Smoothie for breakfast!

Fruit smoothies for breakfast have been a big hit for quite some time. No surprise there, as they are essentially a vitamin bomb and are mighty easy to prepare! Here are three new recipes, which will make you whole!

What's great about fruit smoothies is that they provide you with a huge amount of vitamins and hydration from the liquid they contain. Not to mention how delicious they are!

According to nutritional recommendations, eating 400g of fruit and vegetables a day is a cornerstone of a healthy, disease-free lifestyle. However, if you're struggling to increase your fruit intake, or don't have an endless source of summer fruits, a fruit juice concentrate in a drink can be a lifesaver.

The variability of smoothies is limited only by your imagination, as they work well with any fruit. You can use fresh or frozen. With the latter, even those fruits can come to mind, which are out of season at the moment. Frozen raspberries, for example, can instantly give you a summer vibe any time of the year, plus the ice crystals give it a creamier texture. Banana are a mainstay in our smoothies because they add just the right amount of density and sweetness to the drink, but the flavour is not too distinctive, so they go well with almost any fruit.

For a thicker, custard-like consistency, add pectin, which is a water-soluble fibre. It is most often extracted from the peel of citrus fruits and served in powder form. Fibres slow down the absorption of sugars. So if you have insulin resistance, pectin or plantain seed husks are your friends. The latter also has a very high water-soluble fibre content and, unlike pectin, gives a more jelly-like texture. For one serving, use about a teaspoon.

You can add milk or a vegetable drink as a liquid! However, for smoothies made with vegetables such as spinach or carrots, opt for water or other juices. 

And once you have a good base recipe, you can spice it up with something special such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves or tonka beans. 

It serves as delicious, vitamin-packed breakfast on its own or sprinkled with granola, ready to in mere mintues. It is not only a great choice for breakfast, but for before or afternoon snacks as well.

Here are our three favourite versions at the moment, with some ground date for extra flavour and fibre:

Raspberry smoothie:

• 1 small banana
• 2 tablespoons thick coconut milk + 1.5 dl water
• 1 tablespoon of Hester's Life Ground Date
• 1 handful of frozen raspberries

Smoothie with banana:

• 1 small banana
• 2 tablespoons thick coconut milk + 1.5 dl water
• 1 tablespoon Hester's Life Ground Date
• 1 tsp pectin
• optional: cinnamon / cardamom / cocoa powder 

Spirulina smoothie:

• 1 small banana
• 2 tablespoons thick coconut milk + 1.5 dl water
• 1 tablespoon Hester's Life Ground Date
• 1 teaspoon green spirulina powder

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you find it too thick, you can dilute it with water, vegetable drink or milk.