The food element, however, may not be such traditional content as recipes but more the 'non cooks' alternatives. And so, as it has influenced my eating habits since August I really would like to talk about the Nutri-bullet (or nutritional smoothies however you achieve them).
As a non cook, I'm not very good at getting my five a day, I don't eat junk, (perhaps as the odd treat), but I was concerned that I should try and pack in more nutrition into my diet. The other thing is that I don't really like to eat fruit, I buy it, it sits in the bowl, it goes soft and grows a furry jacket and I throw it away. That's the brutal honesty, good intentions which somehow don't come through. Several ladies I'd met this year were raving about the Nutri-bullet and when my tattooist Tracy told me that there's virtually no washing up, well, I was sold. I'm telling you this because if I can switch then maybe so can you.
To get some greens into the drink you put a handful of kale or spinach in first, not too much to start with especially if you don't like the taste like me, but hopefully the other fruits will disguise this. Then something to create a creamy texture, for me that's always banana. Then you go freestyle with your other combinations, mango, strawberry, blueberry, pear and so on. The liquid can be water, coconut water, juice or almond/coconut milk. I also add some oats. For sweetness add dates then pop in some super food extras like Goji berries and Chai seeds, nuts etc. OK you get the picture.
Generally speaking this will all taste great, however, every now and again the colour may look a bit brown and this puts me off. So to keep my enthusiasm up I try to make the colour as nice as possible too.
At a recent get together with some other local business women I was given some sachets from a company called "Love Your Blender".
They make five different flavours of a super food boost to add to your cup before blending. I had never heard of the fruit Lacuma, anyway the Sweet Lacuma blend gives a lovely caramel taste, the sachet contains, Lacuma, Carob, Vanilla, Mulberry, hemp seeds, pecan nuts and flax seeds. All this adds fibre, good fats and proteins.
The Cherry Rose additive sachet is really good for your skin, containing Acerola Cherries, Rose Petals, Sea Buckthorn Berries, Vanilla Pod, Almonds and Hemp Seeds. 'Love Your Blender' give you recipe ideas and this is a great help as it cuts down on the hit and miss of free-styling. For all the detailed information check out their website here
I need to keep myself interested and inspired so these have been a great help and I'm thinking that when there is less choice in seasonal fruits around they would be a good taste booster.
Personally, I feel the smoothies are great as a meal replacement and it's a good idea to have at least one a day, they are very filling too so I'm sure you won't feel hungry. If I find any more killer recipes I will let you know and please can you also tell me of any of your favourite fruit combinations, any recommendations gratefully received.
