Of Smoothies and Smoothie bowls

Smoothies are a delightful addition to one’s breakfast menu. Growing up, summer breakfasts were incomplete without a cool milkshake or smoothie. My dad has always been the self-appointed smoothie or milkshake maker in our house. Mom would have to leave for work much earlier leaving my dad to take care of the juices/ milkshake/ smoothie/ lassi making process. So as my mom would finish making breakfast and get out of the kitchen to get ready, my dad would get in and start his work with his hand blender. His level of enthusiasm with the hand blender has always been at par with the excitement he has for his drilling machine and tool kits.

Summertime is Smoothie time! 

Come summers and he would make mango shakes, cold coffees, banana shakes and lassi that would be my Mother’s only breakfast that she would have before she stepped out for work. She carried a paratha which she could have at her desk once she reached office. Now they are both retired and have the luxury of time but they have not let go of their old rituals. My Dad still picks up the blender as a habit and whips up the yummiest milkshakes and smoothies for the two of them! Living away now, I try to make shakes for myself  in the morning but I do it a bit differently. Thanks to internet and the joys of exploring a vast repertoire of food blogs, I’ve started freezing fruits to use them in smoothies. The result is deliciously creamy shakes and smoothies that keep me full till much later in the day. There is no fixed recipe that I follow for these. There are, however, some recipes that I have adapted from BBC GoodFood Middle East and from the Minimalist Baker’s website that I tweak according to what I feel like having and what’s available.

Smoothies save me time and are also a great way to include more fruit in my diet.

Freezing fruit also takes away the pressure to finish all the fruit before it goes bad. I almost always keep frozen cut bananas in my freezer and lately I’ve been trying to keep a stock of mixed berries too. I explain the process of freezing bananas here. I sometimes make the smoothies dairy-free and use freshly squeezed orange juice as a base or some water. At other times I just use low-fat yogurt. You can use almond or soy milk as well. If you are fasting (like for Navratras or avoiding grains) you can skip the Oats. The Oats help to thicken the smoothie and make it creamier but if you’re skipping them you could add half a banana more. The Chia seeds swell up and add to the volume. They also pack a whole lot of anti-oxidants and that much-needed fibre to keep you full for longer.

Here’s how you can make delicious Smoothies and Smoothie bowls with any fruits and milk available

Ingredients Low fat Yogurt, 1 tablespoon  Frozen Bananas, 1/2 cup  mix berries, 1/2 cup – fresh or frozen (I use strawberries & blueberries) Chia seeds, 1 tablespoon  Juice of 1 Orange (optional) Honey or Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon (optional) Oats, 2 tablespoon  Method Place all the ingredients in a blender jar and blend till smooth. Add more water/ juice/ milk if needed to blend. Pour into a glass and enjoy chilled. You can also make a smoothie bowl with this. Just pour the smoothie in a bowl and top with fruits and nuts of your choice and granola and other seeds like flax, chia, pumpkin or sunflower. Toasted Coconut flakes, raisins and muesli are great additions to the smoothie bowl as well.

Here are some more ideas for Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls

• Banana Avocado Smoothie : Combine frozen banana, Orange juice, Flesh of 1 ripe Avocado, Yogurt, Oats, Chia seeds
• Kiwi Berry : Combine Peeled sliced kiwis, frozen banana, mixed berries, yogurt, oats, chia seeds and honey.
• Pineapple Mango Smoothie: Combine Pineapple, Mango and Banana pieces with yogurt/milk with chia and oats.

You may notice that I’ve included Bananas is all the combinations above. That is because bananas, especially frozen ones provide a creamy base to the smoothies. You can make smoothies with whatever fruits are available to you. If you are not using frozen fruits, you can throw in a few ice cubes to cool down the temperature of your smoothie.

Enjoy these smoothies and bowls when you want to eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen!

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Links to recipes mentioned above in our Insta posts: Breakfast Smoothie recipe by BBC Goodfood Middle east here Smoothie bowl recipe by Minimalist Baker

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