Strawberry-Banana Smoothie Porridge Bowl

Here is tomorrow's Strawberry-Banana Smoothie Porridge Bowl-- the ingredients I used this morning are listed below so you have time to pick them up today.

We always start with a bowl of creamy nutritious porridge.  You can make it over night by soaking the oatmeal in plant milk or, like us, you can cook the oats as usual. 

And here is what we added:

• simple strawberry-banana smoothie (strawberries, chopped banana, water)
• strawberries
• banana pieces
• blueberries
• chopped walnuts
• short line of chia seed gel
• cacao nibs
• coconut shreds
• almond milk (not shown)

If you make this, take a photo and post on Instagram with hashtag #smoothiemoves so we can admire your work!

 

Pineapple-Blueberry Smoothie Porridge Bowl

My husband and I generally have a smoothie and a bowl of oatmeal porridge for breakfast.  It was only a matter of time until we blended the two into a "smoothie porridge bowl."

I am going to hashtag these recipe ideas as #tomorrowssmoothiebowl on Twitter and Instagram, the point being that you might like the looks of it, but maybe you don't have the ingredients you would like or try.

Pineapple-Blueberry 

Porridge Smoothie Bowl

Start with a lovely creamy bowl of oats, either steaming hot or overnight oats that you have soaked in plant milk for 8 hours or over night.

(Ours contains about a small

 handful of Thompson's raisins. )

2. Now, gently pour on about a 1/4 of a cup of fairly thick, sludgy smoothie-- I am using plain blueberry smoothie here (blueberry, banana and water).  

3. Add on pineapple chunks, banana rounds and a sprinkle of hempseed.

4. Enjoy with your fave plant milk, or as is!

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Crazy Carrot-Cranberry Smoothie

Crazy Carrot-Cranberry Smoothie  Image: Pixabay

INGREDIENTS (to serve 4)

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pineapple chunks or pieces
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

Pulse or whirl up the above ingredients in a Vitamix or Blendex blender.  You may need to do a couple of batches in a less powerful blender.

Serve and enjoy!

SUCCESS WITH THE SEEDS

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Pineappuccino (or Home-made Pineapple Frozen Whip)

Pineappuccino image from Pixabay

This refreshing fruity drink is a take off on the frappiccino family of sweet frozen fruit drinks that my granddaughters love so much.  It is also a bit of a copy cat of a famous pineapple whip from one of the world's favourite amusement parks.

Here are the ingredients for making 4 servings of this delicious, cooling drink:

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 2 pineapples, peeled and cored (you can use the core too, if you have a Vitamix or Blendex)
• 1 organic lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
• 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk 

• Add all the above to the cannister of your Vitamix or Blendex blenders... other blenders may need to do this in a couple of batches.  
• Place on the lid securely
• Pulse or blend until a smooth, frozen consistency
• Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

Fresh Green Glorious Aloha Smoothie -

This is such a refreshing morning smoothie-- can just feel the chlorophyll pulsing through my system!

This is one of those days when all the work in the garden -- soil amendment, weeding, seeding, watering etc-- seems like it was all worth it! The sky is robin's egg blue, the sun is dazzling, and there is an abundance of fresh greens for the smoothies!  There is really nothing like the HUNDRED STEP DIET (that is, eating right out of your own garden).  No fruit or berries yet, but I have a freezer with frozen fruit in it (so refreshing), bananas and apples! Let's go:

 INGREDIENTS:

Put the following together in a Vitamix Carafe (or other blender):

• 2 + handfuls of FRESH GREENS (I used Cilantro, Chard and a Lettuce leaf)
• 1 C. Frozen Pineapple (or fresh)
• 1 Banana (chunks)
• 1 Apple (chopped with core and stems removed, but skin intact)
• Filtered Water to make 1 +  Quarts/ Litres

Whirl up!  Simple as that... but simple is so satisfying!  

SUCCESS WITH THE SEEDS

Please note that I am an affiliate for many of the products and services offered on this site. That means that when you click and purchase these products or services I receive a small commission. I appreciate your support for maintaining the information on this site!

Avo Tropical Custard Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Avo-Tropical Custard Smoothie-- drink it or spoon it! Yum!

Oh Yum! This Avo-Tropical-Custard-Smoothie is just the ticket if you are looking for something to consume that is refreshing and sweet (but not cloyingly so like the butter tarts and chockies you have eaten too many of over the holidays).  Besides the water, it is 100% fruit (including the avo and the coconut shreds).  I added a small packet of "Sweet Leaf" Stevia powder, but that was likely gilding the lily-- you could drink it fine without!  You could adapt it, too, by making it with coconut milk instead of water, and it would truly be a custard pudding effect then!  But here is the way I made it this morning:

• 1 C. Frozen Pineapple chunks (fresh would be great)
• 1/2   Ripe Avocado (flesh only, of course)
• 1/4 C. Coconut Shreds (unsweetened)
• 1 Ripe Banana
• Juice from 1 Fresh-squeezed Lime
• 1 "Sweet Leaf" Stevia Packet (no after-taste, no calories, no weird additives)
• Water to suit

Spin up and enjoy!
Click HERE to scroll other luscious Smoothie recipes containing Avocado

Thickalicious Exotic Tropical Green Smoothie With Cardamom

Today's lovely Thickalicious Exotic Tropical Green Smoothie is fragrant, sweet, delicious and packed with a ton of nutritional benefits.  The mango, pineapple, and banana are all fruits with endorsed health recognition, as well as the delightful flavour that you expect from yummy tropical fruits.  I use organic frozen fruit from Costco.  A half-cup of pineapple from a huge bag goes a long way and makes smoothies for two adults in our house, so don't be freaked out the initial output of $$.  Believe me, buying organic is worth it if you don't have access to local unsprayed products (many organic growers choose not to pay the rather exorbitant cost of registering their operations, but will advertise as 'unsprayed', etc.  If you shop at the 'farmgate' or a farmer's market, you can ask all about how they grow their fruits and veggies).  

I'm pretty sure you will also love the other items in this smoothie: the chia seed is one of the highest sources of balanced Omega-3 essential fatty acid (meaning that it is not overpowered by Omega-6, a not-so-useful fatty acid, very plentiful) which is great for hearts and brains of all family members, and provides good energy, as seeds often do, packed as they are with everything a plant needs to grow.

   Turmeric is used in a lot of our food prep these days since my husband took a longevity class at the local Elder College and learned about ayurvedic herbs, like turmeric.  Besides a whole list of impressive benefits, turmeric is a mild digestive, always nice to have when you are eating a variety of foods like a smoothie contains.  

Today's 'new' smoothie addition is the cardamom pod-- $150/k at our local health food store, so we didn't buy much (and it is light-weight).  You can read a little about it on the sidebar.  

And of course, the lovely sweetening coconut shards and the rolled oats that get imbibers of Thickalicious smoothies through from breakfast to lunch without cravings!

METHOD:

Layer the following in your blender:

• 1/2 C. organic Rolled Oats
• 1 T. Chia Seed (ground with Cardamom in a Coffee Bean Grinder)
• 5-6 organic Green Cardamom pods (ground with Chia in a Coffee Bean Grinder)
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 C. Coconut Shreds (organic, unsweetened preferred)
• 1/2 C. Frozen Organic Mango
• 1 organic Banana, ripe, chunked
• 1/2 C. Frozen  Pineapple
• 1-2 Handfuls of Tender Green (what makes it a Green Smoothie)
• 2-? C. of Filtered Water
• small packet of Sweet Leaf Stevia or other sweetener of choice (optional)

Let it sit in the carafe for a few minutes just to allow some soaking by the seeds and oats.  Then whirl up and enjoy!

Thickalicious Classic Tropical Green Smoothie Plus

This Thickalicious Classic Tropical Green Smoothie Plus is everything you expect when you think "Aloha" or "Muchas Gracias"-- tangy, yummy, refreshing, zesty, what you really wanted when you ordered those alcoholic cocktails with the little umbrellas.  No, there is no Grenadine or any other high fructose syrups in this baby... just the real fruity thing PLUS some great "superfood" herbs that will give you the gusto for the day (and maybe even a longer, happier life if my husband's class in Ayurvedics was correct).

Layer your blender carafe with the following and cover with filtered water; soak for at least 15 minutes:

• 1/2 C. organic Rolled Oats (the Thickalicious factor to get you through until lunchtime)
• 1 tsp. ground Chia seed (grind in your coffee bean grinder)
• 1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. Ashwagandha
• 1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. Turmeric

After soaking the above in the carafe for at least 15 minutes (to improve digestability), add in:

• 1 C. Frozen Mango chunks
• 1 C. Frozen Pineapple chunks
• 1 Banana, chunked
• 6 Dates
• 1-2 Handfulls of Tender Greens

Whirl up and Enjoy!

Thickalicious Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Green Smoothie With *Benefits

This morning's smoothie was set up for my husband's jaunt off on his bike for a few miles and back.  It's sunny but cool.  He's just finished a Longevity class from the local ElderCollege and is keen on incorporating the Ayurvedic herbs into his daily diet. This Thickalicious Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Green Smoothie With *Benefits is a mouthful, in more ways than one.  Like my othersmoothies, this contains rolled oats to sustain him from hunger pangs on the trip, chia seed to give him great bursts of energy and perseverence, pineapple, banana, dates and coconut for that smacking good taste (and all those phyto-nutrients), and  ashwagandha and turmeric for the Ayurvedic *benefits: improved immune system, brain power, longevity!

Layer the following in a blender carafe (you might want to do two half-batches if you have a regular blender):

• 2 C. Frozen Pineapple chunks (or Fresh)
• 1 C. Rolled Oats (buy Gluten-Free if you are coeliac or sensitive to wheat / gluten)(Presoak in 1 C.of Water if you have the time)
• 1 Banana in chunks (Frozen is great)
• 6 Pitted Dates (I used Medjool but use what you like / can find)
• 1 T. Chia Seed ground in Coffee Grinder or 2 T. Chia Seed Gel http://techygran.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Make-Chia-Seed-Gel-and-How-To-Use-It
• 1/4 C. Coconut Shreds
• 1 tsp. Ashwagandha mixed with 3 T.*Coconut Sugar or 1 packet of stevia
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• Large handful Tender Greens of Choice
• 1 C. Filtered Water, or as much as you wish.  Letting the contents of the Carafe sit for about 15-30 minutes is a good idea for the chia (chia gel) and the oats.. makes digestion easier.

Whirl up and drink right away!  You are going to feel satisfied and won't be given to the usual cravings, probably right up until lunch time!

Tropical Green Smoothie with a Touch of the Ayurvedic

My dear husband is a great fan of (1)alternative healing methods and (2)the Comox Valley ElderCollege.  So, ever since he enrolled in a course in *Aging Reversal that looked closely at the philosophy of healing and wellness, he has been giving mini-lectures throughout the day at home and has stocked us up on some Ayurvedic herbs that we are incorporating into our eating. We are also imbibing a daily teaspoon each of Ghee, the wonderful clarified butter, which rather destroys my claim to be vegan, but there ya go-- I'm ever so submissive a wife (not).   Anyhow, there will be a few smoothie recipes to come that will contain various Ayurvedic herbs, or as David Wolfe, raw foodie guru would have it "SUPERfoods".  Today's Tropical Green Smoothie contains Turmeric (Ayurvedic) and Astragalus (Chinese)

Turmeric: Sometimes referred to as "the Indian Saffron" for the bright yellow colour that imparts warmth and earthiness to many familiar Indian curries, Turmeric is a current star in the Celebrity Health Wiz-dom Firmament of Dr. Oz et al.  Curcumin is the active ingredient in Turmeric, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.  And since many believe that low-grade inflammation is the basis of most Western disease, a good consideration of Turmeric is in order since it is seen to fight inflammation at a molecular level.  Turmeric also has other wonderful attributes: it is linked to improved brain function and to a decrease in the brain diseases that we fear most as we age: dementia, Alzheimers, brain tumors.  Apparently Turmeric is most effective if taken with a 'fatty meal' (I guess that is where the ghee comes in?) and black pepper-- swallowing a couple of black peppercorns whole when eating Turmeric is suggested.  hmmm...

Astragalus is an herb used in Chinese Traditional Medicine.  Among other things, it is said to regulate the immune system, and is used for kidney disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

You can do your own research, with the recommendation that you discuss taking any "medicines"-- alternative or otherwise-- with a trusted health and wellness person.  In Courtenay we have several: as well as physicians and other allopathic medical personnel, there are well-regarded naturopaths, and was at one time even a much-esteemed, albeit controversial, compounding pharmacist and traditional herbalist who was well aware of herbs and "supplements" and many other aspects of natural and orthodox western health provision.

Here is the recipe for today's delicious Tropical Green Smoothie with a Touch of the Ayurvedic:
Whirl the following up in a high speed blender, or in smaller batches in a regular blender for 2-4 servings:

• 1 C. Frozen Organic Mango Slices (Costco)
• 1 C. Frozen Pineapple (Costco) (or may by all means use fresh pineapple)
• 1 ripe, Organic Banana (riper the better for digestion, flavour, and texture)
• 4 C. of Tender Greens such as organic Baby Spring Greens, Chard, or Romaine.  If you are a long-timer at Green Smoothies, add in Cilantro, Parsley, etc.  
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 tsp. Astragalus
• 1-serving envelope of Stevia if you like your smoothies a little sweeter
• Filtered Water (2 - 4 cups)

This is a tasty, refreshing, and uplifting way to start the day!  Mango is particularly great in a smoothie because it is a natural emulsifier and the smoothie doesn't separate into water and veggies/fruit if you leave it sit in the fridge for a bit.  This is best ingested right after it is spun up.  You who think it is repulsive to look at and think you will gag if you try it, well, use a few less greens to start with and just savour the lovely reviving fruity flavours.  Romaine Lettuce has the benefit of being a watery green with no significant flavour when mixed with fruit, so is a great starter green.  Some greens (spinach and kale, for example) are favorites in the green smoothie crowd, but there is some suggestion that they might not be so friendly to the thyroid and are best used if they have been steamed or cooked (can't see that in a raw smoothie, can you?)  So, romaine is a good green to go with.  Bonne appetit!

*AGING REVERSAL – AN AYURVEDIC APPROACH  (6 Weeks)
Presenter: Kasandra Manering CVEC 5700
Thurs. Oct. 9 – Nov. 13 8:30 – 10:00
Our skin, liver, the cornea of our eyes, in fact nearly all of our body, is constantly    being rebuilt. Most of our body is less thantwo years old. Why and how do we age? Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old wellness system, has some novel answers – not only as to why we age but what we may choose to do about   it. This introductory course is full of practical, enjoyable options that you may choose to incorporate into your daily routine.< ~taken from the Comox Valley Elder College Newsletter for the Autumn 2014 p.5 of Course Outlines

Cinco de Mayo Green Smoothie - vegan, gluten-free, non-alcoholic - olé!

yummy Cinco de Mayo Green Smoothie- non-alcoholic, vegan, gluten-free celebration!

Here is a delicious tropical green smoothie for a healthy celebration of Cinco de Mayo -- it is vegan (egg- and dairy-free), non-alcoholic, and gluten-free.

Put the following in your high speed blender (or in your NOT high speed blender... just blend in smaller batches):

- 1 -2 handfuls of fresh Cilantro
- 1 C. chopped fresh Pinapple
- 1 C. Cultured Coconut Milk (or regular yogurt, if you desire)
- 2 small ripe Bananas
- 2 C. Water
Blend until smooth.  Delicioso!

For more yummy vegan Mexican recipes go Here.