How to make a breakfast smoothie

What is a smoothie?

A smoothie is a fast and very nourishing breakfast – and most importantly, it is delicious, supports your immune system and will keep your energy high all morning. It is simply a fruit puree topped with oatmeal, seeds and nuts (like muesli) and it takes no longer to make than boiling a kettle!

We use banana, apple and pear as the main ingredients. These three fruits are a good base as they contain so many useful nutrients. The skins of the fruit are important as they contain fibre and have the all-important microflora that our gut needs to support our immunity.

We can add berries too, the black and red (flavonoid-rich) pigments in berries help keep the walls of our blood vessels elastic and help reduce hot flushes by reducing the inflammatory response. All the wonderful colours – yellow, red, purple – in fruit and vegetables are also antioxidants – so they are a good start to nourishing yourself and protecting your immunity. These pigments may also help prevent the development of new blood vessels that feed the growth of cancer cells.

The addition of nut and seed butters provide more anti-inflammatory omega 3s and food for the skin and hair and nervous system. Adding oatmeal enables a wonderful slow-release of energy and is an all-round nutritious food.

Equipment A hand blender is easiest but a free-standing blender is fine too.

Ingredients (serves one)

Fruit puree

• A half or a third of an apple
• A half or a third of a pear A half banana, peeled
• A handful of fresh or frozen berries OR other fruits to taste such as mango, cherries, satsumas
• A couple of tablespoons of oat milk or nut milk, or just water - If you wish to include dairy - organic goat or sheep yogurt is better than oestrogen-rich dairy milks
• Optional - a teaspoon of nut or seed butters such as almond, hazelnut or pumpkin

Energy Rich topping

• Two tablespoons medium oatmeal (not fine or rough oatmeal)
• Half a tablespoon each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• A tablespoon of brown linseeds or flaxseed (golden linseeds can also be used but they are more expensive) Optional - a handful of nuts if nut butter not used in the fruit puree

Method

1. Place only the fruit and milk substitute in the blender - no need to peel the apple and pear only throw away the stalk.
2. Add a handful of fresh or frozen berries – you can use them straight from the freezer. You can use any other fruits of course – mango, cherries or satsumas – try experimenting!
3. Add a couple of tablespoons of oat milk or nut milk, or water. If you wish to include dairy - use organic goat or sheep yogurt.
4. Blend the mixture, pressing down on the fruit till it is pureed. You can add an optional teaspoon of nut or seed butters such as almond, hazelnut or pumpkin.
5. Pour the mixture into a breakfast bowl.
6. Add half tablespoon each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds – rich in minerals and oils.
7. Add a tablespoon of brown linseed or flaxseed - good for their oils and to keep the bowel regular.
8. Add two tablespoons of medium oatmeal.
9. Finally, add an optional handful of nuts for extra mineral and anti-inflammatory omega 3s.
10. You may find it easier to mix a large amount of the oatmeal, seeds, and nuts together in the proportions given as muesli first, store in a tin, and then simply sprinkle four tablespoons of the mixture on top of the puree.

Eat and enjoy!

So, what you’re getting in the smoothie is:

• Slow release energy right through the morning, no sugar highs or lows from unhealthy sugary cereals so your mood will be more even and your stress reduced.
• Support for the veins and capillaries to help reduce hot flushes.
• Good to aid weight loss as the fibre keeps blood sugar levels even as your body is slowly processing the food.
• Good nutrient absorption thanks to the fruit acids.
• Regular and easy bowel function – due to the fruit acids and the gel-like linseed.
• Antioxidant activity from the fruits to support immunity.