white pepper added to it
Method
Step 1
Make the green ingredients first. Wear an apron !
Step 2
Mix the coconut oil and turmeric mix in a wee cup and heat in the microwave for 10seconds, stir and do another 10seconds.
Step 3
Add the white ingredients to the green jug ( 2 cups of the milk to begin with), add the golden ingredients and blend!
Step 4
Add sweetener and the remaining milk to your desired thickness and sweetness!
Enjoy
It’s March 17th today, when I made this up.
I love it. So deliciously sweet, banany, umami and not a hint of spirulina. That extra stevia worked !
Happy St. Patrick’s day
Aoibheann & Paul
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