thursday recipe: banana and watermelon smoothie

Ok, so this is hardly a recipe I know. Hopefully though you will find some tips and inspiration in this post that will get you or keep you on track with healthy breakfasts and snacks which is what nutrient dense smoothies are perfect for!

Over summer our fridge has rarely been without watermelon, so great for rehydrating on those hot hot days when your appetite is low and thirst is high. My boys, River and Sol decided it would be fun if we put some watermelon in the freezer, watermelon that we promptly forgot about for a few days.

When my husband Pete found the watermelon, into a smoothie it went with frozen banana that we always have in ready supply. Pete's biggest annoyance in the kitchen is waste! Sometimes Pete puts ingredients together just so they are not wasted, ingredients that I think are going to be a very weird combo only to find out they are perfect together. This watermelon banana smoothie is a perfect example. Pete made this smoothie using rice milk, if you like coconut water that would be a great alternative.

I am yet to meet a child who doesn't like drinking a smoothie of some description, they really are a fantastic way of boosting nutrient intake.

Here are my tips for making great nourishing smoothies:

- keep a store of frozen bananas, mangos and berries in your freezer (peel the bananas before freezing them). Stock up when these fruits are in peak season and put them in the freezer

- try out different milks or coconut water rather than using the same milk all the time, some smoothies are good made just with filtered water. River and I like, frozen banana, filtered water and baby spinach.

- add natural unsweetened yoghurt, good fermented dairy is great to add to your family's diet

- if you don't have a high speed blender, use baby spinach leaves when making a green smoothie because they blend to a very smooth consistency even without the high speed. There is nothing appealing about a pulpy, thick green smoothie that will not help your 'eat more greens' cause!

- add in a few brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, sunflower or chia seeds to increase the nutrient and protein value

- if you want to add a sweetener use raw honey or rice bran syrup or medjool dates

- spice things up - nutmeg is calming and good for concentration, cinnamon is balanced blood sugar and is good for digestion

- add a spoon of coconut oil for some healthy fat which is so important for regulating hormones and for children good fats are vital brain development food

- add in a fresh, organic raw egg for a protein boost (**raw egg is widely not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or ill people due to risk of salmonella poisoning. Vitally important if you do eat raw eggs that they are fresh and that the shells are not damaged in any way before use)

- if your family is making the switch from commercial flavoured milk try this chocolate banana smoothie - 1 cup of milk of your choice, I forzen banana, 2 teaspoons raw cacao, sweetener of choice. Blend and serve.

Watermelon + banana smoothie

I frozen banana
2 wedges frozen watermelon
2 cups milk of your choice

Place in a blender and whizz until smooth. Enjoy!

I'd love it if you share some of your favorite smoothie combos in the comments.