Eat Simply, Eat Well

Healthy recipes & tips to help you live the good life. by Ann Plough

Blueberry Cacao Smoothie

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Happy April Fool’s Day!

But let me tell you, this smoothie is no joke.  It’s packed with serious flavor and nutrients to have you sailing right on through your morning or to pick you back up off the floor after a tough work out. Use blueberries or bilberries, whichever you have, toss in the remaining ingredients and blend up a drink full of fiber, antioxidants, good healthy fat (from the avocado), Omega 6 (thank you Chia seeds).

Have you been feeling forgetful?  New studies on blueberries (and their wild friend the bilberry) show that eating blueberries help are great for brain health and improving memory. Very nice.

Need a little more oomph?  Then grab that bag of Maca Powder and toss in a little of that, too and it will give you the all-over energy boost that you just might be missing.  Especially at 6 AM. What exactly is Maca?  Nutrition stripped offers the complete overview of this excellent nutitrion source here.

To top it all off, toss in a generous spoon of Raw Cacao Powder for a smooth chocolate flavor that blends perfectly with the blueberries while packing in some extra iron, magnesium and antioxidants for your health.  For more information about Raw Cacao, take a look here.

What about that kale, you say?  You won’t even taste it.  But you’ll get the benefits of perhaps the most nutrient-rich vegetable on the planet, so don’t hold back!

This can be made the night before for an instant breakfast in the morning, or pack it in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and take it with you for a snack on the go.

Blueberry Cacao Smoothie

1.5 cups cashew milk, almond milk, or other nut milk of choice
1 heaped cup fresh or frozen blueberries (frozen makes for a nice, thick, cold drink)
1/2 avocodo, pitted and peeled
3 leaves kale
2 tablespoons Chia gel (or 1 teaspoon Chia seeds soaked in 2 tablespoons of water for 5 min)
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
1/2 tablespoon Maca powder
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or 1 fresh, pitted date

Put all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender.  Process until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Divide between 2 tall glasses and enjoy

Makes 2 servings.

Cranberry Apple Ginger Smoothie

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There’s nothing better in the middle of the holiday season rush than a refreshing smoothie as a pick-me-up.  Taking advantage of seasonal fruit, this delicious drink will wake you right out of any afternoon slump, post-party blahs, or sugar crash you’re experiencing.

Grab an organic apple, a handful of cranberries (or lingonberries) add some ginger, dates and flax, and top it off with plain yogurt, kefir or buttermilk and blend it up.  Share half with a friend or save it for later – this is just the thing to get you through the last of your Christmas shopping or card writing session.  We just finished writing up a big pile of cards over here with a few more to go.  Christmas shopping is on the final leg, the tree is up, and the house is as decorated as it’s going to be.

The holiday baking begins tomorrow.  I’ll be needing another round of smoothies to keep my hands out of the cookie jar, no doubt about it.  This is sure to be a seasonal favorite in my house.

Cranberry Apple Ginger Smoothie

2 cups kefir, plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 organic apple, washed and cored, peel left on
1/2 cup / 1 dl fresh or frozen cranberries or lingonberries
1″ / 2.5″ piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 fresh dates, pits removed
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Combine all the ingredients in a blender jar if using a blender or in a bowl if using an immersion blender.  Blend until completely combined and smooth.  Divide between two glasses.  Enjoy the energy surge.

Serves 2

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

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Just when you may have thought your pumpkin spice days were over for the year, here’s a reason to pull that jar from the cupboard and use it in a whole new way.

It’s the holiday season.  And if you, like me, find yourself running from place to place, store to store, eating too many sweets or not eating at all, here’s something tasty that’s quick to whip together, full of fabulous winter flavor, and stuffed with healthy ingredients to keep you going through all the tasks on your list today and through the season.

It’s a few simple ingredients, can be made in 5 minutes, and can be taken with you, or made in advance for enjoying later.  It’s chock full of antioxidants, fiber, and calcium – not to mention the probiotic benefits from the kefir or yogurt and sweetened with natural sugars.

The bilberry can be swapped for blueberry, and you can use satsumas or mandarins instead of clementines.  If you don’t have flax – use chia. If you don’t have kefir, use yogurt or buttermilk.  If you don’t have pumpkin spice, combine cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.Raw ingredients

The bilberry can be swapped for blueberry, and you can use satsumas or mandarins instead of clementines.  If you don’t have flax – use chia. If you don’t have kefir, use yogurt or buttermilk.  If you don’t have pumpkin spice, combine cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

And go forth and take on your day.

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie for Two

Bilberry Clementine Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

2 cups kefir, buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup fresh or frozen bilberries (or blueberries)
1 clementine, peeled, seeds removed, separated into sections
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix

Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Process on high speed until well-combined.  Serve immediately; or store in the fridge for enjoying later.

Serves 2.