It’s a snack in a glass. A meal in a flash. A vitamin boost. Its easy as pie (which is not that easy to make, always thought this was a weird saying…)
That why I love Smoothies.
 There is something about them that makes you feel so clean and healthy, plus they are super tasty, quick and good for you.

Sometimes I will just have a large smoothie for breakfast (about a pint or more) which is a brilliant way to stay full and have breakfast on the go all whilst getting one big vitamin boost. Which means happy immune systems (no colds), better skin (like a babies bottom) and EN-ER-GY (who doesn’t want more of that?)

Shop bought smoothies are pasteurised (heated up in order to have a longer shelf life) which means lots the wonderful vitamins  are lost. Plus they are nearly always just fruit which means you get basically just a big sugar rush as they rarely contain any fat or protein to slow down the sugar release during digestion preventing a massive insulin spike roller coaster. Not Ideal.(Yes even cute innocent smoothies will send you blood sugar sky high! But granted, a better than a fizzy juice.)

Homemade smoothies are jam packed with amazing things and are a much cheaper/healthier option than shop bought versions. It is also a great way to sneak in lots of vegetables into one easy serving or a sneaky way to get your kids/partners to consume vegetables they may turn their nose up to otherwise! My favourite ingredients are frozen bananas, spinach, lemons, carrots, pecans, chia seed, any sort of lettuce/green thing, peanut butter, kefir, nut milk and cocoa powder. I aim to make them at least half vegetables, but this is something you can build towards.

I  enjoyed this recipe for my afternoon snack  yesterday and it kept me going until a late dinner. It contains a sneaky amount of (superfood) spinach, some frozen berries for vitamin C and other antioxidants, ground almonds for protein + fat and some cocoa powder for a natural boost and black forest gateau kick!

So if you are feeling like your need to give you body a bit of TLC then why not ditch any carb/sugar based snack go for a smoothie instead. Or make one large vegetable and fruit filled one for your breakfast? This is often the time of year when after several months of bad weather, a lack of light and Christmas indulgence that we need to really look after our bodies by giving it naturally healthy foods, by getting moving and being aware of what we are eating.

And if you want more simple recipes so you can see some MASSIVE results in just 10 days then make sure you grab a copy of my Simple Green Smoothies recipe ebook. Click here to get your copy today and find out more!

So enjoy this recipe and post a picture on my facebook page if you make it !

Blackforest Winter Smoothie

Kezia Hall

A super quick berry smoothie that will fill you up and get you a vitamin C boost.

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Servings 600 ml

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries
• 1 Ripe Small Banana
• Few Drops Vanilla Essence
• 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 2 tbsp Ground Almonds
• Large handful Fresh Spinach
• 1 Cup of Almond/Cows/Goat/Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup Hot water if your happy to have a very cold smoothie just use cold water
• 1 tsp Raw Honey - optional if you like things sweet

Instructions

 

• Place all the ingredients in a blender or if using a hand/immersion blender use a large jug. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Notes

The hot water makes this a room temperature smoothie, much more tasty on these wintery days! But just use cold water in summer.
If you don't have standard cup measurement just use a standard mug from your cupboard and just measure all the ingredients with that.