My nutritionally balanced smoothie recipe

As I mentioned in last weeks blog post, smoothies are my number one and most favourite way to get veggies into my kids. However not all smoothies are equal and most are loaded with fruit, are high in sugar (yes naturally occurring but still large amounts) and are just not satisfying at all.

So I’ve created a simple basic smoothie recipe that you can change up the flavour of depending on what you have in the fridge or cupboard.

Serves 1 adult as a meal or 2 kids for a snack

½ cup Fruit – This gives the smoothie sweetness.

Our favourites are banana, mangoes, berries, apple, pear, fresh dates.

1 cup Vegetables – Choose vegetables with minimal taste to complement the fruit taste.

Our favourites are kale, baby spinach, celery, cucumber, frozen cauliflower.

1 Healthy Fat serve – This is to ensure our smoothie is filling and won’t leave us or the kids hungry straight after.

Our favourites are a quarter of an avocado, ¼ cup coconut or Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of nuts or nut paste.

1 Protein serve – Protein is important for healthy growth and development, however many kids and adults don’t get enough. Many foods in the healthy fats list are also good sources of protein so can be used for both.

Our favourites are 1 tablespoon hemp seeds, 2 teaspoons chia seeds, ¼ cup Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of nuts or nut paste.

1 cup of Ice – Lots of ice! There is nothing worse and more off-putting than a warm smoothie!

1 cup Liquid – We like a little bit of sweetness from coconut water so I use half coconut water and half water but just plain water is fine to use for the full amount.

Then blitz it all up in a high powered blender. I use the Nutribulet 900w it gets rid of all the chunks in seconds.

Our favourite combination on high rotation at the moment is - banana, kale, cucumber, avocado, coconut yoghurt and hemp seeds - so very satisfying and nutritious 💚💚💚

Now here’s my extra tip! Before serving it to the kids pour some into icy pole molds and you have a great veggie packed and filling after school snack!

Enjoy!