Smoothies!
Kick-starting your day with a morning smoothie is great, but this any-time treat is also perfect as an afternoon snack, or before or after a workout.
As an added bonus, smoothies are SO easy to make. Plus, there are endless possibilities when it comes to taste, colour, and consistency.
Follow our step-by-step guide to building the perfect smoothie; it will not only help you reap all the healthy benefits, but you’ll also nail the taste test every time.
Let’s get blending!
How to make a smoothie
Step 1: Base
Tea, juice, coconut water, and plant-based milk are all great options for making smoothies. And you can never go wrong with water. It won’t alter the taste of your smoothie and keeps things nice and neutral.
If you want a thin, juice-like consistency, add more water to your blender. Or, if you prefer your consistency to be more like a smoothie bowl or sorbet, stick to 120 ml of liquid and add ice or frozen ingredients to thicken your smoothie.
Pro tip: when the temperature drops outside, you can make warm smoothies by using hot tea or warm water as your base.
Step 2: Fruit
What would a smoothie be without the fruit? The natural sugar from fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth and fill your body with vitamins and nutrients.
You can use frozen or fresh fruit to enhance the flavour of your smoothie. We suggest choosing seasonal fruits and veggies to optimise the flavour of your smoothie. Often, people are concerned about the amount of sugar in fruit and steer clear of smoothies because of this common misconception.
You may already have heard of fructose before, since it's one of the most commonly used sugars in packaged and processed foods and drinks: high-fructose corn syrup. However, fructose is also present in some fruits and vegetables.
So does that mean an apple (which contains around 13 grams of fructose) is as bad as a can of soda? Absolutely not! The human body interacts SO differently with refined sugars and sweeteners compared to the whole food sources of sugar you can find in fresh fruit.
Plus, fresh fruit also contains important vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients (as well as fibre and water to nourish your gut and keep you hydrated). And unlike the fructose found in fruit, the refined sugar found in most packaged and processed foods enters the bloodstream almost immediately — leading to a spike in blood sugar that can send you crashing and which could lead to long-term health issues. š³
Unless you have fructose intolerance, it's OK to eat the fructose in fruit — especially as part of a meal or as a dessert soon afterwards.
Step 3: Veggies
The best way to sneak some veggies into your daily routine is by blending them into your smoothie! It doesn’t get easier than drinking your greens.
Frozen cauliflower, spinach, and avocados are easy ones to sneak into smoothies. You can easily mask the veggie taste with berries or almond butter, so you won’t even notice they’re in there.
Step 4: Add plant protein or supercharge with superfoods
Choose your favourite superfood mixes to add for an extra nutritional boost! Or add in a few spoonfuls of plant-based protein to your smoothie to stay fuller longer.
And, yes, you can add 2, 3, even 4 different mixes to one smoothie!
Step 5: Optional extras
Feel free to add extras to take your smoothie to the next level. Vanilla and cinnamon are great for adding flavour to your smoothie or you can amp up the nutritional value with coconut oil, seeds, and nut butter.
Step 6: Keep it simple
Smoothies don’t need a ton of ingredients to taste good. Keep things simple by adding plant milk or water, superfoods, and just a couple of fruits or veggies. Here are 4 easy smoothie recipes to help you get started.
4 Easy Recipes to Start your Smoothie Life
Green Smoothie
Ingredients: 2 tsp Super Green, 2 tbsp Skinny Protein, 1 (frozen) banana, 20 g frozen spinach, 1 tbsp almond butter, 350ml water
Berry Smoothie
Ingredients: 2 tsp Forever Beautiful, 2 tsp Plant Collagen, 150 g frozen blueberries, 1 pitted date, 250ml almond milk
Energy Smoothie
Ingredients: 2 tsp Energy Bomb, 2 tbsp Plant Protein, 150 g frozen strawberries, ½ avocado, 250ml oat milk
Chocolate Smoothie
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Plant Protein, 2 tsp Magic Mushroom, 1 frozen banana, 250ml almond milk
