I’ve been away for a while but now I’m back with lots of inspiration for new recipes that I cannot wait to share with you. As I sit here in Bordeaux indulging in a fresh croissants and pain au chocolat (aka chocolatine), from the Boulangerie down the road, accompanied by a baguette and the newly discovered Caprice des Dieux I think it is the perfect time to share a healthy smoothie recipe to kick off Meatless Mondays again. Guilt has never tasted so sweet; even though I know I will have to make some dietary sacrifices when I return to London, great French food is always worth the calories.
Fruit & Vegetable Smoothie
I anticipate replacing some of my meals with liquids later this week and this Fruit and Veg Smoothie is definitely going to have lots of time to shine. Prior to making this smoothie I had been juicing daily using my juicer that I had bought years ago in NYC, and whilst I did notice it was grumbling slightly I chose to ignore the noise although now I understand this was a warning signal. I was telling my dad about all the juices I had been enjoying when he mentioned that he was surprised that my juicer didn’t need a transformer but that it must be dual voltage.
Smoothie Ingredients
I didn’t even know what a transformer was but when I checked the back of the juicer I saw clearly that is was only 120V and therefore not suitable for UK’s 230V. Dad said I was lucky that the motor didn’t blow and I immediately stopped using it because I couldn’t afford for it to break. Out of this inconvenience (I had to wait for my transformer to arrive before touching the juicer) this delicious fruit and vegetable smoothie was born. I usually make my smoothies with a selection of fruit, orange juice and a generous dollop of yoghurt but this time I decided to put the vegetables that I would usually juice and see what happens in the blender (which I had purchased in England) when combined with fruit and coconut milk.
Everything in the blender, couldn’t be easier!
Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie
I admit the colour is not the most beautiful (hence the need for the strawberry garnish) but oh boy does it taste good! This became my breakfast smoothie because it was filling and whilst I am no nutritionist I would bet that this is super healthy. Whether you are a fan of vegetables or not it is a great way to sneak in lots of healthy goodness and I nearly forgot to mention that it incredibly quick to make. Literally chop, throw and blitz, et voilà. My one recommendation is that you fill up your blender with water when you are finished if you cannot wash it immediately because otherwise you will not be encouraged to make another smoothie the following day with all the arm work you will have to put into scrubbing it clean.
Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie
Turns out being a woman of the world wasn’t such a bad thing after all; despite the fact that I am still waiting for my mixer to arrive from Jamaica (which is irrelevant to this recipe but still annoying) and I had to stop using my juicer for a few days, I learned that vegetables are just as great in a smoothie as they are in a juice. Do you have any great juice or smoothie recipes that I should know about?
Healthy Smoothie
Live, Love, Eat!
April x
- 1 Banana
- 1 Handful blueberries
- 1 Handful strawberries (plus 3 for garnish)
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Handful curly kale
- 1 Lemon, juice only
- 1 Dash cayenne pepper
- 5 Mint Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (100%)
- 1/4 Cup almond milk
- 1/4 Cup coconut milk
- 1 Tray of ice (approx. 16 cubes)
- Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
