As you probably know by now, I’m a massive smoothie fan and have them most days, either for breakfast, as a mid-afternoon treat or post-exercise. The post-exercise smoothie is always particularly satisfying, especially after a long run when you want to refuel with something tasty and nutritious – it’s so easy just to whip up a shake or a smoothie. I’ve been taking tips from this YouTube video on High Impact Protein by Tony Horton to get lots of tips and insights on how to use protein powder most effectively to support my workouts and maximise my results.
I do quite frequently make juices too – and if you’re looking for some juice inspiration then check out the Curry’s blog post on post-workout juices – but, I can’t help but love a good old smoothie, mainly because I am a peanut butter addict and you can’t really throw peanut butter into a juice, can you?
My go-to recipe for smoothies consists of the following. Protein powder (my current one is MyProtein Toffee Whey Protein Powder), soy milk, peanut butter and a banana. So, so tasty and ticks lots of boxes for me by providing protein and good fats. I usually use Alpro Hazelnut Milk but whilst I’m giving up sugar for lent I’ve moved onto their Whole Bean Soy Milk instead.
I was kindly gifted an awesome Kenwood kMix Blender (£129.99*) from Curry’s to help me whip up the perfect post-exercise smoothie. Last weekend I went out for a run and managed 11km, which is my longest run since I sprained my ankle, so it was the perfect opportunity to come home and test out my new blender! The blender itself is absolutely amazing – it can make soups as well as crush ice – I can see myself using these features a lot (it can even make dips, how cool is that?)
I must admit, I do find myself coming back to that same recipe time and time again, but I’ve been trying to mix it up a bit (geddit?) and try a few different flavours – I made one with coconut water and pineapple the other day that was amazing. I get quite a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and I love this graphic which helps you build the perfect ‘green’ smoothie.
Some other quick tips for smoothies:
1. Add in extra ingredients like wheatgrass (a great source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and protein) or flaxseed (source of fibre and fatty acids – one of the greatest sources of omega 3). You can buy packets of flaxseed in Aldi relatively cheaply.
2. Adding frozen banana to smoothies gives them a thicker, creamier, consistency
3. Freeze-ahead ‘smoothie packs’ with all your favourite smoothie ingredients so you can whip them up quickly in the morning.
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4. Add washing-up-liquid and hot water to your blender after you’ve made a smoothie and then whizz it up – you still need to wash it afterwards but it’ll save cleaning time by getting a lot of the gunk that sticks to the sides out.
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5. Add porridge oats to smoothies – they’ll keep you fuller for longer and also give you a hit of fibre (and apparently also protect against cancer and heart disease!)
What are your favourite smoothie recipes? Do you have any smoothie tips?
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