Strawberry and Flaxseed Smoothie

I was at someone's house recently and noticed she had a Nutribullet which reminded me of my much cheaper jug blender which I got as a birthday present from my friend Jane when I was at university - so that was about 15 years ago and it's still going strong! I hardly ever make smoothies as I just don't have time in the mornings, and smoothies to me are really a breakfast drink. I usually end up making a cup of tea in the mornings, only having time to drink half before I have to leave to get my train, and having breakfast at my desk at work which is usually a yogurt, or cereal if I remember to put some cereal in a Tupperware container to take with me!

But I had some strawberries that needed using up, plus a couple of over-ripe bananas - we are still getting a fruit basket every week at work and whenever there are some black bananas left at the end, my boss puts them on my desk as he knows I can bake with them!

I also had some soya milk left over from when a vegan friend came to stay and thought the creamy flavour and thicker texture (as I usually buy skimmed milk which is very thin) would be lovely in a smoothie.

I also had some flaxseed in the back of a cupboard; flaxseed is incredibly good for you as it's an anti-oxidant and good for your heart, blood pressure, is a source of fibre and all sorts of other things too.

So into the blender went the soya milk, strawberries, banana and flaxseed.

I also added a squeeze of agave nectar (a vegan honey substitute) for a little sweetness. I tested it and added a little more milk to thin it down and decided I really ought to make smoothies more often!

Smoothies are a good way to use up leftover fruit which is going soft; for that reason I'm sharing this with Credit Crunch Munch, hosted by Charlene at Food Glorious Food on behalf of Camilla at Fab Food 4 All and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours.

Two-Tone Superfoods Smoothie

I know, it's green... but it's good for you! And I'm sure even picky children would find this fun to drink with the two-tone colour and the different fruits in each layer.

I was recently sent two cartons of Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk, with the challenge of creating a new breakfast smoothie. Obviously I know that most people are in a hurry in the mornings and want something they can drink on the go, but this can be partly made the night before - and in any case, the challenge asked for an "original and interesting smoothie recipe" - and mine is certainly that!

A year or so ago I'd never drunk any sort of dairy-free alternative to milk, but now thanks to a friend who has turned vegan, there is often a carton of soya milk in my fridge. I hadn't tried almond milk before and I can say I definitely enjoyed it - it has a more subtle taste than some dairy-free alternatives I've tried, and most importantly doesn't turn my cup of tea a funny colour like some seem to!

Almond Breeze is vegan and also low-calorie; the unsweetened variety has 60% fewer calories than even skimmed milk, while it is still a good source of calcium. It also comes in original and chocolate flavour. For more information visit www.almondbreeze.co.uk

I thought of several different smoothie flavour combinations but none of them seemed original enough for this challenge. As I was finding it hard to choose between my ideas, I decided to combine the two and make a two-layer smoothie!

Here are the ingredients I used. You can obviously adapt this and swap out any ingredients you want, but this is the recipe I used (of my own creation):
For the bottom layer:
1 banana
1 kiwi
1 tsp Matcha Green tea powder
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 cup Almond Breeze

For the top layer:
1 large slice melon
1 pear
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp hemp
1/2 cup Almond Breeze

First to make the bottom layer, I chopped a banana, kiwi and added a spoonful of Matcha Green Tea Powder. This is finely-milled green tea that can be made into a drink or used to flavour foods. It has all sorts of health benefits including being an anti-oxidant, boosting metabolism and reducing cholesterol. However, it's not to everyone's taste so if you were making this for children I might suggest leaving this ingredient out.

I whizzed it up in my blender with a cup of Almond Breeze and a spoonful of agave nectar - I could have used honey, but since Almond Breeze is suitable for vegans, I wanted to make sure the whole recipe was.

Transfer to a small tub that is suitable for freezing and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to drink the smoothie, prepare the top layer. I cut a large slice of melon

And also chopped up a pear

Continuing on the superfoods theme, I added a spoonful of hemp. You can get this in health food shops; I bought a small box from Holland & Barrett that contained different seeds in small sachets (such as flax) so you can try them all and see what you like. Hemp is a seed that is high in protein, magnesium and iron, and the health benefits are numerous. You can add it onto porridge or museli or stir it into yogurt, or as I did, blend it into your smoothie.

I also added some agave nectar

 

Finally half a cup of Almond Breeze

Whizz it in the blender

If you have frozen the bottom layer of the smoothie overnight, you will need to allow it to come to room temperature so you can crush it up (similar to waiting for ice cream to soften enough to serve). If you have frozen it for a few hours it should be the right consistency - a bit like a slushy, so it's not entirely liquid, but you can still drink it through a straw.

Scoop a few spoonfuls into the bottom of a glass

Now pour the top layer of the smoothie on top; it will sit on top nicely.

I accessorized with a slice of kiwi and a straw. It's actually quite fun to drink one layer at a time or you can mix them both up. I think even though this is green and might put some picky children off, the fun of reaching the bottom layer should hopefully make them drink up!

You can check out the other entries in the Almond Breeze smoothie challenge here.