If you’re struggling to fit healthy fruits and vegetables into your daily life then this recipe is for you.

In her latest blog post for the Derbyshire Benevolent Trust, our resident nutrition expert Steph Hayes ANutr said that if we want to create healthy goals that last all year long then we need to find ways to make it easy for ourselves. If you’re looking to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables you consume every day, then a smoothie bowl is a great way to start. All you need is a powerful blender and a bit of creativity

Smoothies have a bad rap as being full of sugar, but this all comes down to how you make them. It is important to balance the sweet side with the veg side. Opt for fewer high-sugar fruits like banana, mango, and orange. Instead, include more berries, peaches, apricots and plums, kiwi and avocado. Then make sure that for each piece of fruit you include, you also add leafy greens like spinach and kale, and celery, cucumber or even beetroot too. You can also include a dollop of yogurt or a splash of milk for some added protein. Mix and match to your preference.

Another way to make smoothies work for you is to avoid gulping them down too quickly. If we do, they don’t fill us up and we eat more as a result. This is why I make my smoothies a bit thicker and have them in a bowl, like I would a soup, and sprinkle some healthy nuts and seeds on top too.

Green smoothie recipe

 Blend until smooth:

1 banana

2 kiwis

1 handful of spinach

90g chopped cucumber

A dollop of plain yogurt

 

Pour into a bowl and top with:

Cashews

Linseed

Chia seeds

Frozen raspberries