Recipe - Power Packed Smoothies

I got introduced to juicing (especially vegetable juices and fruits and vegetable blends) through Julia Indichova of the http://www.fertileheart.com fame. Ever since then, I have invested in a powerful juicer that can pretty much swallow whole apples, beets and pretty much anything you throw at it and result in a wholesome juice with pulp on the side. My take on juicing and how it helps is a story I will save for another post though. Today, I wanted to share another idea for a wholesome nutritious drink which we call a Smoothie.

The dictionary definition of a smoothie is essentially a thick beverage of fruit pureed in a blender with ice and milk, yogurt or juice. My definition though is slightly different. I make several changes to this basic recipe to make it nutritious and power packed.

Here's how:

1. First I select a base. You can choose milk or yogurt or folks who are dairy intolerant can use water, coconut water or any other fresh un-sweetened fruit juice. 
2. Then I pick a fruit as the flavor of choice such as mangoes, apples, bananas, etc. My daughter especially loves mangoes so she enjoys what I call a "power packed mango milkshake" during summers.  
3. This is followed by adding a dose of nutrition through a natural health supplement  such as wheatgerm or wheatgrass powder or spirulina powder or moringa leaf powder or barley grass powder etc.  
4. Then I add a boost of power by adding healthy seeds such as flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or a blend of all of them. 
5. Last but not the least, in go nuts such as almonds or walnuts for extra power. 
6. Mind you - I do not use any refined sugar. The smoothie is sweet enough on its own if you use fresh fruit juice as the base. For milk or yogurt based smoothies, I use only natural sweeteners if at all (such as palm sugar or stevia).
7. That's it - blend away and enjoy!

Here's another blogger who has a very nicely illustrated post on green smoothies if you are up for giving that a try next. This one has green leaves incorporated into it and sounds very tempting to me. I am going to venture into this next and let you all know how it goes. Here is her illustrated picture that gives you all these steps in such an easy to remember way...

So tell me - will you or did you give this a try? Or do you have a secret nutritious recipe of your own? Please do share - we'd love to hear!

Recipe - No Bake Energy Bites

As soon as I set eyes on the No Bake Energy Bites recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it right away. This is a mix of health and chocolate goodness that my daughter has started comparing to the Ferrero Rocher brand of chocolates available in the market. Not without good reason coz it looks almost the same but is much healthier and tastier too if you make it right. Plus the recipe is so versatile that it can adapt pretty much anything you wish your child had but doesn't. Whats even better is that these energy balls are perfect for breakfast, snacks or even as my daughter agrees - dessert!

I have tried several variations at home which I have listed out after the original recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla (essence)

Method:
Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour (optional). Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Makes about 20-25 balls.


My Substitutions & Variations:
This recipe like I said is super flexible and very substitution friendly :-) Here are some I have tried and the rest is upto your imagination and what you have at hand:

• I have tried this with a little desi touch as well so for example, roasted some raisins in ghee, added deseeded dates (you can also try prunes) and cooled to room temperature. The dates become a binding agent along with honey.
• If you don't have coconut flakes or don't prefer the taste (I know I don't), you can skip it altogether and substitute it with more of a different dry ingredient (such as oats or any other cereal you wish to add).
• I have also made a batch including a variety of healthy seeds such as sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, sunflower seeds along with the ever so good flaxseed ofcourse.
• For folks like me who do not prefer the taste of chocolate, you can substitute it with any nut butter (such as almond or peanut butter) or plain jaggery if you like.
• I have also tried this with a whole lot of crushed unsalted dry fruits such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, figs, etc.
• If you don't have chocolate chips, just take any chocolate bar you have at home and crush it into coarse powder.

These taste far better than the health bars available in the market and since they are home made, they are free of any preservatives or chemical agents. And they are so easy to make - no baking, microwaving or stove top cooking involved!

For more ideas or inspiration, you can see another fellow blogger who has also given this a try here. Enjoy!

Linking this to the "Made With Love" party over at Patty's blog.