Smoothies

For those of us with Fibromyalgia, it’s all about making life easier for ourselves especially on the bad days. Invariably, when you are feeling run down or in pain, eating is usually the first casualty. Either your appetite has done a runner or you really don’t have the energy for prepping the meal.

Enter the reliable, nutritious and easy to make smoothie.

Pick out as little or as few ingredients as you like and grab a blender. In just a few minutes you can have drink which is loaded with health & wellness with very little effort.

The internet is packed with smoothie recipes and in the early days, I did used to follow them. However, within a very short time, I started switching ingredients around. By adding in some extra bits, I discovered no two smoothies have ever tasted the same. Yum!!

I tend to add in what I feel like at the time or whatever my mood takes. So far I have experimented with the good, old faithful green smoothie. The berry smoothie, coconut and pineapple for the “I am still on holiday” taste. One of my favourites which is banana & peanut butter smoothie.

Smoothies are a great vehicle for getting some really beneficial spices into our system.

I often add turmeric and ginger for their anti-inflammatory properties. Mint for bloating along with cinnamon and nutmeg for balancing blood sugar levels.

I switch between making my smoothies with coconut water or for a rich, more filling smoothie I use Coconut or Almond milk. I have even been known to pop in a spoonful of Greek Yoghurt as an extra treat. By adding in oats, you can make your smoothie into a more substantial meal replacement.

Adding in Chia Seeds, nuts, Hemp Seeds or protein powders can really boost your smoothie and top up those all important nutritional and health benefits. I see my smoothie maker as my own personal cauldron, where I can add a touch of this, a handful of that but do tend to leave eye of newt to somebody else to play around with.

Smoothies are best made just before you drink them.

Depending on what ingredients you use, they can tend to separate but nothing that a good shake won’t put right. You can freeze some of them and I will discuss how later. I will usually make my green smoothie the night before and leave all the ingredients sitting in the coconut water overnight and then just blend the following morning for my breakfast.

There are loads of smoothie makers out there and they vary in range from being relatively cheap at around £20 to the all singing, all dancing food processors which can run into £100’s. Personally I started of with a Kenwood Smoothie Maker which was more than adequate but have now moved onto the 900 watt Ninga Professional  which has more power and blends so much more efficiently. I think do your research before buying, some are great for soup prep which I am looking forward to utilising in the winter.

Finally, just have fun with your smoothies, there is really no right or wrong way – experimenting is half the fun.

Just keep the ingredients fresh and unprocessed and you will have a healthy, quick, nutritional snack at any time of the day. To help you along I am going to share my own smoothie recipes and would love to hear from you if you would like to share you favourite.

Happy Blending!!