The Leftover Smoothie

Not another post about smoothies?!

There are many, many blog posts out there about ‘the green one’. Does the world need one more post on the same topic? Er probably not, but this post doesn’t require measurements or a fixed list of ingredients. Chances are, you can whip up a ‘left over’ smoothie right now – heck it doesn’t even have to be green! At least use milk, you have milk right?

Smoothies can be very nutritious as well as tasty – they are a great way of drinking your five a day without the added sugars and concentrates.

The go to foods that really bring a smoothie to life (in my opinion) are:

bananas – I rarely make a smoothie without them unless I don’t have any to hand. They cover up a sin of terrible flavours. Erlack, bitter matcha anyone? They also give smoothies a thicker consistency. To switch it up, add frozen banana chips which make smoothies more creamy and keep them chilled. – But please, peel that ‘nana and slice it before you freeze it, you’re welcome.

Porridge oats – If you’re not digging that fruity taste, I think porridge oats add a malty quality to the smoothie. Pour porridge oats into a cup, the quantity is up to you, and add enough hot water for the oats to soak up and this will thicken a smoothie, but too much water will dilute the smoothie’s consistency if you’re also using brewed tea/ rice milk, etc.

However, if your smoothie is too thick, just add more water. Sorry for stating the obvious.

Mix it up – fruit, sliced apples, blueberries, strawberries, mango, whatever, just slice it and add.

Try to add handfuls of spinach, kale (my new favourite) or other green leafs. Just remove the stalks! You can’t taste the spinach and the banana will do its best at overpowering the veggies.

I also like to add a good amount of a seed mix. The seeds help us to absorb the calcium in the smoothie and they are high in fiber and the anti-inflammatory omega-3. Although, adding whole pumpkin seeds just creates a very bitty smoothie with a weird after-taste. Stick to the seed mixes, this one is £2 from Aldi and lasts ages. I’ve previously tried more expensive makes from Amazon and the Aldi version tastes the same for at least half the price. Aldi even have a few different varieties but the orange pack is high in Omega-3. I am going to stop talking about Aldi now, but Aldi, if you read this, sponsor me?!

Maybe you’ve added too much porridge and the fruity flavor is not coming through. Carrot juice will give the smoothie a little kick. Even a bit of orange juice not from concentrate can transform it.

Berries can make a smoothie very bitty, to use sparingly if you want it smoothie

These are the basics, but use up what you have to hand. A good base includes milk (I use diary-free but more on that later) and a banana.

Just slice everything, peel hard skins and rinds but leave the skin on fruit like apples.

Sometimes I like a smoothie that is as watery as a juice – mm sounds lovely, but it actually is! I will brew a large cup of camomile/ green tea and add only a tiny drop of rice milk and add fruit/ veg as normal. I like the combination of porridge oats and chilled tea which creates a smooth, malty drink with the flavor coming from the tea. Of course caffeine depletes our iron levels – so if you’re using spinach, you probably won’t get much iron from it. Adding vitamin C can help us absorb iron when caffeine is present though. Try to have caffeine free smoothie days by brewing camomile, it’s caffeine free and anti-inflammatory. Of course there are lots of other herbal tea alternatives.