I love smoothies. But I wouldn’t buy one. Why? Because I don’t know what they put in them. And I’m afraid if I ask, they’ll put all sorts of things in! So I prefer to make my own. Its cheaper, probably fresher, and I know exactly whats in them.

For a while, that was breakfast for me. I’ll be doing it again soon - it sort of depends on circumstance and other factors. But I love smoothies! Especially for breakfast. They’re really simple and quick, and really nutritious. Its easy to eat too and not too much mess. You probably know by now that I’m a quick breakfast person and a fruit’n'veggie eater until the evening meal. So smoothies are ideal for me.

How to make them? Nothing could be easier. I go to the local vege store and buy a box of budget fruit - usually ripe or just over ripe. It comes prepackaged in a big box and the people at the store fill it with fruit that they can’t really sell at retail price - all the seconds basically. It costs about a dollar but for me its a treasure trove. Sometimes I bring it home and stew it and freeze it for future occasions, but a lot of the time I use it for my smoothies.

Now a smoothie is best fresh - fruit is best eaten when its just cut - juices are best up to half an hour after they’ve been squeezed. Thats why juice at supermarkets is not much good. Anyway, I put in a pile a whole lot of fruit - whatever the flavor of the day is. I like mango, papaya, banana, pineapple, kiwifruit, feijoa, berries, soft pears, tamarillos, the list goes on. Basically the softer a fruit is, the better it is for smoothies - so apples don’t really work that well.

I like to peel everything to get rid of the outer layer that can possibly house all kinds of unpleasant things - I generally do this with a small sharp paring knife. Then I cut everything up into chunks and chuck them into the blender. For a great colour I like adding berries - and I find frozen berries are just as good as fresh - and great for off season too. Black currants add an awesome colour and lots of antioxidants. I whiz the blender until its all smooth and liquid. If it needs a little more liquid I might add a little yoghurt, but usually its fine.

Sometimes if I’ve had a workout I’ll add some whey protein. Its flavorless but adds good protein. The best way to eat/drink a smoothie is with a straw. It gives the meal an exotic sort of flair and is a great start to the day!

I’ve made lots of different combination smoothies. I like pineapple and feijoa, pear-blackcurrant-kiwi, pineapple-kiwi, pineapple-banana, and the list goes on. Banana is a great base for a smoothie and makes it that much more filling. I love experimenting and hope you will too… Let me know your favorite smoothie combinations!

Tags: smoothie

Filed under: Mckenna, Nutrition