Vegetable Platter: Smoothie

Mango Smoothie

Mango Milkshake takes me right back to my childhood & to Ganesh Fruit Juice Centre in particular. Every summer, drinking Mango milkshake at Ganesh Fruit Juice was a ritual (It is one of those Bangalore things) & I still like going there except that all the sugar that they add makes me a tad conscious of the calories :)

I try & add Mangoes to my smoothies when in season. And since, mangoes have that natural sweetness, the smoothie is tastier without much effort

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 Ripe Mangoes
1 Banana
1.5 cups Oat Milk/Almond Milk
3-4 Ice Cubes - If not using frozen fruits

Method:

Blend everything together in a blender until smooth & creamy. Pout into a glass & Enjoy !!

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Smoothie

Jackfruit Banana & Turmeric Smoothie

If you are a Jackfruit lover like me, I highly recommend this Smoothie. While, I believe that the best way to consume Jackfruit is to eat it as is, I just fell in love with this Smoothie.

Since, we drink smoothies on a regular basis, it is very easy for us to get bored of the same flavors. So, I keep experimenting with different fruits. Some combinations turn out well & some not so good. The ones I really like get documented here.

Serves 1

You Will Need:

1 Banana
5 pieces of Jackfruit - chopped
1.5 cups Almond Milk
1 teaspoon Chia Seeds
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Optional)
3-4 Ice Cubes

How To:

Roughly chop the bananas & add everything in the blender & blend until smooth

You can even reduce the quantity of Bananas to 3/4th because Jackfruit also adds to the texture & sweetness of the Smoothie

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Smoothie

Pineapple Ginger & Turmeric Smoothie

This is a really awesome Smoothie Guys. Been wanting to try Turmeric in my Smoothie since long & I am so glad that this combination turned out rather well. With the addition of Ginger & Turmeric, this one is quite an immunity booster

The addition of Pineapple & Ginger & it brings a fresh flavor.

I added Turmeric powder & not turmeric root because I didn't like the way raw turmeric tasted in my smoothie & it was quite overpowering

You Will Need:

1 Banana
1/2 Apple or Pear
8-10 Chunks of Pineapple
A small piece of Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
3-4 Ice Cubes
1.5 - 2 cups Almond Milk

How To:

Add all the ingredients into a blender & blend until smooth.

NOTE:

I used fresh Pineapple but you can use frozen too

You can try replacing Turmeric Powder with a small knob Raw Turmeric Root

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Breakfast Dishes

Beets & Banana Smoothie

Being a big fan of Smoothies, I can't believe that I took this long to try Beets in my Smoothie. This one was just fabulous, both color & taste wise. And, this is such an effortless way to add Beets into our diet

The Green Smoothie is my all time favorite & this might just take it place

I love adding colors to my smoothie & I love the color the Beets add & of course all the nutrients as well. I made this with the usual Banana & Half an Apple. You could replace Apples with Pears too.

The reason I love adding bananas is that not only does it add to the texture, but also adds the right amount of sweetness.

You Will Need:

1 Banana (Preferably Frozen)
A Quarter chunk of a Small Beetroot
1/2 Apple
1 teaspoon Nut Butter
1/2 teaspoon Chia/Hemp Seeds (Optional)
1.5 cups Almond Milk
2-3 Ice Cubes (Use if not using frozen banana)

How To:

Slice a small Beetroot into half, set aside one half for later use. Peel & slice the remaining half into small cubes

In a blender, add all the ingredients mentioned & blend until smooth. Pour into a smoothie jar & serve

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Smoothie

Pomegranate & Berry Smoothie

We are a smoothie loving family. So much that even our 17 month old daughter loves drinking them. Not only is it a great Grab & Go Breakfast but also makes for a great after school drink or a post workout drink

Smoothies are so easy to make & there is no dearth for all the various combinations we could use to create our own unique blend

SOME OF THE CONSTANTS IN MY SMOOTHIES ARE

BANANA

I like using Banana in all my smoothies as it provides a great silky texture to smoothies without needing to add any sweetener. Plus, they also makes smoothies more filling

ALMOND MILK

You can use any milk of your choice, I usually buy Almond Milk in bulk so I tend to use it more than other kind of milks. You could use Oat Milk, Rice Milk too. I do not prefer adding regular dairy milk in my smoothies as it makes the smoothie very heavy on the stomach

NUT BUTTER

Nut Butters not only add taste & a wonderful texture to smoothies, it is nutritional as well. You could use any Nut Butter of your choice. I alternate between Peanut Butter & Almond Butter. You can also use the Mix Nut Butter

Apart from these 3 staples, I keep adding different fruits & ingredients depending on what's availabile at home

You Will Need:

1 Banana - Sliced
Half Cup Pomegranate Arils
3-4 Blackberries
Half teaspoon Chia Seeds
1 teaspoon any Nut Butter (Optional)
1.5 Cups Almond Milk
2-3 Ice Cubes

Method:

In a blender add all the ingredients listed above & blend until smooth.

NOTE:

Frozen Fruits make very creamy smoothies. If possible, you can freeze individual portions in a ziplock & directly put them into the blender

If you are using frozen fruits, you don't have to add Ice Cubes

My Smoothie Loving Daughter

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Smoothie

Very Berry Oats Smoothie

After years of being addicted to the Green Smoothie, this Very Berry Oats Smoothie is my current obsession. I've been trying to include a bit of Oats into my everyday diet, I am not a big fan of Oats Upma & the like. And I am yet to try my hands on overnight oats, so this smoothie is currently go to choice

I always have a box of blueberries in the refrigerator. It's my favourite of all the berries. I love the hue it adds to the smoothie

Serves 2

1 Large Banana **
1 Apple
A handful of Blueberries
4 Strawberries
2-3 Blackberries
1 tsp chia Seeds
1 tsp Almond Butter
1 tablespoon instant oats
2.5 cups Almond milk
4-5 Ice cubes

Slice the banana, Roughly chop the apples, I did not peel the skin. Add everything into a blender & blend until smooth. Pour into tall glasses & drink chilled

You could pretty much use any milk you like. Or even use 1 part milk & 1 part yogurt

** If you want to skip bananas because of their high calorie content, replace with a scoop of unflavoured protein powder

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR SMOOTHIE SUPER CREAMY

Have you ever wondered why your homemade smoothie does not taste creamy like the ones you get at the smoothie bar? I used to have this issue with my smoothies too.

* The secret to a creamy smoothie is using frozen fruits. YES :) Put your roughly chopped fruits in a ziplock bag & freeze for 2-3 hours or freeze them overnight & if you intend to make it for breakfast.

You can skip the ice cubes if using frozen fruits

* Adding a teaspoon of nut butter also makes a creamier smoothie. I've used almond butter here. You could substitute it with Peanut Butter or any other nut butter of your choice

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Low-Cal

My Favourite Green Smoothie

This isn't even a proper recipe but this is my favourite kinda Smoothie. I make a lot of Smoothies, but this one is my favourite.

I practically drink this everyday or at least 5 days a week. This is my post workout drink & its so darn delicious or maybe I am hungry when I drink this :) Either way I love it so it has to be blogged :)

Its got Banana, Spinach, Pear, Almonds & the new Superfood Chia Seeds & of course Milk .. Everything that makes a smoothie tasty. I add Spinach because it takes care of my daily dose of Greens & I don't have to bother about another dose of Greens for the rest of the day & of course I love the gorgeous Green hue it lends to the Smoothie

You Will Need:

1 Banana
Half a Pear or Apple
1 cup Spinach
5 Almonds or Any Nut Butter
1 tsp Chia Seeds
200 ml Milk *
2-3 Ice Cubes

How To:

Roughly chop the pear or Apple. There is no need to peel the skin. Roughly chop the Banana too.
Put everything in a blender & blend until Smooth

NOTE:

You can use any kind of milk you like. Regular, Skimmed, Soy, Nut milk or whichever. I mostly use the Unsweetened Almond Milk

I sometimes add a dash of Organic Unsweetened Peanut Butter to this. Makes it all the more delicious

Don't add Ice cubes if using frozen Bananas

I also don't feel the need to add any sweeteners as I feel the sweetness from the Banana & Pear is quite sufficient. You may add a dash of honey if you wish to. But Please avoid using White Sugar

1 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Beverages

Banana - Mango Smoothie

I somehow thought Smoothie was some kind of a diet drink & was only for calorie concious people & never bothered to try it out.

After my workout at the gym, I tagged along with a friend of mine to the mall for our regular shopping. We noticed a new juice junction & realised how thirsty we were after the workout. My health conscious friend happened to order a Smoothie, while I ordered my regular Chocolate Milkshake with Ice-Cream ( My workout for the day went in vain !! )

My friend insisted that I take a sip of her smoothie, I tasted awesome .. I realised what I was missing all these days .. And now Iam a BIG Smoothie fan.

My favourite is the Banana-Mango smoothie. Smoothies are slightly thicker in consistency than milkshakes. A smoothie is very refreshing on a hot day & after tiring workouts.

Here's my favourite smoothie recipe,

You will need:

1 Banana - cut into chunks

1/2 a slice of Mango - any variety - peeled & cubed

2 tsp - brown sugar
1 cup yogurt

1/4 cup chilled milk

Ice cubes

Method:

Blend together Banana chunks, Mango cubes, sugar, yogurt & milk until smooth

Pour into tall glassed, Top with ice cubes, serve chilled

Enjoi !!!

I went a step ahead & made my smootie extra healthy by adding low-fat yogurt & skimmed milk. I could'nt afford to drink more of chocolate milkshakw with ice cream & ruin my workouts !! Whenever I go out, I always order a smoothie now.

Smoothie is the BEST :)

Off goes my smoothie to Sangeeth's Event, Eat Healthy - Calcium Rich

Thanks Sangeeth for hosting :)