Six Healthy Smoothie Recipes

A Cashew-good Smoothie

There are loads of healthy smoothie recipes out there, but some taste pretty awful. The trick is to make your blended drink taste luxurious whilst maintaining a good nutritional profile. Toss in a raw cashews for protein and extra creaminess. My favourite afternoon snack for an energy boost for evening fitness.

1 very ripe banana
Handful mango / strawberries
Dollop of natural yoghurt
Small handful of raw cashews
A glug of cow or non-dairy milk
Teaspoon local honey (optional)
Mixed spice (optional)

– Zizz. Enjoy! Play about with the fruit / nut combination to find your favourite. I like sunflower seeds in a smoothie too.

Dairy Banana Smoothie

Milk, yoghurt and wheatgerm in this smoothie makes it a slow burning energy drink (also a good source of calcium to maintain strong bones). The thick texture is quite filling and it satisfies longer than the other two recipes. The minus side is that some people might find the amount of dairy quite cloying (you can use rice, soy or oat milk instead).

Blend:
1 - 2 bananas (the older the better, it's a good way to use manky black bananas)
Large dollop of natural / flavoured yoghurt
A cup of semi skimmed milk
Squeeze of honey (optional)
tbsp wheatgerm or sunflower seeds (optional)

Easy Fruity Smoothie

This is a fruity fix of vitamins, however people with sensitive teeth may find it nippy. Also as it's fairly acidic, it can upset empty stomachs.

Blend:
1 banana
handful of strawberries
¼ melon
a cup of orange juice
squeeze of lime / lemon juice

Go Troppo! Smoothie

Instead of using acidic orange juice as a base for the smoothie, use a middle of the road juice like guava, apple or mango to make a delicious tropical smoothie.

Blend:
1 banana (of course)
Handful of berries, melon and / or some ripe pineapple
a dollop of yoghurt is optional, and turns it into a lassi
1 cup of guava or mango juice

Bollywood Smoothie

So named as it has a light and frothy Indian flavour

Blend:
1 banana (ripen in a paper bag if green)
200 ml pineapple juice
2 ice cubes
1 mint ice cube (see recipe in April) or a few fresh mint leaves.
1 tbsp natural yoghurt 

Post-Workout Smoothie

Over the years I’ve tried hundreds of post-workout smoothie combinations. Aim for a blend of protein and carbs (for refuelling) as well as antioxidants (vitamins, basically) from fresh fruit or veg. I’ve lately got into throwing a small handful of raw sesame seeds or cashew nuts into the mix, for added minerals and protein.

Frozen blueberries keep their nutritional oomph and are cheaper than fresh, buy three bags of frozen fruit from a supermarket for around £5. My middle freezer drawer is chock full of frozen fruit for winter smoothies.

So here’s the really simple recipe: a banana, handful of frozen mango & frozen blueberries, big dollop of natural yoghurt, small handful of raw cashews & top up with milk. Blend and enjoy!