Banana, Date and Yoghurt Smoothie

This made my morning! Inspired by Waitrose Kitchen Magazine, I adapted their recipe to make this easy, scrumptious and filling breakfast smoothie. To find out my recipe for homemade flaxseed, check out my previous posts.

Ingredients (serves 2)

- 1 large banana

- 4 medjool dates

- 30g plain oats

- 100ml plain yoghurt

- 100ml apple juice (I used Cawston's Apple and Carrot Juice as that's all I had)

- 1 tbsp homemade mixed seed flaxseed 

1. Simply whizz all the ingredients together in a tall blender until they are at the right consistency. Add more apple juice to make it more runny, or more yoghurt to make it thicker. 

Super Fruity Strawberry, Pineapple and Tangerine Juice topped with Goji Berry Flaxseed

I don't often post smoothies and juices, because they're incredibly easy to make. All fruit tastes great when it's pulverised. However, this one was extra fruity, delicious and the easiest of easy.

Ingredients (serves 1)

- 30 small British strawberries

- 8 pineapple pieces

- 1 tangerine or orange, peeled

- goji berry, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed flax (find the recipe further down)

1. Simple blend the fruit together in a tall mixer, pour into a large glass and sprinkle with the flaxseed topping.

http://instagram.com/p/fFQnMZuku_/

Apple and Prune Crumble

There were some leftover tinned prunes that needed eating, and tonnes of windfall apples in the garden, so this crumble was a serious experiment. Having searched 'Apple and Prune Crumble' online, I wasn't successful. Therefore this might be the only recipe out there!

Ingredients (serves 8)

for the crumble base -

- 4 small/medium apples, peeled and chopped

- 7 tinned prunes, pitted

- 2tsp water

- 4 tsp prune juice from tin

- 1 dessert spoon golden syrup

- 1 tsp cinnamon

for the crumble topping - 

- 170g plain flour

- 75g demerara sugar

- 25g porridge oats

- 75g unsalted butter, softened

- 10g goji berry flaxseed (optional)

- 10g pumpkin seeds

- 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Start by pre heating the oven to 180°c. Choose a suitable dish and place the apples inside. Cover them with the water, prune juice and golden syrup, then stir. Finally, sprinkle over the cinnamon and place the prunes on the top.

2. Place all the ingredients for the crumble topping into a bowl and blend with your hands until the butter has broken into small bits and combined with the mixture. (Tip - Your fingers should be dirty and your palms should be clean. Lift the mixture up with your finger tips to let the air in).

3. Once the crumble topping is ready, pour it evenly over the crumble base.

4. Put the crumble in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until golden. Serve how you wish - hot or cold.

Stewed Rhubarb, Orange and Mint Smoothie with Homemade Flaxseed

 Ingredients (makes two small glasses)

- 1 banana, chopped

- 1 orange, peeled and chopped

- 2 tbsp stewed rhubarb (in water and a little sugar)

- 1 heaped tbsp homemade goji berry flaxseed (see recipe a few posts below)

- 5 mint leaves

- 1 cup apple or orange juice (optional)

- linseeds and yoghurt to serve (optional)

1. Start by making the stewed rhubarb. Cut up the rhubarb and boil up some water in a saucepan. Add the rhubarb to the pan and simmer on a medium heat until the rhubarb is soft. Strain the rhubarb and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Leave it to cool. (If you make more than you need you can eat it with yoghurt for breakfast or as a pudding. 

2. Place the banana, orange and rhubarb in a tall mixer and whizz up for a few minutes.

3. Add the flaxseed and the mint and mix until a thick paste forms. The rhubarb might be stringy so make sure it is fully mixed. 

4. This smoothie is quite thick so you might want to add some orange or apple juice. I put the glasses of smoothie in the fridge before serving (without juice), and ate them as a cold mousse pudding using a spoon. I also topped the smoothies with linseeds and yoghurt swirls. 

http://instagram.com/p/b3uWEwOkrA/

Strawberry Overnight Oats with Homemade Goji Berry Flaxseed

Ingredients (for one)

- 1/3 porridge oats, roughly 30g

- 1 tbsp homemade goji berry flaxseed (see post below for recipe)

- 2 tsp flaked almonds

- 1 tbsp plain (with 1 tsp honey or golden syrup) or fruit yoghurt, I used Cranberry Activia

- 5 strawberries, chopped

- milk

1. Add all the ingredients apart from the milk to a suitable jar or glass.

2. Pour in 2 tbsp milk and stir everything thoroughly. The consistency should resemble risotto.

3. Place the glass in the fridge covered with cling film and leave overnight or for a couple of hours.

3. Eat in the morning straight from the glass!

http://instagram.com/p/bTqfSkukrN/

Succulent Strawberry, Grape and Banana Smoothie with Homemade Flaxseed

Ingredients (for two glasses)

 - 1 banana

- 8 strawberries

- 2 handfuls of grapes

- 1 tbsp plain homemade flaxseed (see previous post for recipe)

Simply blend all these ingredients together in a food processor to make a scrumptious, fresh and healthy smoothie.

http://instagram.com/p/bUGL0NOkle/

Homemade Flaxseed Recipes - Vegan and Dairy Free

I have previously bought my flaxseed from Holland and Barratt, but it seems to be quite expensive when you can make it easily yourself. Flaxseed can be added to almost anything and is packed with omega 3 and nutrition. I like to add it to overnight oats and smoothies.

Plain Flaxseed

Ingredients

- 50g linseeds (golden or brown)

1. Blend the linseeds in a tall food processor or blender until they resemble ground almonds.

Goji Berry, Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed Flax

Ingredients

- 50g linseeds (golden or brown)

- 25g goji berries

- 25g sunflower seeds

- 25g pumpkin seeds

 1. Blend all the ingredients in a tall food processor or blender until they resemble ground almonds.
http://instagram.com/p/bTmXaROkls/