Category: Drink

Drink

Bone Strengthening Smoothie

I’m loving being able to have green smoothies again, during the early stages of my pregnancy I couldn’t face green smoothies but really missed them! This smoothie is quick and easy to make as well as being delicious! The spinach provides a good source of iron and the lemon helps the absorption of the iron.

Apples, bananas and spinach all help to strengthen your bones. Apple skin contains the flavonoid phlorizin which may help to prevent bone loss associated with the menopause. Bananas contain high levels of potassium which slows urinary calcium loss associated with a diet high in salt. Whilst a single serving of spinach provides twice the RDA of Vitamin K, which is important for maintaining healthy bones.

Ingredients:

  • ½ a banana
  • ½ an apple
  • 1 handful spinach
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 250ml almond milk

Method:

  1. Peel the banana and remove the core from the apple
  2. Place all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blitz until smooth
Drink

Super Energy Boost Green Smoothie

This smoothie is packed full of energy boosting ingredients and makes a great breakfast. It only has one piece of fruit in so won’t cause your blood sugar to spike. It’s super versatile so you can swap or remove any ingredients you’re not keen on.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large handfuls of spinach or kale
  • 1 apple
  • Small piece of fresh ginger root
  • 2” piece of cucumber
  • 1 avocado
  • 10 raw almonds
  • 1” piece of lemon
  • Water (the amount will depend on the consistency you like your juice to be)

Method:

  1. Remove the skin and pip from the avocado
  2. Simply put all of the ingredients into a blender and bend until combined
Drink

Hangover Cure Smoothie

 

If you’ve ever had a hangover then you are probably familiar with that feeling of needing to fill your body with anything sugary and carbohydrate related to help make you feel human again. This smoothie is packed full of natural sugars and antioxidants and it helps you to dehydrate and get your day back on track. It has a higher sugar content than smoothies that I would normally make but it is much better for you than the sugary fizzy drinks and crisps that so many of us often grab.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large orange
  • Large handfuls of berries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 banana
  • 100g live plain yogurt, dairy-free yogurt or coconut yogurt – Tesco have started doing a dairy-free yogurt that isn’t packed full of sugar

Method:

  1. Squeeze the juice of the orange into your blender
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until well mixed
  3. Drink straight away
Drink

Turmeric and Honey Remedy

It’s that time of year when there are lots of colds around and a niggling cough can keep you awake at night. Honey and turmeric are one of the best natural remedies, and their combination possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer properties, check out this remedy to help ease your symptoms.

Ingredients:

  • 5tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp natural apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • A pinch of black pepper

Method:

  1. Mix the turmeric, apple cider vinegar and black pepper together in a bowl
  2. Add lemon rind & honey and stir well until mixture is combined
  3. Place the mixture in a glass jar and keep in the refrigerator

Use:

Place the mixture in your mouth and wait for it to completely melt. After swallowing wait for a few minutes before eating or drinking anything. Take the following doses:

  • If you have a cold or an infection take ½ a tsp every hour for the first 2 days, then ½ tsp every 2 hours for the next 2 days and finally ½ a tsp 3 times a day until the infection has gone. Alternatively in the infection or cold is ongoing repeat all of the steps again
  • For a general immune boost take one tablespoon full daily.

 

Drink

Vegan Healthy Hot Chocolate

Yes you did hear correctly ‘healthy’ and ‘hot chocolate’ and ‘vegan’ in the same sentence!

At this time of year there is nothing more comforting than a warm hot chocolate, however some coffee shop brands having a whopping 24g of sugar in a medium cup! So I decided to play around and create a healthier version that you can enjoy at home.

This vegan healthy hot chocolate is great to help you wind down in the evening but I would suggest having it early in the evening as sugar close to bedtime can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Almond milk is a source of calcium and tryptophan which help the brain to produce melatonin which is important for sleep regulation. Both cashews and almonds contain magnesium which acts as a natural sedative and help to relax your muscles. Whilst cacao also contains tryptophan helping to balance the body’s serotonin levels

I have not specified how much maple syrup to add to this hot chocolate as ideally you want to make it to your taste. However, be aware that maple syrup is still recognised by your body as a form of sugar, and so your body will respond to it as sugar so use as little as possible. For a more chocolaty taste you can add more cacao but it is bitter so the more you add the more maple syrup you are likely to need.

Vegan Healthy Hot Chocolate Ingredients:

  • 300ml almond milk
  • 1 tsp cashew nut butter
  • 1- 1.5 tsp Cacao powder (to taste)
  • Drizzle of maple syrup (to taste)

Method:

  1. Heat the milk and cashew butter in a pan
  2. When it is hot place into a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until frothy
  3. Serve in a mug and enjoy

A great variation to this recipe is to add a drop or two of peppermint oil to give you a delicious mint hot chocolate!

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe then why not email me for a consultation to find out more about natural ways to help you sleep