One of my new year resolutions this year is to improve my health by eating more fruit and vegetables and to cut back on processed foods and sugar wherever possible.
I know what you're thinking another fad diet .... But this is not a diet it's more a lifestyle choice and it's a couple of months in now and Mr P and I are still sticking to it which is a good sign!
I know what you're thinking another fad diet .... But this is not a diet it's more a lifestyle choice and it's a couple of months in now and Mr P and I are still sticking to it which is a good sign!
The turning point for me was when I watched That Sugar Movie an Australian movie about all the hidden and processed sugar in food - I always thought I was being healthy going for the 'low fat' options when in fact these have less fat but more sugar in them than standard food.
The only way to avoid hidden sugar is to make food and drinks from scratch wherever possible. The best place for us to start was to not buy any more packaged drinks (breakfast drinks like Up and Go and fruit juices) and make our own fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies.
The only way to avoid hidden sugar is to make food and drinks from scratch wherever possible. The best place for us to start was to not buy any more packaged drinks (breakfast drinks like Up and Go and fruit juices) and make our own fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies.
The quickest and easiest way to make our own drinks is with a blender.
There are heaps of different blenders on the market and after a bit of research we found a large 2 Ltr Blender Kitchen Chef Mix Master which we purchased online with delivery for under $100 which is a good investment as it wasn't as expensive as a lot of blenders on the market.
The smaller blenders like Nutribullet only make 1 cup so it would take twice as long to make 2 breakfast smoothies for the both of us so the large 2 Ltr blender works really well for us.
There are heaps of different blenders on the market and after a bit of research we found a large 2 Ltr Blender Kitchen Chef Mix Master which we purchased online with delivery for under $100 which is a good investment as it wasn't as expensive as a lot of blenders on the market.
The smaller blenders like Nutribullet only make 1 cup so it would take twice as long to make 2 breakfast smoothies for the both of us so the large 2 Ltr blender works really well for us.
I have discovered the vegetable smoothies can taste a little bitter and need sweetening up.
Fruit is great for sweetness and flavour but I need to be careful not to have too much because of the sugar content. Lots of people suggested sweetening the smoothies by adding coconut water which I must try. I also bought a vanilla flavoured protein powder which adds a bit of sweet flavour and also helps me feel full for longer.
Fruit is great for sweetness and flavour but I need to be careful not to have too much because of the sugar content. Lots of people suggested sweetening the smoothies by adding coconut water which I must try. I also bought a vanilla flavoured protein powder which adds a bit of sweet flavour and also helps me feel full for longer.
I found a few smoothie recipes to try online with mostly green vegetables and a little bit of fruit.
This green veggie smoothie was packed full of goodness made with - kale, spinach, celery, apple, pear, banana, mint, water and ice. Some days I like it a bit more sweet and add a dried date.
I admit I love the milky smoothies for a bit of a treat they are really tasty.
This banana smoothie had lots of goodness in it made with - banana, pear, avocado, flaxseeds, cashews, almonds, milk and ice.
It is still early days but so far the breakfast smoothies are working really well for us.
Compared to having no breakfast to now having this boost of good food every morning has already improved how I feel.
Every second weekend I wash, chop and bag up two weeks worth of smoothies, label them with the ingredients and put them into zip lock bags and into the freezer ready to go. Every weekend I chop up lots of fruit to last the week and put it into plastic containers in the fridge so it's easy to add a handful here and there.
Preparing the ingredients in advance has been a big help for early morning work days so it only takes a few minutes to grab a bag from the freezer, put it into the blender and add water or milk, seeds, protein powder or whatever extras we feel like having that day.
There are so many combinations you can make as well it's quite an adventure coming up with different combinations.
The worse combination I've had so far is when Mr P didn't eat his salad for dinner so blended it up for our breakfast smoothie the next day ... Spinach, lettuce, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, red onion, carrot, corn and a boiled egg .... I was not impressed when I found out about the egg in my smoothie it just wasn't the same as having eggs for breakfast in a traditional way!
This one has: Frozen raspberries, watermelon, orange, coconut, cinnamon and ice.
Other than the salad and egg incident I am loving my homemade breakfast smoothies and juices!
My favourite combinations are the fruity ones with watermelon, orange and frozen berries.
What's your favourite smoothie combination ?
Compared to having no breakfast to now having this boost of good food every morning has already improved how I feel.
This one has: Carrot, orange, watermelon, lemon, flaxseeds, protein powder, water and ice.
Preparing the ingredients in advance has been a big help for early morning work days so it only takes a few minutes to grab a bag from the freezer, put it into the blender and add water or milk, seeds, protein powder or whatever extras we feel like having that day.
There are so many combinations you can make as well it's quite an adventure coming up with different combinations.
The worse combination I've had so far is when Mr P didn't eat his salad for dinner so blended it up for our breakfast smoothie the next day ... Spinach, lettuce, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, red onion, carrot, corn and a boiled egg .... I was not impressed when I found out about the egg in my smoothie it just wasn't the same as having eggs for breakfast in a traditional way!
This one has: Frozen raspberries, watermelon, orange, coconut, cinnamon and ice.
Other than the salad and egg incident I am loving my homemade breakfast smoothies and juices!
My favourite combinations are the fruity ones with watermelon, orange and frozen berries.
[All images my own]
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