I sincerely hope that headline was enough to put Sade in your head for the rest of the afternoon. You’re welcome.
Now, on to my favourite way to kickstart your day in a healthy way. Whaddaya say? Okay, enough of that. I’m talkin’ smoothies ladies and gents! Vitality-giving greens, supercharged superfoods and oh-so-important hydration all in a simple slurp! What more could you ask for? Especially when you can pour it into a jar, secure the lid and head straight out the door. Whether you’re looking for a healthy fast food breakie for a busy morning, a body-nourishing icy treat to curl up with in your reading nook, or you’re just downright lazy and can’t be arsed doing much more than scoop + blitz + guzzle — smoothies are the way forward. Sing it!
I often get asked about my smoothies. Folks assume that having the right ingredients and coming up with happy combos is difficult. It’s not! All you have to do is start collecting your favourite superfoods from your local health food store. They may seem expensive at first but keep in mind you only use a tsp or a tbsp at a time so they last a lot longer than you think. The next trick is to always keep peeled, frozen bananas in sandwich bags in your freezer. Always keep a couple of litres of coconut water in your fridge. Then all you have to do is keep topping up your fruit bowl with fresh seasonal fruit and keep topping up your crisper with fresh leafy greens, or better still, grow them in your garden! Once you’re all set up, you’re shooting from the hip when it comes to your morning smoothies. Stay tuned for part two of this post, I’ll be helping you with a smoothie shopping list so you can get yourself all set up and ready to rock — coming later in the week.
My latest love affair with the pureed world comes in the form of açaí bowls. Pronounced ah-sigh-ee, these dark purple Brazilian berries are filled with healthy antioxidants, amino acids, fibre, and essential fatty acids. You can’t buy the berries but you can buy frozen açaí puree pouches at your health food store. Açaí bowls are essentially super thick smoothies in a bowl, topped with extra fruit and granola, nuts or other crunch-giving goodies. They are delicious, and a good way to mix it up.
So here are eight of my favourite recipes for you to try. Any questions? Give me a shout!
Christmas Swirl Smoothie
Serves 1
For the red layer:
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tbsp fresh red currants
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup ice
For the green layer:
1.5 frozen bananas
1/2 avocado
1 handful silverbeet
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 cup coconut water
Blend green layer and put aside. Blend red layer and add to bottom of your glass. Alternate layers until you finish with red on top. Swirl. Slurp.
Tropical Kale Storm
Serves 2
1 cup pineapple
1 mango
2 frozen bananas
2 handfuls of kale
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups coconut water
Blend it like Beckham. Slurp.
Açaí Five-O
Serves 2
2 pouches of açaí puree
1 lrg frozen banana
1 cup mixed frozen berries
1 tbsp lacuma powder
1 tbsp maca powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp vegan protein powder (I like Vital Protein vanilla)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups coconut water
Blend it like Beckham. You’ll need the ‘bashing stick’ (as I’ve affectionately dubbed the tamper stick).
Pour into two bowls and top with violas, shredded coconut, and Living Intention’s raw superfood cereal in Açaí Blueberry (amazingly delish combo of goodies including açaí, blueberry, bilberry, amla berry, elderberry and camu camu fruit).
One bowl of this and you’ll feel like you can do anything — including donning a bikini and busting some crims.
Buck Up Princess
Serves 1
1 tbsp activated buckwheat
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp maca powder
1 tbsp mesquite powder
1 tbsp LSA (linseed, sunflower seed, almond)
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp vegan protein powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 frozen bananas
2 cups filtered water
Blend it like Beckham. Slurp.
Top with Loving Earth’s cacao nibs and activated buckinis.
I woke up one morning with a horrid gym hangover and an acute case of crankiness so this smoothie was born. It’s packed full of protein for aching muscles, plus some mood enhancers and energy boosters to ease the morning grumps.
Matcha Made in Heaven
Serves 1
2 mangoes
1 handful of kale
1.5 tsp pure matcha powder
1 tsp coconut nectar
2 cups coconut water
Ice
Blend it like Beckham. Slurp.
Matcha is a green tea leaf powder. It is a nutrient-rich wholefood and gives you an extra little zing in the mornings. Try it! It adds extra antioxidants to your smoothie and an extra spring in your step.
Mango Goji Love Bowl
Serves 2
2 pouches of açaí puree
1 mango
1/2 cup goji berries
2 sml frozen bananas
1 tbsp LSA
1 tbsp maca powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups coconut water
Blend it like Beckham. You’ll need the ‘bashing stick.’
Pour into two bowls and top with shredded coconut and goji berries. Share with a hungry loved one.
Choc Mint Cos I Can
Serves 1
2 lrg cos lettuce (romaine) leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1 frozen banana
1 medjool date
1 heaped tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups almond milk
Blend it like Beckham. Top with cacao nibs and mint. Slurp.
Hemp sunrise
Serves 1
For the bottom layer:
4 large strawberries
1 tsp coconut nectar
A little ice
For the top layer:
1/2 cup coconut water
2 nectarines
2 frozen mango cheeks
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp hemp oil
Blend the bottom layer and add to your glass. Blend the top layer and add to your strawberry bottom. Top with shredded coconut and hemp seeds. Slurp.
Tempeh Tantrum 