Monthly Archives: August 2013

I have been wanting to write this post for a while. I love green smoothies so much and think that everyone should have them in their lives. They are a little bit ‘on trend’ at the moment, I have seen them popping up on more menus around and about, and I couldn’t be happier! They are not only delicious, but a fantastic way to get more green veg into your life. And more green veg equals more vitamins and minerals (including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin C, E and K), fibre, antioxidants, energy, and hydration.  So I thought why not make it as easy as possible to get the green goodness in. Because let’s face it – a green smoothie fail is often un-fixable. Also known in my house as ‘over-kale-ing’, this can happen to everyone at some point in your green smoothie experimentation. Sometimes you can save it with some extra banana, berries or ginger, but sometimes too much kale or other green veg results in an end product that needs to be quickly consumed for business not pleasure…

So, let’s get into the nitty gritty.

What is a green smoothie? Basically a smoothie that combines some sort of liquid base (water, coconut water, nut milk etc) and green – usually leafy – vegetables. The addition of all the extras is optional.

Why green smoothies? So many reasons!

1. They offer up a plethora of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals as mentioned above
2. Your body is able to digest the components more easily as their are broken down, making the nutrients more available
3. A fast, delicious and legal hit of energy, the goodness in green smoothies quickly makes its way to your cells to nourish, hydrate and energise
4. They are easy and quick to make, and make the perfect

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Hello! I felt compelled to write a little note to apologise for my lack of anything of late. So to make it up to you, here is a really fabulous recipe – that works right?!

The internet is awash with these little chocolate cup scenarios, but I couldn’t resist doing my own version, I hope you love them!

I have used walnuts for my nut butter, but your can substitute with any nut butter you like. Walnuts are not only delicious, they are packed with fabulous omega 3 fatty acids which are super anti-inflammatory. Omega 3s are required for each and every cell in our body as they make up part of the cell membrane and keep them nice and flexible. They are also ace for brain and neurotransmitter function – they even look like a brain – doctrine of signatures at work there.

Walnuts are also packed with magnesium, vitamin B6, and a decent amount of iron. Hmmm sounds like the perfect PMS snack to me!? Magnesium to relieve cramping and tension, vitamin B6 for hormone balancing and iron to restore your blood cells. Plus the anti-inflammatory nature of the omega 3s. Just add chocolate right? Okay!!

These little chocolate cups use a version of the dairy free, home made chocolate from the wonderful Sarah Britton’s recipe as the base. But first we need to make the walnut butter.

 

2 cups raw, unsalted walnuts

3/4 – 1 tsp pure maple syrup

pinch sea salt

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend. This can take a little while. I reckon it took me about 5 minutes or so of blending all up, with many stops to scrape down the sides and mix. You want it to get to a texture where it will hold together easily when pressed.…