Life has been extremely busy recently as I've been planning and cooking for an upcoming party this weekend, participating in another round of recipe testing for Terry Hope Romero and enjoying the company of interstate friends last weekend. I only have time for a quick post this week, but you can be assured there will be several posts to follow about the party food next week.
Smoothies became a part of my Monday to Friday ritual around the same time this blog was created but I haven't posted about them yet. Throughout my life I never enjoyed various cereals or muesli for breakfast and was generally happy to nibble on a couple of slices of toast. That all changed when the man began to purchase smoothies on a semi-regular basis. I questioned why he should pay for something at inflated prices when I could easily be whizzing them up at home for a fraction of the cost.
So I began making smoothies for the man and decided that I quite liked them too! I fluctuated with various combinations before we mutually agreed that pineapple and blueberries are our favourite base fruits. A third and sometimes fourth type of fruit is added which provides subtle differences in the overall flavour of the smoothie. The most common supplementary fruits I use are banana, mango or other type of berries. Ground flaxseed is always included to provide us with some Omega 3.
I call them our weekday smoothies as we consume them throughout the working week. The man takes 500ml off to work in a jug which leaves me with 250ml and enough room in my belly for a slice of toast.
Weekday smoothie
1/4 - 1/3 pineapple, roughly chopped
1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 small banana or 1/2 mango or an equivalent amount of other various fruit
1 cup (or more) soy milk
2 tablespoons whole flaxseeds
Place the pineapple, blueberries, banana/mango/other fruit in a blender with about a cup of soy milk and blend until no chunks of fruit remain. Grind the whole flaxseeds in a coffee or spice grinder until it becomes a powder. Add the ground flaxseed to the blender and pour in additional soy milk up to the 750ml level mark on the blender. Blend again briefly, then pour into glasses and enjoy!
These look great! My mum got us a blender for christmas, and while my husband is away I'm having a smoothie every morning for breakfast. So far I've only used the tropical fruits we have on hand, but I've been planning to head to the shop and get some frozen berries. This confirms that blueberries it should be, and it will happen today.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you tried the blueberries as one of your smoothie combinations. My post feels so boring compared with the many variations you talked about in yours. I really must try some new combinations!
DeleteI love these posts about everyday foods. I love pineapple but don't have it enough - I think I have put it in smoothies only rarely but I should do it more. I tend to feel that banana is my essential ingredient and I am fussy about bananas which is not good for making smoothies but I dream of the day I make them more regularly - I will buy juices when out and about but rarely smoothies as I find them too milky or thin or creamy.
ReplyDeleteI managed to wean E off pre-packaged porridge and show him that porridge from rolled oats is cheaper and very very easy! Now I just have to convince myself that making smoothies for breakfast is very very easy!
I love the sweetness that pineapple gives to a smoothie and I don't eat it often enough as a fruit (or any other fruits really which is why smoothies are so great). I only enjoy small amounts of banana in smoothies as they can make the texture a bit gloopy if you use too much and I've never really been much of a banana lover either.
DeleteIf you get yourself into the routine they don't take too much time to make, it usually takes me less than 10 minutes.
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't have time for weekday smoothies (it's the washing up!). Also, I often have breakfast at work, although in writing that I also often wish I had a smoothie to take to work. I might need to work on this as your weekday routine is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI'll let you in on a secret that speeds things up for me. The blender gets rinsed under the tap and isn't washed properly until the evening when the rest of the dishes are done! :)
DeleteThat smoothie looks delicious! I have smoothies once or twice a week for breakfast. They're a nice treat to start the day. I'm excited to see what recipes you're testing for Terry Hope Romero. There are so many amazing looking options on her recipe index!
ReplyDeleteSmoothies are such a great start to the day. Terry's recipes have been so inspiring and rewarding to test, it should be another fantastic cookbook!
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