Quick and easy breakfast
Smoothies are a wonderful breakfast option because they are very quick to make, they can pack in a ton of nutrients, and ingredients can be mixed and matched to create delicious flavor combinations. Depending on what you include, they’re also really filling, especially compared to juices which have all the fiber removed. You’re unlikely to need anything else for breakfast.
How to make a smoothie
Here is a simple 5 step process for the perfect breakfast smoothie:
- Choose your base ingredient – this should be a chunky fruit or vegetable like banana or avocado, or something like oats which will create a lovely thick base for your smoothie.
- Choose a liquid – this could be any form of milk (coconut or almond milk if you’re avoiding dairy) or water.
- Choose an additional fruit or veg – now add some berries or tropical fruit, and/or some healthy greens like spinach or kale that blend well and add flavor and nutrients. Frozen berries are ideal for a lovely cold smoothie, but if you use fresh fruit you might want to add some ice cubes to keep it cool. In general, fruit and veg with a higher water content, such as apples, celery and cucumber, should be saved for juices rather than smoothies.
- Choose a fat – this is really optional, but makes the smoothie that bit more satiating and delicious. Nut butters or whole nuts work well, or you could add a teaspoon of your favorite oil. Alternatively, adding a tablespoon of Greek yogurt will thicken the smoothie and give you an extra serving of protein.
- Choose your added extras – finally, squeeze in some extra superfood flavors. Cacao, maca, spirulina, or hemp protein are good options. Alternatively, if you fancy a bit of extra natural sweetness, throw in a date or two (remember to remove the pits).
This is an easy way to create a delicious smoothie, but remember, there are no rules! You can pick and choose whatever sounds good, or be guided by what you have in the fridge. Experiment as you like!
A super simple way to get your superfoods
In this version, sweet frozen cherries are the base, which are thought to guard against diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease, improve sleep, and help in reducing belly fat. Extra plant-based nutrients come from the spinach, which is great for smoothies because it doesn’t have a strong flavor and is a powerhouse of vitamins. The cacao gives it a luxurious chocolatey flavor in addition to its superfood status, while the almond butter and almond milk blend to create a creamy texture.
Super Cherry Breakfast Smoothie (1 smoothie)
1/2 cup of frozen cherries
A handful of spinach leaves
2 tsp almond butter
2 tsp cacao (or cocoa)
1 cup almond milk
Some crushed ice
Optional: 1 scoop of your choice of protein powder, a handful of oats, or other superfood powders.
Directions
- Put the cherries, spinach, almond butter, cacao, almond milk, and ice in the blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds. Check the consistency – if it’s too thick, add a little water and blast again for a few seconds. If it’s too thin for your liking, add some extra ice or oats to thicken it out.
- Pour into a chilled glass and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Some blenders don’t like having the dry ingredients up against the blade, so ideally, you want the liquids to be nearest the blades, powders in the middle, and heavier ingredients at the top. Powdered ingredients can sometimes get a bit stuck if they’re at the top of the container, so putting them in second helps everything to mix thoroughly. If you have a container that you need to ‘invert’ to attach to the blender base unit, this means adding the ingredients in reverse order.
- Note that some protein powders cause an increase in volume, so you might need to add a little extra water so it’s not too thick, or reduce the amount of the other ingredients so you don’t up with more than you need.
- Smoothies are best consumed immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or so.
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