Smoothie bowl

For a low calorie, low fat, high protein, high fibre, delicious, nutritious (and filling!) snack or breakfast.  blend up your favourite combination of any of the following:

Blackberries – frozen

Raspberries – frozen

Strawberries

Barley grass or spirulina powder

Spinach

Courgette (I chop mine into slices and freeze in a bag lying flat)

Green beans – I use frozen – no washing or cutting required, cheaper and make the smoothie colder

Cucumber – don’t over-do as it comes through quite strong

Banana – Cut a banana into about 8 slices and freeze in a freezer bag, lying flat

Lettuce – Makes it bulkier and quite creamy

Bok/pak choy – again, don’t over-do

Fresh or powdered ginger

Chopped apple – I freeze small chunks of cooking apple

Cranberries – frozen

Cinnamon – I use about 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence – or other essences – I use 1/2 tsp. Aim for a natural brand (without propylene glyco).

Wheat bran or wheat germ – for added bulk and health benefits, about 1 Tbsp

A sprinkle of desiccated coconut

Stevia powder – I use about 1/4 tsp concentrated

Whey or pea protein powder

Ice – about 3-4 cubes (depending how many frozen fruit/veges you’re using, you may not need any)

Cold peppermint tea – or other fruit or herbal tea, chilled overnight (thanks Nic for the idea!)

A pinch of xanthum (or guar) gum to thicken – vital to make it thick enough vary to try different ‘thickness’ factor

Your own imagination…

Pictured above (for those of you not keen on the veges!) is an ‘Apple-berry’ smoothie containing -

3 strawberries

1/2 chopped apple

About 10 frozen cranberries

1/2 cup raspberries

Scoop Chocolate whey powder

Pinch stevia powder

Xanthum gum

and omega 3 seed mix.

Blend thoroughly to get lots of air through it and you will have a massive, delicious bowl of nutrition that’s super low in calories!

It should be so thick you need to eat it with a spoon. It doesn’t have much ‘chew factor’ (which is why seeds/coconut adds a nice element) and it certainly has fibre and satiety!

Note – if you’re not used to eating much fibre, I recommend you gradually increasing your intake to allow your body to get used to it, rather than increasing your fibre intake suddenly.

The stevia, essence and protein powder helps kill the ‘green vege’ taste, you can cram a lot of veges in there without really noticing!

I have a smoothie bowl most mornings before or after my workout and it keeps me full and satisfied while I get ready and travel to the gym.

It’s a great healthy start to the day!