I’ve been seriously loving smoothies this week! It’s hardly a culinary revelation that blending sweet berries into a refreshing morning pick me up is a delicious way to start the day; it’s just not really something I’ve had on a regular basis. Well that is set to change because I’ve been finding that provided I put the right things into them, my smoothies keep me full up for the morning and have me bursting with energy.
They do however carry a very important health warning… if you drop a deep purple blackberry smoothie on your newly fitted cream carpet the probability of death ensuing in a painful way courtesy of your fiancé is probably quadrupled! Luckily we had Vanish carpet cleaner on hand and Ed is very forgiving.
It’s not a fast day today (that was yesterday) but this morning’s creation would be a great start to a 5:2 fast diet day.
Blackberry, Almond and Chia Smoothie Recipe (231 calories):
Serves 1
I do this straight in the glass with a stick blender but if you love extra washing up or don’t have a large enough glass then a liquidiser is ideal.
The recipe for this is of course subject to being tweaked according to what you’ve got in the cupboard and the method is extraordinarily simple… just blend. So what have I included and why?
40g Blackberries (17) – partially because they were in my freezer and partially because they are full of antioxidants. Blueberries would work wonderfully well too but keep it away from the carpet!
1 teaspoon milled Chia Seeds (30) – these are my new favourite ingredient since I found out that they are virtually overflowing with Omega 3. Typically found in fish, it’s a nutrient that isn’t particularly easy to come by as a vegetarian (linseeds are good but not as good as Chia), it keeps cholesterol down and brain power up.
1 tablespoon Oats (58) – I wouldn’t be without oats, this low GI grain keeps me full and lends a lovely flavour to any breakfast dish really.
250ml Koko Milk (68) – you could use another type of milk but I love the flavour of this coconut milk based alternative to your daily dairy fix. Apart from the fat-busting benefits of coconut, Koko Milk is low in calories, refreshing and delicious with the hint of sweetness bought by the coconut.
10g Almonds (58) – Fat doesn’t need to be a by word for bad, we just need the right sorts and Almonds are certainly full of them. Just a sprinkling in this smoothie gives a wonderful flavour and richness to make it a totally satisfying start to the day.
Other smoothies I’ve had a go at this week…
- Yesterday I had half a banana in the smoothie above but without the almonds. The result was sweeter (the almonds give it a savoury element) but still delicious. Tomorrow I might have a go at putting both in!
- Earlier in the week I started the day with a virtuous indulgence…“pretty good for you” chocolate milk. Half a banana, a heaped teaspoon of raw cacao powder, a teaspoon of milled chia and ¼ teaspoon of rice malt syrup topped up with the Koko Milk. It was so delicious, a seriously yummy treat that fixed my chocolate cravings without the need for a Cadburys fix.
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Hi Lucie
ReplyDeleteWow! I love this idea of smoothies for breakfast. I might even invest in a blender for work. And Koko milk, never heard of it until today. I'll check that one out. Sounds delish!
Hats off to Ed for keeping his cool over the carpet blunder. What's the saying, "no use crying over spilt milk".
Hope ya well. :-)