Breakfast in 10 is a series of articles where I teach you tasty and nutritious breakfasts that you can make in 10 minutes (no jokes!). This week, we’re looking at my Green Smoothie, powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Green smoothies have been trending for a few years now. And to be honest, it took me some time to get onto the trend and find a simple recipe I like and ingredients that can be easily sourced locally.
A few years ago, I hosted my first smoothie workshop where I presented different types of smoothies - including exotic ones like Green Virgin Colada- to participants. And guess what? People loved the green smoothies more than anything else :)
With time, I've played around with the ingredients to find the easiest recipe ever I could make. If you check out my recipe blog posts, you'll see that most recipes are quick and easy ones for the ones that don't have too much time to spend in the kitchen (like me!).
So here we are with my version of the Famous Green Smoothie, using as much as possible local ingredients sourced on our beautiful tropical paradise: Mauritius.
What you will need (serve for one person as a meal or 2 to 3 for a snack)
Equipment:
A blender
Ingredients:
1/2 pineapple (2 slices), peeled, chopped into pieces and frozen
1 cup of fresh spinach (from the garden) or 1/2 cup of Kale ("chou frisé") from local planters
250mL - 1 glass of fresh coconut milk (I made mine using fresh coconut meat) or any milk of your choice
A few ice cubes
Optional: 1 frozen banana, 1-2 dates, honey, agave or any sweetener of your choice for added sweetness
Method:
Add all ingredients except ice cubes in your blender (in no particular order). You would need a rather strong blender to blend the frozen pineapple. Otherwise let the frozen ingredients defrost for a few minutes
Mix well for less than 1 minute
If you want a smoothie that is more like a "frappe" - add the ice cubes and blend again. And if the smoothie is not sweet enough to your liking, you can add in the dates or some honey or agave syrup. And blend again.
Enjoy cold as a breakfast, share it as a refreshing afternoon snack or drink.
Alternatives:
- You can substitute the coconut milk for any other milk, you can choose to use some kefir milk.
- You can add some avocado, grated zucchini or yoghurt for a thicker, creamier smoothie that will keep you full for longer.
Tips:
You can choose to add less spinach or kale, or more of it - according to your preference. Maybe start with just a little bit of greens (photo on the right) and then experiment with plenty of greens (photo on the left), especially if you want to get your whole family and kids to try it out :)
Nutrition notes:
People speak about superfoods, I don't believe in it but if we want to say superfoods, then in my opinion all fruits and vegetables are superfoods! Kale and Spinach are 2 heroes here as they are powerhouses of nutrients.
Flavour: While they are both greens, kale has a slightly bitter taste compared to Spinach, so it may take a little more time to adapt to Kale.
Nutrients: A lot of people believe that kale is healthier than spinach but overall, spinach has more vitamins and minerals overall. Each vegetable has some benefits: kale contains more vitamin C and more calcium while spinach is higher in vitamin A, vitamin K and folate.
Iron absorption: The vitamin C found in the pineapple helps to further enhance absorption of the iron in the kale and spinach as plant sources of iron are better absorbed when paired with vitamin C in the same meal.
Fibre: this smoothie is full of fibre with spinach, kale and pineapple (and even more if you add the banana). This helps to keep the gut healthy and regulate blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels.
Conclusion: just enjoy both, spinach and kale are super-NUTRITIOUS!
That was an easy recipe, wasn't it? Watch this space if you want more recipes like these, or leave me a comment below and let me know what you would like me to cover next.
And do tag us on social media and share with us your creations. We love seeing what you do.
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