A creamy smoothie for Ffleur..

I love dedicating recipes to girlfriends I love and who inspire me, it creates a special connection that makes the whole blogging experience much more personal and dear to me.
I met Ffleur through my ex boyfriend turned super best friend Patch. Since i first met her, Flleur has moved back to Wales, met her Prince Charming and together they now have the two most beautiful children I have ever seen. On top of that, she is one of my biggest supporters since i started blogging and that means so much to me. She loves my smoothies so this one is for her.

This is the creamiest smoothie I have ever made and it looks and tastes like a pudding you can have for breakfast which sounds pretty good to me. I have twicked the recipe this morning by adding some extra protein in the form of Tahini (sesame seed paste) and a little antioxidant boost with a sprinkle of cacao nibs (I have been using the fantastic organic Of The Earth Superfoods ones and really like them. They also have really yummy porridges pots to go you should totally try them!). Be aware that cacao nibs are yummy and oh so good for you but they do come from raw cacao, so if you are used to eating milk chocolate, do not expect the same sugary flavour. They are the real deal and can be added to your very homemade trailmix (mmm...new post idea!) or to smoothies and many other recipes.

I believe it's important to add protein to all my meals and snack to help balance my sugar levels and keep my energy going strong  throughout the day and my tummy full and satisfied! Trust me, give it a try.
But enough talk, let's get this recipe down!

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 1 SMOOTHIE JAR)
1 small banana
1/2 frozen banana
1 handful raw almonds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 full tsp tahini ( I use organic light tahini)
1tsp Organic Burst Maca Powder (at least this the one I use because of its delicious malt like flavour)
1 tsp 1/2 Organic Bee Pollen (make sure you try one grain first to check for possible allergies)
1 vitC capsule (optional)
 vit D3 (optional)
vit B12 (optional)
1 cup Brown Rice Milk (I use Rude Health and love love love all of their products!)
1 tsp cacao nibs

Pop everything in your blender and whizz for a couple of minutes till smooth and creamy...
Pour in your favourite jar and top with bee pollen and cacao nibs!

Have a fantastic Sunday.

Love,

xxx

Foodolina

The Best Green Smoothie

This past week it's been really hot and I had a lot of long shifts at work so I had to make sure I had lots of energy to start the day with every single morning.
As soon as I wake up, before I do anything else, I always have a cup of hot water and lemon to help cleanse my body and boost my immune system.
And because on my birthday I got myself a super sexy new blender, I now use it every single morning to make some gorgeous green smoothies with all the organic vegetables I get from the Farmers Market on Sundays ( I'm lucky enough to have Brixton's Farmers Market near my house).
As it's super quick to make, I usually prepare it before I get out, pour it into my Thermos and take it to work to drink throughout the morning.
So here's the recipe for this greenelicious breakfast that has filled my belly with happiness for this whole past week!

THE BEST GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE
1 Apple, peeled and cut in quarters
1 Kiwi, peeled
1/4 of a Large cucumber, peeled
1 large handful of kale or spinach
a small handful of mint
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp of Ground Flaxseed (for some omega3 and fiber goodness)
1/2 cup of water

Just put all ingredients in your blender, whizz it up and drink!

Quick Superfoods Healing Soup

Yesterday I had my final exam at uni after a month of constant hardcore revising every single day and working in between. Needless to say, as soon as the exam was over and the adrenaline was gone, all the stress, worrying and crazy energy that had being pumping in my whole body for 30 days hit me pretty hard and I suddenly started feeling really run down. That didn't stop me from heading to the farmers Market to buy some gorgeous organic kale and strawberries obviously, but even after a power nap in the afternoon I still felt pretty awful. We went to meet some friends I hadn't seen in way too long which made me feel better as laughing always helps when I'm ill, but when I finally got back home I knew I needed to eat something nutritious and soothing but didn't have the strength to cook at 10.30pm..
And then it hit me.
I had Kale! I had my stash of quinoa in the pantry and and my always faithful vegetable stock.

INGREDIENTS
2 Large Kale Leaves chopped really small
1/3 cup of rinsed quinoa
1tbsp Vegetable stock
Hot water (about 2 1/2 cups depending on how much broth you want)
2 small pinches of Hymalaian or sea salt (optional)
1tsp Extravirgin Olive oil to drizzle on top (optional)

Still with my coat on I put the kettle on and a small pan with some stock in it. Rinsed 1/3 of a cup of quinoa and added it to the pan then covered it with hot water and 2 small pinches of Hymalaian salt (you can also use regular sea salt).Then quickly rinsed my two big leaves of Kale and chopped it teeny tiny and added that too.I know if you over boil vegetables you lose those nutrients in the water but i was going to drink up all of that broth so no problem!
15 min, my hot, delicious, light dinner was ready and I was already in my PJs.
I poured it into a big bowl and drizzled some extravirgin olive oil on it(my mom taught me to do this every time before i have a soup and it just makes it so much tastier) and off I went under the covers all snuggled up in bed.
Feeling much better today.

PS: Just to let you know Kale is incredibly good for you, it's an Anti-inflammatory food, it's high in Fiber, Iron, Antioxidants and Vitamins K, A and C.
Oh, should that not be enough for you it has also got Calcium.
And quinoa (which I've become addicted to), is not only a Gluten Free seed (even though it looks like a grain), but it's a great source of Protein!

So there you go. 3 Ingredients of which 2 are Superfoods. 15 Minutes and your health in a bowl is served.x