Today on the blog I am excited to have Jayne from Writing Without Pay guest posting for me! I haven't tried this smoothie yet, but I have added pineapple and shredded coconut to my shopping list and can't wait to give it a go.
One of the great things about green smoothies is that they can be tweaked to suit just about anyone’s taste. We all have our favourite leafy greens, fruits, we have allergies and dietary requirements or we’re just plain fussy.
My blender gets quite a workout, particularly in summer when the kids don’t fancy a heavy cereal breakfast. In our house we have one fussy eater (banana or strawberry smoothie, hold the spinach thank you very much), one vegetarian who can’t abide a dairy free option but will drink anything else I can throw into a smoothie, and myself (affectionately known as The Weirdy Vegan).
As a vegan I’m often asked where I get my X, Y and Z nutrients. People show concern where they might not if I was omnivorous, and that’s okay. The truth is, it’s not hard to find everything I need in a plant-based diet. The only supplement I take on occasion, because it’s found largely in animal products, is vitamin B12.
Most plant-based milks are calcium and protein enriched, and often contain vitamin D (unsweetened almond milk in particular has calcium, vitamins D, A and E, plus it’s super creamy!) And if you’re really worried about your protein intake, most smoothies are forgiving and allow you to add a spoonful of nut butter without affecting the overall taste.
I most often use a leafy green base of spinach to ensure I have a decent iron, B-complex vitamin and Omega 3 intake and always, where possible, use bananas at sweeteners. Bananas are loaded with potassium (hello healthy blood pressure!), anti-oxidants and vitamin C. Both spinach and bananas are a rich source of many other minerals too. This is where my knowledge of nutrition ends and I just write etc. ;)
The Recipe
Original recipe from here.
2 tightly packed cups spinach
2 cups almond milk
1 large banana
1.5 cups frozen pineapple chunks
2 T shredded coconut
1 T ground flax
Blend the spinach and almond milk first, then add remaining ingredients and blend. The recipe makes about a litre.
Serve in a mason jar with a daisy cut pewter lid and paper straw and not only do you have a smoothie that tastes great, but also looks pretty awesome too.
When she’s not faffing around on the Internet, Jayne is a writer of Young Adult fiction, an amateur art journaller, a mouthy vegan and an animal rights advocate. She’s mum to two teenage girls and is a collector of stray cats and art supplies.
You can find her blogging irregularly at http://www.jaynewatkins.com
On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/WritingWithoutPay
On Twitter https://twitter.com/jay_latte
And Instagram http://instagram.com/jay_latte/
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