Cherry-Banana-Nectarine Fresh Summer Smoothie

Long time no smoothie...Not only since I've written a recipe on my blog, but since I've actually prepared one at home for myself. There were many reasons for that, but most of the time I was too busy for being able to focus a couple of minutes only for writing down and blogging a recipe - not only a smoothie one, but a recipe in general.

Let's hope those times are long gone and I'm far away from the cooking blogging's block. Today I was not only full time back in the kitchen, but I also had a brilliant smoothie idea. 

For a long time, I wanted to use cherries - my favorite fruits on earth - as ingredients of a smoothie, but wasn't not sure how to match them. Cherries are for me the perfect fruit in terms of natural sweetness therefore, enjoying their taste without any other add-on was always what I did. However, creative cooking means that my mind should keep finding interesting solutions and ideas. I had a look over my fridge and found: a ripe banana and two fresh nectarines. What about ?

The rest is (tasty) history...

Ingredients

150 gr. fresh black cherries

1 big banana

2 nectarines, medium size sliced

250 cold water

If you want, you can also add half a spoon of white/brown sugar or honey, but the fruits used are all too sweet naturally to need additional sweetness.

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in the blender at moderate speed for maximum 3 minutes.

Drink it cold, preferably outdoors while reading a relaxing - why not, foodie - book.

Your fresh smoothie is ready!

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

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Energy Smoothie at the End of a Busy Week

Winter still keep an eye around, with some snow flakes threatening my spring mood once in a while and temperatures below zero C, although the sun is shining generously. All I need at the end of a busy crazy week, besides an impressive amount of sleep hours and the dream of an exotic vacation, is a healthy smoothie. My latest creation was that re-boost that I needed for a happy ending of a crazy emotionally roller-coasting week. A lot of vitamins and fruits brought in a cute bottle kept in the fridge at least one hour before consumption.

Ingredients

2 medium-size bananas, cut into rounds

1 1/2 tablespoon shredded coconut

125 gr. blueberries

1 medium-size kiwi, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon honey or 1 full tablespoon brown sugar

200 ml. cold water. For more consistency you can use milk or dairy substitutes instead. 

Directions

Add all the ingredients in the blended and mix them at medium-speed for around one minute. Pour the content in the glass and leave it in the fridge for around one hour.

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2 Spinach Recipes to Boost Your Morning Energies

Especially in the last days, due to some overload of work, baby screams and other life assignments I cannot delegate to anyone, I felt like all my energies are just out in the wild, leaving me completely alone to deal with the everyday life nasty challenges. But despite all odds, I keep being optimistic by nature, trying to find the best ways to challenge the lemons life throws on me once in a while.

As usually, being creative and offering myself something good - and a bit sweet too - is my answer to all those problems. Although I do have my second thoughts about spinach, I've tried to do my best to include it at on our menu at least once the month, with an easy recipe that the baby loves too. This time, I was looking for an overload of energy and iron, which the spinach contains in big chunks, can balance my deep fatigue. In combination with other healthy fruits, I created fast two good recipes to boost your mornings with lots of good and healthy energy.

Surprisingly for me, the spinach is blending perfectly, the metallic taste being taken over by the combination with the other ingredients. Instead, it offers a good colourful healthy basis for the smoothie. 

Spinach, banana and pomegranate milk smoothie

Ingredients

2 medium size bananas, cut into chunks

1 cup spinach, clean

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup milk - the same amount of water can be also used

1 full tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Add all the ingredients to the blender. Mix them at medium speed for 2 minutes. Let it rest for a minute. Because the pomegranate do have some small seeds which might be annoying, you may consider using a strain to clear them out. Serve it cold or at the room temperature.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4 full glasses of smoothie

Spinach, raspberry and banana smoothie

Ingredients
2 medium size banana, in chunks
1 full cup of fresh spinach leaves, cleaned
1 cup raspberry, cleaned
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups water

Directions
Add all the ingredients in the blender and mix them at medium speed for around 2 minutes. Serve it fresh, or leave it for a couple of minutes in the freezer. It is a light, delicious and very fresh smoothie. Baby fully approves it too!

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4 big full glasses of smoothie

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Milk Banana and Tehina Smoothie

Long time no smoothie! I went through a smoothie' block, combined to an impressive amount of time and coconut milk canes spent experiencing with sachlav (the recipe was updated accordingly, so worth to have a look at it), because winter season is always sachlav season.

As I had some extra tehina spread in the kitchen (for a recipe to be revealed soon), I wanted to use it extensively for various sweet and savory recipes. Why not combine milk with bananas and some tehina plus plus plus...?

I didn't need too much encouragement to proceed to the next step of what turned to be a very successful smoothie - and baby D. loved it too!

It is easy to prepare, nourishing, with a pleasant taste and goes well with any daily meal, including as a meal in itself.

Ingredients

3 very ripe medium-sized bananas, each cut into 4 medium-sized pieces

2 1/2 cup of cold milk

16 gr. Vanilla sugar

1 full tablespoon tehina spread (I purchased mine from a BIO Company store)

1 tablespoon acacia honey

100 gr. pistachio for decoration

Directions

Add in the blender the bananas, the milk, the vanilla sugar, the tehina and acacia honey. Wait a minute or two for the ingredients to get together. Mix them at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour it in glasses and decorate with pistachio. 

To be served cold.

Serves: 4 big glasses

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Bon Appétit!

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