3 Healthy Smoothies to kick off your Summer

I’m unofficially stating that Summer is now here, and I can’t think of many more refreshing things to drink during these sunny days than a great smoothie. They’re great sources of nutrients and fibre, allowing us to get our daily vitamins in a quick and simple way that can be tailored to whatever fruits (and veg) you find tasty.

The only downside to a great smoothie is people often tend to cram as many different fruits into them as possible which can tip them into high sugar and caloric territory that can counter all the health benefits they provide. Down below I have listed 3 of my favourite smoothie recipes along with an easy guide on how to create a more nutritionally balanced drink, including some cool ways you can add some creativity to them.

Peanut Butter Oat Smoothie

A great breakfast smoothie to start your day off that gives you a slow release of energy throughout your morning, both filling and extremely tasty. The oats provide a hit of carbs, whilst the peanut butter provides some protein that helps you feel fuller for longer. The one vitamin booster I add to ensure this smoothie is nutrient packed is avocado. This provides additional vitamins into the smoothie whilst providing a creamy texture to make it feel even more indulgent. You won’t be able to taste the avocado, it is just there as the unsung hero.

Ingredients (Serves two):

• 1 banana chopped up
• 1/2 an avocado chopped up
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• 2 handfuls of oats
• 3 drops of Vanilla Extract
• Almond Milk to get it to your desired consistency (feel free to use any milk you prefer)

I’ll assume we all know the method for making a smoothie, I will just mention you need a blender for these recipes! A juicer may be able to do the trick however they often leave the fibre from the fruit behind along with other nutrients so stick to a blender if you have a choice.

Apple & Blueberry Smoothie

This next smoothie is a great way to jam pack some fruit into your day, along with sneaking some extra vegetables into your children’s, husbands or girlfriends diet. It includes one of my favourite leafy vegetables, spinach. Apart from a slight change in colour the spinach is undetectable and a smoothie is a great way of getting rid of any spinach you think you won’t get a chance to cook before it goes bad.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 2 sweet red apples
• 2 handfuls of blueberries
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 4/5 ice cubes
• A small glass of water to thin it out
• 5 tablespoons of greek yoghurt (natural yogurt if you want a more sharp taste)
• A sprinkle of desiccated coconut on top if you are feeling fancy

A great smoothie filled with antioxidants and lots of vitamin C from the blueberries, these not only complement the apples in taste, they complement the spinach perfectly too. The spinach is rich in iron which is more easily absorbed in the presence of vitamin C, where they work hand in hand with each other.

Pineapple & Cucumber Smoothie

Last but not least we have our pineapple and cucumber smoothie, extremely refreshing for those of you that have taken up running during quarantine, or if you just want to pretend you are somewhere tropical. Cucumbers are high in nutrients and contain anti-inflammatory properties along with the ginger found in this recipe. The chia seeds are optional in terms of taste but I add them in to provide some omega 3 which is great for your joint health. This combines well with the anti-inflammatory properties of cucumber and ginger.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 1/3rd’s of a pineapple cored and cubed
• Half a cucumber deseeded
• 1 orange
• 5 ice cubes
• Water to achieve desired consistency
• 1 handful of chia seeds
• A thumb sized piece of ginger peeled

What am I going to be doing with the remaining pineapple you might be asking? Well pineapples are a great fruit to have in the kitchen. They go well in East Asian dishes to achieve a sweet and sour flavour or even grilled on a BBQ and finished off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and honey on top for dessert.

Cheat Sheet

Here’s my formula for super healthy smoothies along with some extra ideas so that you can get creative with your own recipes.

In the recipes above I go by handfuls as that will roughly match the amount of each ingredient you will roughly need depending on your size and saves you having to measure things out.

For the type of milk, it is entirely up to you which you would like to add depending on your preferences, along with more or less to get the right consistency that works for you. The ice helps to thicken the smoothies and stops it separating out into two layers so quickly.

Let me know what you think after trying these recipes. If you come up with any cool vitamin packed smoothies yourself it’d be great to see what you come up with so tag me in your photos!