Smoothies not only taste divine but are the perfect go-to for a quick & easy healthy nutritious snack or healthy balanced meal in a glass. You can tick off getting your 5’a day by 8am and wake your body up with the nutrients it craves. Your body will thank you in return with a natural feel-good energy boost.

Smoothies make it easy for you and your family to increase your fruit & veggie intake and get your daily quota in! They give you the perfect opportunity to eat the rainbow, add variety and consume fruits & veggies you perhaps wouldn’t ordinarily eat at on a regular basis.

EAT THE RAINBOW

Eating the rainbow is essential as each variety, each colour of fruit & veggie provides your body with different nutrients and ensures that your body gets the diversity of essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants it needs to be at its best every day. Combined these nutrients can help reduce inflammation (the root cause of disease), to improve digestion and lower your risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, obesity and age related mental decline all whilst helping you look and feel your very best.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends adults eat a minimum of 5 servings (around 400 grams) of fruits & veggies per day (and that’s the guidance for the absolute minimum). Plus it’s well established that a more plant centred diet is the key to a healthier life, so what easier way and better reason to increase your daily intake and commit to eating more of the rainbow.

Whatever your goal, be it health, energy, sustainable weight loss, a daily smoothie is a fantastic healthy habit to establish. The ripple effects can be amazing. Most people don’t enough of the green stuff on a daily basis which means their body could be missing out on essential vitamins and minerals and all the goodness and wellbeing they provide the body. So what could be easier than throwing some fruit & veggies into a blender and giving your body a powerful dose of nutrients and feeling good from the inside out.

Depending on when you are making your smoothie you can choose to add more or less sweet fruit (for example morning and post-workout are great times to boost your natural sugar intake with fruits).

You can use either fresh or frozen fruit & veggies, both are super nutritious and be adventurous too and try new fruits & veggies.

WEIGHT LOSS

If weight loss is your goal then limit your daily fruit intake to 2 pieces and best consumed either in the morning or afternoon.

Opt for fruits that are lower in sugar such as Berries which are a better choice than tropical fruits such as Mango or Pineapple. You can of course choose a higher sugar tropical fruit just be mindful of your overall sugar intake for the day. As a general rule use 1 tropical fruit with a Berry or equivalent low sugar fruit.

WHAT GREENS TO USE

Choose dark leafy greens like Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Dandelion Greens plus some fresh herbs like Mint or Parsley. You can also add vegetables like Cucumber, Celery or Carrots. Rotate your greens on a regular basis and experiment with different flavours.

For beginners to smoothies use Baby Greens, like Baby Kale, Baby Spinach etc.

If using fresh remember to wash your fruit & veggies before use, remember they’ve been handled during transportation and getting onto the shop shelves.

Chunk up your fruit & veggies into even sized pieces before you add them, removing any tough stems and blend you greens with liquid first, then add fruit and your Pretty Pea protein powder.

MEAL REPLACEMENT

If you’re having a smoothie as a meal replacement be sure to think of your ingredients as Protein, Carbs and Fats – just like you would a meal. You’ve already got your protein covered with your scoop of Pretty Pea protein. As Pretty Pea is such low carb and low fat you’ve got scope to add your flavoursome fibrous carbs (fruits & veggies) and some healthy fats with some nuts & seeds.

POST WORKOUT PROTEIN

You can make any smoothie recipe into a post workout shake with the addition of your scoop of Pretty Pea protein. Protein is food & nourishment for your muscles and a must after you’ve worked out or been for a run. Replenishing with protein means you’re maximising the most from your workouts and giving your body the fuel it needs to build lean fat-burning muscle tissue.

ENERGY FOOD

Every recipe will give you fantastic energy by providing your body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory compounds too.

PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TRY NEW FOODS

When it comes to making your smoothie it’s all about experimenting. It’s the perfect opportunity to try new fruits & veggies, try new flavours and add in herbs and spices. Try new things, be adventurous. You might just find a new favourite. On the flip side, if you don’t like the taste of what you’ve made, don’t despair, just try something different next time. Don’t write smoothies off because of one recipe, you maybe added too many greens getting started.

Lets get you started!

GETTING STARTED

Smoothies are usually blended from fruits, veggies, juices, yoghurt, nuts, seeds and dairy or plant based milks.

The most simple smoothies start with 2 essential ingredients – a base and a liquid. From there you can combine any ingredients you like. Like any recipe or meal, how your smoothie tastes will vary depending on your choice of ingredients and your own personal preferences.

Adding ice cubes or frozen fruit or veggies can give your smoothie a cool, icy milkshake-type consistency.

Common ingredients

Fruits such as berries, apple, banana. pineapple, mango. Bananas & berries are good for beginners – they taste really good together.

Veggies such as kale, spinach, avocado, carrots, beetroot, microgreens, cauliflower, cucumber, wheatgrass, arugula.

Nuts & Seeds such as peanut butter, almond butter, walnut butter, sunflower seed butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds.

Herbs & Spices such as cinnamon, parsley, basil, ginger, turmeric, cocoa powder, cocao nibs.

Nutritional supplements such as spirulina, matcha powder, protein powder, bee pollen. Powder from vitamin supplements can also be added for those who don’t like swallowing in tablet form.

Liquid base such as water, dairy milk, non-dairy milk, coconut water, iced tea, cold brewed coffee, fruit juice & vegetable juice – just watch the sugar content of any shop-bought juices.

Sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, raw sugar, pitted dates, stevia, ice-cream, fruit juice concentrates.

Other ingredients can include vanilla extract, soaked oats, silken tofu and dairy or non-dairy yoghurt.

Be adventurous, try new ingredients you wouldn’t ordinarily choose. You might just find a new favourite! And… if at first you don’t succeed. try try again. There is a smoothie for everyone. It really can be as simple as a scoop of Chocolate Pretty Pea Protein, milk and a frozen banana…. OR being as creative as you like.

One final quick note on ingredients, don’t let the name of smoothies confuse you. Smoothies can generally be classified as:

Fruit smoothies tend to be fruits blended with fruit juice, water, milk or ice cream.

Green smoothies are packed with leafy green veggies plus fruits blended with water, juice or milk. Usually heavier on the veggies and the fruit is added for sweetness.

Protein smoothies have a fruit or veggie plus liquid base and a protein source such as Pretty Pea protein powder, cottage cheese, silken tofu or Greek yoghurt.

The 3 categories generally overlap and should be customized to your needs, your goals and your tastes. You don’t need a label, just make your smoothie as unique as you are!

PRETTY PEA SMOOTHIE SUMMARY

The most nutritious smoothie uses whole foods, contain little to no added sugar and includes a balanced amount of fibre, carbs, healthy fats and protein, all your macronutrients into a glass of energizing, health-boosting goodness.

1. BASE – Add a handful of assorted Dark Leafy Greens such as Kale, Chard, Spinach, Spring Greens, Romaine, Watercress, Collards, Bok Choy for an extra dose of fibre and vitamins and minerals. Tender mild flavoured greens such as Baby Spinach work best. You can also add fresh herbs like Mint, Basil, Parsley or fresh Ginger PLUS assorted water-dense vegetables like Celery and Cucumber.

2. PROTEIN – Protein is often the missing ingredient in many smoothie recipes. A smoothie is a great opportunity to include a serving of protein with Pretty Pea vegan protein powder to ensure you get your daily RDA. Protein can turn your smoothie into a nutritionally complete balanced meal and will keep you feeling full for hours. You can order your low calorie, low carb Pretty Pea protein at www.prettypea.blog

3. HEALTHY FATS – A small amount goes a long way in helping your cells perform their vital functions of using all of these nutrients. Try Avocados, Nuts and Seeds such as Chia, Flax or Hemp or Coconut oil, Olive oil, Nut oils, and Nut butters. They will not only make your smoothie into a meal and keep you full for hours but also give your smoothie a thicker creamier consistency.

4. SUPERFOOD NUTRENTS – Add antioxidants, free-radical destroyers, immune boosters, alkaline/acidity balancers citrus fruits like Lemon or Lime or , Turmeric, Grapeseed oil extract. Add SPICES too for an extra body boost such as fresh Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Cacao powder. Nuts include Almonds, Cashes & Walnuts. Seeds include Chia, Flax, Hemp, Pumpkin, Sesame & Sunflower and super charges include Goji Berries and Acai Berries.

5. GREEK YOGHURT – Yoghurt provides your smoothie with a creamier texture and 1/4 cup of Greek Yoghurt provides you with around 6 grams towards your daily protein requirement. Make sure your yoghurt has minimal sugar. Low fat yoghurts are often replaced with sugars instead for taste. Check your labels. Coconut yoghurt & coconut cream are both great options too for adding consistency.

6. FRUIT – Is the staple ingredient and backbone of any smoothie recipe by providing sweetness and nutrients. Fruit is a great source of Fibre and the good kind of Carbs that serve as an essential source of fuel. Bananas are a smoothie staple, and a great source of potassium and pair well with a wide variety of other fruits. They add a natural sweetness plus a nice creamy texture too, especially when frozen. Just don’t forget to peel before freezing.

Other Fruits can include:

Apple, Avocado, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cantaloupe, Cranberry, Fig, Green Grapes, Guava, Honeydew, Kiwi, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Plum, Raspberry, Red Grapes, Strawberry, Watermelon

7. FLAVOUR & FIBRE – Fruits contain both antioxidants and fibre to keep blood sugars stable while still providing sweetness. Use berries (Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries), Apples, Figs, and sometimes Bananas, but try to avoid the sweeter, tropical fruits because of their higher glycemic index (G.I.) if you’re working towards a leaner body. Maximum of 2 fruits (if fat-loss is your goal, stick to low glycemic index fruits like Berries, Apples and Pears). Think how sweet your fruit is, for example, avocado, whilst giving a velvety texture, isn’t particularly sweet so pair with Pretty Pea Chocolate Protein powder and some berries, or dates. Frozen pineapple works as both sweetener and as a smoothie thickener.

8. LIQUID – Water or your favourite plant based milk such as Almond, Hemp, Coconut, Rice or Oat.

9. BLEND – Use a high powered blender to make the best tasting, smoothest smoothies. I love my Nutri-Bullet for ease and convenience. If you’re working with a conventional blender, blend your greens and liquid first before adding other ingredients to ensure a smooth blend.

10. CONSISTENCY – Frozen Banana works well for a thicker texture and Greek yoghurt for a velvet creaminess. A handful of Ice also adds to the thickness of your mixture. Mango and Avocado’s can also provide creaminess and both have a mild flavour so can easily be disguised. Oats also act as a thickener and will add towards your daily fibre intake. Chia seeds are the perfect smoothie thickener as when added to liquid they swell. Just don’t let them sit too long or it will become too thick to drink.

Most of all, Enjoy!

Pretty Pea

Order Pretty Pea protein and see the full range of beautifully simple supplements at www.prettypea.blog