Pina Colada Smoothie

“But Where’s The Rum?”

The Pina Colada is one of the best cocktails ever made.  It is a beautiful drink and relieves stress better than most over the counter medications.  Even this version, which does not have alcohol.  This may not be a real pina colada because there is no rum, however the coconut and fresh pineapples maintain the dreaminess of the original version.  Rum is good in moderation but pineapple and cream is fantastic in large gulps.  Also this is a great drink for Baby Showers.  No one is taking away my go to drinks when I start a family.  LOl.

This recipe was taken from Levi Roots’ Sweet (Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, 2012).

Ingredients:

400g fresh pineapple, 200g coconut cream, 200ml pineapple juice, 50g Greek yoghurt, juice of 1/2 lime, 4 tbsps demerara sugar. (Levi also recommends crushed ice to serve but it was still quite chilly the day I made this)

Method:

1. Whizz all of the ingredients in a large blender.
2. Scrap out the remaining smoothie with a spoon and lick off your fingers.
3. Enjoy and don’t worry ’bout a thing.

Berry Infectious

Nasty Beetroot

I hate beetroot.  I love the colour it makes your lips, and when it bleeds out on your hands the colour looks eve more beautiful.  But the taste is repulsive.  If I can taste the beetroot it makes me gag, it’s just wrong I don’t care how good for you it is.  Anyway it was mummy’s birthday so I had to put all of my dislikes aside and give make her a lovely breakfast fit for a super woman.

This recipe was taken from Fern Green’s Green Juices & Smoothies (Octopus Pubishing Group Ltd, 2015).

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of blueberries, 2 handfuls of blackcurrants, 2 sprigs of basil, 2 beetroots.

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together and serve in a lovely way with flowers.

Popeye’s Juice

Juicing

I am actually really enjoying this juicing thing.  I have been well and truly cheating and using only fruits and vegetables that I like.  However, it has been fun.  I have been adding more vitamins into my diet and when you make the juice it whizzes in the blender and the blitzing makes me happy.  Yeah such is my life.  Finding happy time wherever and whenever.  This juice is seriously tangy on the tongue.  The pineapple is a serious palette cleanser.  I would drink this alone because it’s going to be hard to taste your food after.

This recipe was taken from Fern Green’s Green Juices and Smoothies (Hamlyn, 2015).

Ingredients:

3 handfuls of spinach, 1/3 pineapple, 2 handfuls raspberries, 100ml coconut water.

Method:

Blend up and drink up

Coconut Kale

Coconuts and Beaches

Very soon I will be heading back to barbados and I wanted to start getting used to the taste of coconut water again.  It has this sickly taste if you drink to much.  Straight from the coconut the sap is just gooey and a little overwhelming.  This juice makes it easier to handle and it is full of vitamins.  It is super thick so add more coconut water to get a better consistency.

This was adapted from Fern Green’s Green Juices and Smoothies (Hamlyn, 2015).

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of kale, 1 banana, 1/3 pineapple, 300ml coconut water.

Method:

Blend all of the ingredients together.

Tropical Cabbage

Cabbage/ Pointless Salad

I hate pathetic pointless side salads.  Plate decoration is a waste of food and it tastes plain and pathetic! I hate side salad, always have always will.  If you are going to make a salad then make it worthwhile, grated carrot, raisins, seasoning, anything! Just a piece of cabbage with tomatoes! It’s just… arghhhhh! So I found a way to make use of cabbage and lettuce.  A use for leaves!  Vegetarians Unite!  We don’t have to eat crappy salad anymore!

This recipe was taken from Fern Green’s Green Juices and Smoothies (Hamlyn, 2015).

Ingredients:

1/2 small green cabbage (with the end bit cut off), 1/3 pineapple,  mangoes (peeled and de stoned), a thumb of ginger (peeled and chopped), 1 tsp honey, 100ml peach juice.

Method:

Blend everything together, the juice should be sweet enough without needing any extra honey.

Morning Sunshine

Oats

This is the first time I have made a drink of some sort using oats and it really isn’t as odd as it sounds.  It provides all of the goodness you need at breakfast.  Maybe not as comforting as a fry up but it does the trick!

Ingredients:

1 cup of oats, 2 peaches (peeled, de stoned and sliced), 3 tbsps greek yoghurt, 1 tsp honey, 150ml peach juice, 1 banana

Method:

Blend all of the ingredients and drink as the sun beams beautifully on your face.

Green Dream

Green

I have been drinking so many green drinks I am starting to dream about eating gardens and literally turning into flowers. This is another one of my own inventions and was inspired from a trip to Trinity Kitchen, Leeds.  There was this seriously green concoction I had to try and it was pretaaaaay yummy.  Mine not only tasted better but was cheaper than £4 a glass.  Story of my life.

Ingredients:

Two handfuls of spinach stems removed, 3 tbsps basil (stems removed), 2 apples (peeled and seeds removed), 1/4 cabbage leaves, 100ml apple juice, 1 handful of kale leaves (chopped).

Method:

Liquidate all ingredients together with serious umph.

Detoxifier

Celery

I have been trying to get my vitamins into my diet and more water in my system.  In my new juice book I found out about this recipe but some of the ingredients made my stomach churn. Melon and Celery! Yuck!  Celery is horrible just on it’s own I can’t stand it! So I substituted the melon for just apple because I’m allergic and the celery…. Well I just had to bare it.  It is the bravest thing I have done in June.  I am very proud of myself.  The drink actually tasted kinda nice and you know since making my own drinks I haven’t needed to dilute them at all.  If you want your kids to eat more vegetables this is a great way to help them do it.

Ingredients:

1/4 green cabbage, 2 apples, 2 sticks of celery

Method:

Blend till mushy and runny.

Green Sailor

The Green Sailor

Popeye the sailor man used to eat loads of spinach to make him strong.  So I can imagine if he made a voyage to the Caribbean this is the drink he would most certainly approve of.  Refreshing and yummy too despite the obscure shades of green.

Ingredients:

2 big handfuls of spinach, 50ml coconut water, 100ml tropical fruit juice, 1 chopped banana.

Method:

Blend all together.

Peachy

Green 

Do not be fooled by the colour of this drink, it is one of the loveliest homemade juices I have ever tasted.  Watching these American food documentaries has been a lot of fun, it’s basically confirmed my theory that all food is good within reason and that Americans are crazy so it’s better to eat what you trust and pretty much live in England where pizza is not considered to be a vegetable.  This juice is great for a morning boost and post workout refresher.  There is no excuse not to get more vitamins into your body, just get the ingredients and blend.

This recipe was taken from Fern Green’s Green Juices & Smoothies (Octopus Publishing Books Ltd, 2015).

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of spinach, 2 peaches, a sprig of mint, a tbsp of honey.

Method:

Blend together and drink up positively.