There’s always a new kitchen gadget being advertised, from apple cutters to bread makers, they range in their functionality, adaptability and longevity and are all marketed as time savers, easy to use and absolutely worth the expense! But how many of them actually are all of those things? Well, the multi-functioning vegetable chopper would save loads of valuable chopping time, if I could be bothered to read the instructions, to put it together! The bread maker would make me fresh bread every morning, if I remembered to buy yeast, to weigh out the ingredients AND set it up the night before! The toasted sandwich maker was great until we’d all over-dosed on cheese toasties and don’t even get me started on the fondue set!!
All of these gadgets, bought at great expense, now lay dormant at the back of a kitchen cupboard, so when J suggested we buy a smoothie maker, I have to admit to being a little sceptical! Of course he wasn’t looking at the small, cheap versions, oh no, when J buys something, he goes the whole hog! He was looking to buy the all singing, all dancing, everything included, latest model (at the time) Nutribullet, as an early Christmas present to himself (was how he sold it to me!!). With a roll of my eyes, I agreed to the purchase, despite wondering which cupboard it would fit in and how soon it would be lodged in at the back, alongside the juicer!
I needn’t have worried though because since being bought, it hasn’t gone in a cupboard, we pretty much use it every day! It’s become my number one, top kitchen gadget for breakfast, lunch, snacks and even dinner. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t live on smoothies but they do feature regularly on our weekly menu and have been a great way to increase our vegetable intake (we didn’t need any help with the fruit!), especially leafy greens. Check out this fruity recipe that hides broccoli and carrot, that the kids love!
Smoothies are the perfect way to use up fruit that’s past its best, especially bananas as they are sweet and creamy, giving the perfect smoothie texture. Frozen fruit is also ideal for making smoothies with the Nutribullet, using a combination of fresh and frozen, results in the perfect cold smoothie with no need for added ice. Frozen fruit is cheaper, has a longer shelf life and often tastes better as it’s frozen at its best. Of course freezing effects the texture, but that aspect is irrelevant in a smoothie.
Powdered superfoods such as spirulina, cocao and wheatgrass (you can buy combination ‘super greens’ powders that include much more too) make it easy to add further nutrients to the recipes and foods to our diet that we would otherwise struggle to include. Hemp protein powder is a plant based protein, perfect to increase our protein intake at breakfast time, just when the body needs it.
There are plenty of recipe ideas out there but really, anything goes! Simply pop in a handful of fresh green veg (I’ve even used frozen spinach cubes if I haven’t any fresh!), a couple of different fruits (fresh or frozen), a tbsp of oats, seeds or nuts, a tsp of any powdered superfood you fancy, top up to the line with any milk or water and BOOM, whizz that smoothie!! 30 seconds later it’s done and ready to drink, it’s that quick and easy!
The regular ingredients we use in breakfast smoothies include oats, granola, fruit, hemp protein powder, natural yogurt and milk.
The kids favourite breakfast smoothie:
Choco-Nana Smoothie
Make in the large cup to serve 3 as a breakfast supplement.
- 1 large ripe banana (we peel and freeze bananas rather than throwing away and use in smoothies from frozen)
- 1 apple
- 1 pear
- 1 heaped tbsp oats (add more for a thicker, more filling smoothie)
- 1 tsp raw cacoa powder
- Top to the line with milk (we use almond due to allergies, but any milk will do!)
- Chuck it all in and blitz for 20-30 seconds, depending on whether your ingredients are frozen or fresh.
For other great healthy breakfast ideas and smoothie combinations click here.
For lunch on the go or after school snack, I include nuts, seeds and green leafy veg such as kale, spinach or chard. In the recent hot weather, we’ve tried freezing smoothies in lolly moulds with great results (read more healthy snack ideas here). Understandably, fruity combinations work best for this with the kids favourite flavours including strawberry & mango and blueberry:
Our latest recipe has been a version of gazpacho soup! A Mediterranean chilled soup made with salad vegetables including tomatoes, cucumber and peppers, proving that the Nutribullet can do savoury too!! Here’s the recipe!
We have the NutriBullet 900 series but there are lots of different models out there with varying attachments, capacities and motor power so it’s well worth looking around to find the one that would best suit you and your family. Which have a helpful, informative guide ‘Your top 10 Nutribullet questions answered’, reviewing the different models, as well as other rival blenders and answering many frequently asked questions about NutriBullet products.
Disclaimer: I was happy to add a link to this post, requested by Which but all opinions are my own- I genuinely love my NutriBullet!!!
