For this recipe, I highly urge you to use wild blueberries, as they lend more flavour to this delicious concoction. I bought a big bag of frozen wild blueberries for $4, and there are lots of benefits to buying frozen fruits when they're out of season. Berries are usually sprayed quite heavily in the winter, and have to travel very long distances to get to the stores up here. Frozen fruit has generally been picked and packaged when it WAS in season, at the peak of it's flavour and nutrition. Although some nutritional value is lost through freezing, it's a minimal loss, and completely worthwhile. Plus, berries + smoothies = epic love.
This is less of a recipe and more of a guideline, as my smoothie-making technique is basically just "throw stuff in". No detailed measurements here.
Lemon Blueberry Smoothie
Makes 1 serving
2 bananas, torn into chunks
1 handful wild blueberries (about 1/2 c)
1/2 a lemon, juiced
Non-dairy milk to desired consistency
2 spoonfuls ground flax seed (optional but recommended)
Throw everything into a blender and blend until smooth. I usually add somewhere around 1/2 c of non-dairy milk, which is enough for the smoothie to pour, but it's still fairly thick. Keep in mind that the type of milk you use affects the end result quite a bit. Richer milks, like nut milks, make for a creamier smoothie. I made mine with soy milk today, because we have some chillin' in the fridge, but this would taste awesome with some homemade almond milk.
I add in the ground flax for a couple of reasons. I like a little bit of fat in my breakfast, as it helps me maintain satiation for longer. Note that there's a difference between whole, plant fats and animal fats and oils. Oils, margarines, and foods like eggs will weigh you down in the morning, leaving you feeling draggy. Plant fats in their whole form (not oils) do not have this effect. Logan and I have been devising smoothie recipes, and we've recently been including avocado in some of our creations. Paired with stronger fruits like raspberries, it adds an amazing creamy texture to the finished product. I was initially concerned that the avocado would weigh heavily in my stomach and inhibit me from experiencing peak mental functioning in the morning, but no such thing happened. It's important to remember that avocados are rich in potassium (containing significantly more than bananas), fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin K, unlike plant oils which are 100% fat with little nutrition.
Flax seeds are one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which has become a hot topic lately. Surely you've heard people say that fish are good for you because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil has become a popular supplement for this reason. However, we can consume adequate amounts of omega-3 through plant sources, like chia, flax and hemp seeds, so why hurt the fish (and the oceans)?
With your omega fatty acids, it's all about balance. Generally we want to consume a ratio of 4 parts omega-6 to 1 part omega-3 (or less). In other times, this wouldn't have been difficult, but in a time of fast food, fried food, and oils, we are consuming far more omega-6 than we have in the past, throwing this balance all out of whack. If you decrease your consumption of omega-6, and add a small dietary source of omega-3, that should be sufficient to ensure a correct balance.
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