Monday 22 September 2014

Leftovers smoothie surprise!


Last week has been a very busy one!
As I knew it was coming, I have managed to prepare my meals in advance and eat really well and healthily all week. No gluten or dairy, plenty of liquids, proteins, good fats and vegetables. then Sunday at uni came.. the night before I didn't manage to get any sleep so I was tired in the morning and craving some starchy food.. Ham and cheese toastie? Sure! Then lunch, all the soups at the cafe were finished and I had to settle for a white falafel wrap.
In a few hours I had managed to pack both gluten and dairy in. 
I wasn't surprised when, half way through the afternoon lecture, I felt sluggish and could barely keep my eyes open but I made it through and that night I also went to the movies and shared popcorn and a coke with a first date..
By 10 pm my energy levels were non existent..
On morning I woke up with my body craving a gigantic glass of water to rehydrate it and a smoothie to nourish it.
 I do love adding bananas to my smoothies as I love the creamy consistency and the potassium boost..Sadly no bananas were available..but I thought there was at least one left? No. Nada. Fine! 
Undefeated, I looked around for leftover yummy and nutritious ingredients I could use.. 
I grabbed some frozen blueberries (TIP: always have frozen fruit in your freezer, easiest thing to pop in your blender and they can often be fresher than fruit in supermarkets, as they are frozen very quickly after they have been picked). I also found a pomegranate I didn't manage to use during the week ( cut pomegranate in half, hold it with the seeds bit laying on top of your palm and spank it with a wooden spoon! Seeds will fall out easily through your fingers and into the blender, while the white bitter bits will stay  in your hands) and used all of its delicious red gems in this smoothie. 
Both blueberries and pomegranate are fantastic beauty foods, packed with antioxidant properties to fight off free radicals in our bodies. pomegranate also contains Ellagic acid which helps fight collagen breakdown and therefore giving it powerful anti aging properties..Blueberries instead, contain phytonutrients such as anthocyanins which are thought to help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Not too shabby ah?
There was a little peach left as well so I cut it in chunks and popped that in as well, why not?
On top of these delicious fruits I added  some rocket leaves ( remember that bitter leaves help liver detoxification processes) which, I assure you, you will not be able to taste so remember this as a good way to add some powerful vegetables into your diet.
Now it was time to add all my cupboard staples, vitamin c ( antioxidant and helps collagen production), vitamin D3 ( vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium my friends so get out in the sun any chance you get and add that baby into your meals!), I use it instead of vitamin D as studies have found that the D3 form is absorbed better by the body. Now, for all of you out there who are scared of fats, you need fat into your diet!!!Good fats!! example: vitamin D is fat soluble so it means that my body needs to have fat in order to absorb it. Which is why I also added  1tbsp of coconut oil into this wonder smoothie. 
Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid which the body does not store as fat but uses straight away for energy, baby! It tastes insanely good. There's a thousand uses for coconut oil but more about that in a future post. I added 1 tbsp of chia seeds, so small and yet these seeds are packed with proteins, antioxidants, omega3 and fibre. I opened my probiotic capsule and poured the powder in as well to help the good bacteria in my gut. Finally, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of Organic Burst maca powder, helpful to restore your adrenal glands which are often battered by releasing too many stress hormones, so perfect for me now that I'm back in school. I chose to use almond milk to add even more protein and blended everything together.
1 minute and this beauty powerhouse was ready!
Extra tip: add a 4-6 almonds or your favourite type of nut to increase protein content.

PS: the supplements I added are well tolerated by my body but please do check with your gp or practitioner before taking supplements, especially if you are currently taking drugs for any specific health conditions.

So, to recap:

Seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 cup of blueberries 
1 small peach in chunks
A handful of rocket leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
1tbsp chia seeds
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maca powder ( optional)
1probiotic capsule( optional)
1vit c capsule ( optional)
1 vit D3 drop ( optional) 

Pop everything in your blender and whizz it up, baby! 



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