Smoothie making is an art

Smoothie making is an art, you realise this after you make a few brown, sludgy concoctions that taste a bit like dirt! 
Smoothies are perfect for when you are on the go, need to prepare breakfast the night before, or are feeling too lazy to cook. 
First up let’s talk about how to make your smoothie super nourishing.

You want to base it around this formula:

Vegetables + Good Fats + Protein + Sweetener + Liquid + Optional Extras

Vegetables

Your morning smoothie is a fantastic way to sneak in a few extra servings of veggies. Choose anything that is in season, and can be eaten raw. Choose leafy greens, fennel, zucchini, cucumber, celery, or parsley. If you’re prone to bloating skip the broccoli or kale as these can be hard to digest when eaten raw.

Good Fats

Fat nourishes your skin and gives you long lasting energy, so you don’t want to skip this element. Choose nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, or unrefined oils like walnut or flaxseed oil to add some fat to your smoothie. A quarter of a cup of nuts and seeds, half an avocado or 2-3 tablespoons of oil is enough to make a satiating blend.

Protein

Protein is key to making sure you feel satisfied after your smoothie. It is also essential for building new cells in the body, repairing damage, and replenishing your muscles after a workout. Protein powders made from plant proteins such as hemp, pea, or brown rice work well, as does collagen or eggs whites.

Sweetener

If you are a seasoned smoothie drinker you might be able to handle your smoothie tasting very ‘green’, but if you are new to drinking blended veggies for breakfast you might like to try sweetening your smoothie up. A common mistake is to add into much fruit, this can create a very energy dense smoothie that you just don’t need, so try to keep the fruit content to under a cup. Go for frozen berries, banana, or a few tablespoons of honey or maple syrup.

Liquid

A liquid is essential to turn all of the ingredients into a smoothie, and it also helps to rehydrate you. Your liquid choice will really depend on the kind of smoothie you’re making and your taste preference. You can choose nut or coconut milk, water or ice, or some chilled tea. Green tea like the Morning Detox is a wonderful base for smoothies, as is the Beauty or Love Tea.

Optional Extras

These are ingredients you can add to boost your health and treat certain conditions. Depending on your goals, health issues, or taste preference for the day these will change. You might like to try; cocoa powder for a chocolate hit, matcha powder to boost the antioxidant power, cinnamon for better blood sugar control, mushroom powder for immune support or maca powder for sex hormone regulation.

Some smoothies to try

Choco-nana

2 cups of leafy greens + 1 frozen banana + 2 tbs cacao powder + 2 cups of almond milk + ¼ cup of hemp hearts + ¼ cup of mixed seeds

Berry Bliss

2 cups of chilled Berry Cassis Tea + 1 cup of frozen raspberries + 2 cups of chopped cucumber, zucchini and mint + 4 tbs of collagen powder + ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla powder

Green Goddess

2 cups of chilled Morning Detox Tea + 2 cups of in-season greens + 1 serving of plant-based protein powder + ½ an avocado + 1 kiwifruit

Tips:

Cacao hides the taste and colour of greens well!
Berries or beetroot and greens will give you a brown smoothie - be warned!
If you don’t want to add the protein to the smoothie a good idea is to have it as a whole food with your smoothie - like eggs with a smoothie to start the day.
Blend it well! Invest in a quality blender that can blend up tough veggies and nuts, a really smooth smoothie tastes way better than a chunky, gritty one.

Words on Wellness by Jessica Gilijam-Brown 
New Zealand based Holistic Nutritionist (BSc) @wellnessbyjessica