Healthy Green Smoothie | Recipe

If you haven't seen or heard of a green smoothie then you have probably been living under a rock for the past few years. They are a great way of nourishing your body first thing in the morning or pre/post-workout! Dark greens are a great source of iron, calcium and magnesium as well as many other vitamins. With the sweet bananas completely masking the taste of the leafy greens, it's a no-brainer as to why people add spinach or kale to their smoothies. 

I never usually use protein powder or nutritional shake powder as I am a student and can't really afford it (boo). However, when I go home I use my parents Vega One vanilla nutritional/protein powder which is a delicious and healthy addition to my morning smoothies. All plant based! This particular green smoothie I made was so good I thought I needed to share it. Simple but delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium ripe bananas (spotty are best)
• Handful of spinach 
• 1/2 - 1 cup of Vega One nutritional shake powder or any other protein/nutritional shake powder (I used vanilla flavour)
• Water
• Optional: Agave nectar to sweeten (if your bananas are very ripe you won't need this!)

METHOD

• Blend the spinach with about half a cup of water 
• Next add the bananas, the nutritional shake/protein powder and a bit of agave nectar. Now blend it all up! You can add more water depending on the consistency you like (personally I don't like it too watery)
• I topped mine with crushed frozen raspberries and shredded coconut which I HIGHLY recommend!

Healthy 3 Ingredient Pancakes | Recipe

Tasty, filling and healthy. These pancakes are basically porridge in a different form. With only a few ingredients these are so easy and quick to whip up in the morning! You will also need a blender (I used a nutribullet).

The banana makes a brilliant egg substitute in this recipe. What I love about this guilt free breakfast is that it's low in fat and has zero cholesterol. Make sure to save this recipe for pancake day in February! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of oats
• 2/3 cup of oat milk (or other milk alternative)
• 1 medium banana or 3/4 of a large banana (make sure you use a spotty one!)
• Optional: dairy free butter or coconut oil for greasing the frying pan
• Toppings: Whatever you want! I chose agave nectar, more banana and frozen berries

Method

• Blend the oats into an oat flour using a blender/processor.
• Add the banana and milk.
• Blend until smooth. Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
• Heat a frying pan on a medium to high setting. Add some dairy free butter or coconut oil to prevent the pancakes from sticking (unless you have a good non stick pan).
• Add the batter!
• Once cooked add some tasty toppings, healthy or not healthy (I won't judge). I recommend agave nectar or the Tesco Finest dark chocolate spread to sweeten things up