Thursday, January 8, 2015

MUST HAVE SMOOTHIE AND/OR JUICE INGREDIENTS YOU SHOULD KEEP ON HAND!

Hi all! It's been a while since I've been in to post a blog. I usually like to stay connected through my Angie's Healthy Kitchen Facebook page to post my recipes and cooking/lifestyle tips. I'm hoping this post is timely given I'm providing you all with some new smoothie and juice recipes that you may be trying for yourselves. It's certainly a great time of year to be creating smoothies in your kitchen given it's Summer and particularly hot and humid in most parts of Australia right now (if you're overseas then you may like to try anyway or come back to these in a few months time).


Smoothies can be great to replenish lost fluids which is really helpful when sweating and exercising or at times when you are ill or feeling run down. When you pack loads of nutrients into a smoothie it is typically much easier to consume than it would be to sit and eat the same ingredients in one sitting. This is therefore a good idea to swap out the smoothie for a usual meal or snack that you would normally have.


Swapping a bowl of cereal for a smoothie can be a great way to kickstart your day. You can even make your smoothie and drink it on the run if you need to get off to work or elsewhere fairly quickly in the morning. You'll find a well balanced smoothie will keep you feeling full for a good length of time too so it makes sense to just take a small snack with you for around mid morning (fruit, handful of nuts etc) and you'll easily carry on through to lunchtime!


Some days when I've opted against a morning smoothie I will have one mid afternoon and it really lifts me up around that 3pm slump. It will hold me off on munching on any naughty treats and keep me going right through til dinner time.


Friends of mine choose to have a smoothie or whole juice for lunch or dinner. I exercise a fair bit and have a fairly good appetite so I tend to eat a bit more for lunch and dinner but in saying that I am within a healthy weight range these days and look more towards general body maintenance.


Smoothies and juices can be great for your digestive system as they are easy to digest due to the ingredients already being fairly well processed. This can give your body a rest, especially at times of sickness or when you may have eaten a few too many treats over the festive season.


Anyway, below you will find a list of ingredients that I always have on hand in my pantry:


PANTRY ESSENTIALS FOR SMOOTHIES


  • Coconut water
  • Almond milk (or almonds when making my own milk)
  • Raw honey (I currently sell raw Bush jelly honey)
  • Coconut sugar
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Raw organic Cacao powder
  • Coconut milk and cream
  • Powerstart additive (I sell this awesome product)
  • Choc Powerstart Smoothie mix
  • Chia seeds
FRUIT/VEGIES THAT ARE GREAT TO USE WHEN IN SEASON


  • Bananas (my all time favourite)
  • Berries (fresh or frozen)
  • Mango
  • Stone fruit
  • Baby spinach or Kale
  • Cucumber
  • Cooked beetroot
  • Celery
  • Anything in season that has a high water content will work well (think melons, grapes, etc)
I hope this might have helped steer you towards creating some great smoothie creations in your own home. Don't forget to check in to my Facebook page for more recipe ideas!


Facebook page link here: https://www.facebook.com/AngiesHealthyKitchen