Food: Juices and smoothies

When I moved to Dubai, it was a great chance for a fresh start both mentally and physically. It is fair to say my two months in London had a bit of an impact upon my waistline as I indulged in all the home comforts and British food I had missed for so long. So upon moving to Dubai I asked the boyfriend for a moving present so to speak......a blender! 

The blender has since become my new best friend and smoothies and juices are a regular in our diet. I have never been a huge fruit fan. I love piling my plate high with roasted or steamed veggies but when it comes to fruit there has always been a considerable lack of it in my day to day eating routine. So I figured smoothies would be a great way to change this. 

I am a bit fussy though when it comes to the texture of food and I have had to train myself to enjoy the thick gloopy nature of a smoothie and get over the bits that appear in home made juice.

After a month of experimentation I have my two favourites figured out; a berry and banana smoothie and a green apple, kiwi and coconut juice. Both are delicious and refreshing in the Dubai heat and are helping me to effortless cram extra vitamins and nutrients into my diet. 

Berry and Banana Smoothie

Handful of frozen berries

1 Banana

3 tbsp of Yoghurt

half a cup of milk

1 tsp of honey 

Throw everything into the blender and whizz until smooth. 

Green Apple, Kiwi and Coconut Juice

1 Green apple

2 Kiwis

half a cup of coconut water

Juice of 1 lime

few sprigs of mint

I chop the apple first (because I use a blender not a juicer) and throw it into the blender with the coconut water, lime and mint. Scoop out the flesh from the kiwis and blend. I add a little extra still water and then blend a again. Strain and serve. 

For more exciting and adventurous recipes BBC good food has a load of smoothie recipes here and the Taste Australia website is soon to become my go to for new juice recipes. And if you have tried and tested and recipes, kindly send them my way.