It's Pepper Time - Smoothie Recipes*

I recently got invited to take part in a Pepper Time Smoothie challenge and being a lover of smoothies I thought - why not give it a try? 'It's Pepper Time' is an EU funded initiative which promotes the use of peppers and I want to share with you how great peppers are.

When I first thought about the idea of having peppers in a smoothie, I did think it was a bit strange but when you think about it, why not? Peppers are deliciously sweet and are actually higher in vitamin C than oranges. Peppers are also packed with vitamins E, B1, B2 and A. They also come in a variety of colours and shapes and can be eaten at all times of the day, the pepper possibilities are endless. I  was given two recipe ideas for smoothie and I have made variations of these which you can read all about below. They were surprisingly tasty and something I will be making again and again! How about you give them a go?

Orange Vitamin Hit
Ingredients:
2 Stalks of Celery
2 Large Carrots
2 Apples
1 Orange and 1 Yellow Bell Pepper

Pop all of the ingredients into a blender/juicer and mix until smooth.

Orange Pepper Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Orange Bell Pepper
200ml Cloudy Apple Juice
A Small Piece of Ginger

Pop all of the ingredients into a blender/juicer and mix until smooth.

Head over to the 'It's Pepper Time' website for more delicious recipe ideas. Will you be trying to incorporate more peppers into your daily routine?

*Collaborative Post

Your Smoothie Your Way With Alpro*

I am a big lover of smoothies especially in the summer but I get bored quickly and often struggle to decide what to have in them. I was invited to get involved in a campaign from Alpro around around their new smoothie platform that’s launched online to help you create your perfect smoothie. I couldn’t wait to get on board and have fun with the recipe ideas. I’ve come up with 3 delicious smoothies (tried and tasted!) with the help of the Alpro Smoothie Platform which I have shared with you below so keep reading to find out more!

Using the Alpro Smoothie Platform is simple, simply click on the ‘create your smoothie’ button, choose your favourite Alpro product and click through the screens adding different ingredients as you go along. The website even suggests some great matches of things that go well. I had so much fun playing around with ingredients and came up with some delicious new smoothie recipes. Although the ingredients in these smoothies varies, the method remains the same. Simply put all of the ingredients into a blender, blitz and enjoy!

Passionate Coconut Smoothie
Ingredients:
200ml Alpro Coconut Original
50g Fresh Peach
40g Fresh Passion Fruit
Dried Mango

This smoothie is fruity and delicious. The Alpro Coconut Original is a delicious blend of refreshing coconut with the light taste of rice and mixed with the peach, passion fruit and dried mango makes this smoothie an absolute tropical treat. I kept back some of my dried mango and a few passion fruit seeds and just added these to the top of the drink to provide the perfect garnish. This smoothie was my favourite of the three but it was a hard decision, they were all delicious!

Creamy Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
200ml Alpro Simply Plain
70g Raspberries
70g Strawberries
Raisins

This smoothie was a lot creamier than the last using the Alpro Simply Plain and is the soya alternative to yoghurt. The Alpro Simply Plan has a mild taste and a smooth texture but us the perfect blank canvas for you to add other ingredients to. Combined with the strawberries, raspberries and raisins this created the perfect thick and creamy berry smoothie. If this is too thick for you, feel free to add a bit of water to thin the consistency a little.

Nutnana Power Smoothie
Ingredients:
200ml Alpro Almond Unsweetened Drink
60g Banana
60g Spinach
Walnuts

This is the ultimate post workout smoothie and I drank this after the gym to give me an energy boost. The banana is a great source of potassium and spinach gives you a good iron hit. What I love most about this smoothie is that you can’t really taste the spinach but you know it’s in there doing some good. The Alpro Almond milk is something I drink often in coffee and this delicious nutty drink has a delicate roasted almond flavour. Not only does this drink go well with fruits, it pairs really nicely with chocolate. Why not change up the recipe by adding a spoonful of cocoa powder for a delicious chocolatey smoothie!

I really enjoyed making these Alpro based smoothies and will definitely be repurchasing the products in the future in order to make even more delicious recipes! These smoothies have gone down a storm in my house and I know I will be referring back to this post and the Alpro Smoothie Platform in the future.

Which is your favourite smoothie of the three recipes? If you’d like to create your own smoothie, head over to the Alpro Smoothie Platform and start mixing flavours! Send me your recipes, I’d love to try them!

*I received some Alpro goodies free of charge in exchange for creating some delicious recipes. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

10 Day Green Smoothie Challenge with Super Naturally Healthy*

I recently tried the 10 Day Green Smoothie Challenge over on Super Naturally Healthy which is run by Holistic Health Coach Kezia Hall. She is all about helping you live that healthy life your have always dreamed of whilst still loving food and eating cake - Sign me up now!

The challenge which costs just £4.99 aims to get you feeling healthier after just 10 days. Every day for 10 days I received a new smoothie recipe to try and also other resources which motivated me and educated me to live well and live a healthy lifestyle. My favourite part was the resource section of the email which led to an interesting article or an exercise video each day and I really enjoyed this added extra surprise because it motivated me to stick to the challenge.

As soon as you sign up you receive an eGuide complete with 7 recipes to get you started and a 10 day shopping list to get you on your way to starting the challenge.

On Friday 22nd May, I received my day 1 email and smoothie recipe. The email is also packed with great tips and some motivation to get you going. There is also a mindset section which is a little phrase or top tip to change your attitude towards food and healthy eating.

The daily recipes are really easy to follow and if you've pre-bought everything on your shopping list then it can be prepared in a matter of minutes. There are also great tips if you don't like certain ingredients and some great ideas for what to swap it with.

Half way through the challenge on day 5 I was already feeling a lot healthier and had a lot more energy. I took my smoothies to work in the morning and they really set me up for the rest of the day.

The 'Chunky Monkey Cure' smoothie was my favourite, but you'll have to sign up to the 10 day challenge if you want the recipe!

After the 10 days were up, I felt great and wanted to continue my daily green smoothie routine. Luckily all the recipes are mine to keep so I can go back to my inbox and check them out whenever I am in need of a green boost!

Sign up now if you want to feel great too!

*I was invited to take part in the 10 Day Green Smoothie Challenge free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Healthy Smoothie Recipes! – Featuring Matcha Green Tea Powder*

It’s the first Monday of the new year, and I don’t know about you but today is the day that my diet officially re-starts. After a few unsightly weight gains over the past few weeks, I am definitely ready to get back on track.

One thing I love to drink to get me feeling healthy and refreshed is a good old smoothie. I have many favourites, but thought I would share with you a couple of the ones I love best.

Firstly, I would just like to mention the fact that I freeze most of my fruit. This is just so it lasts longer and I always have some in the freezer for when I want to make a quick smoothie, it’s all chopped and prepared.

For this smoothie I used pineapple, mango, banana, kale and one teaspoon of Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder topped up with water.

The Matcha provides 4 to 6 hours of mild steady energy as it acts as both a stimulant and a relaxant. This is ideal for focusing on whatever the day throws your way. I love using this in smoothies that I drink on the way to the gym as it gives me that boost that I need to keep pushing through my workout.

  

You can also use 1 teaspoon of the Organic Matcha in a mug of boiling water to create the perfect Green Tea with amazing benefits and up to 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea. I love how green this is - know what I mean? This tastes stronger than standard Green Tea I have tried in the past, but this isn't bitter and goes down really nicely.

Another smoothie I love is a berry themed smoothie so I will use whatever berries I can get my hands on. On this occasion I used frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. To make this a bit creamier I added some natural fat free yoghurt and some water.

Blueberries contain antioxidants and give you a good dose of vitamin C. In my opinion, this smoothie is great for a hangover.

 

 
The organic matcha green tea powder can also be used for baking, I'd love to know if any of you guys have tried this and what you suggest I could use this for.

Please let me know if you’re interested in these types of posts, and I will continue to do them.

Matcha Green Tea Powder is available from Amazon here for £18.00 for 113g or you can visit the below links.

*The Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder was provided free of charge from Kiss Me Organics for the purposes of a review. All opinions are my own.