Mean Green Smoothie Bowl

We’re constantly being told to eat our greens – my mum said it to me as a child and now I find myself repeating those same words of wisdom to my own children – but the idea of being confronted with platefuls of spinach and kale at every single mealtime isn’t all that appealing is it? Which is why incorporating nutrient rich greens into smoothies and juices is such a popular choice these days.

Because let’s be honest, they’re not exactly the tastiest foods on the planet. No seriously you’re allowed to admit it. Just because it’s the ‘in’ thing to eat doesn’t make kale any more tasty. It’s chewy, it’s stringy and well it tastes like you’re grazing shrubbery – it’s OK to say it out loud! However, pop a handful into a blender along with a banana, some almond milk and a dollop of nut butter and all of a sudden you’ve created a tasty little number that even the kids will lick their lips at.

Admittedly, some green juices and smoothies are better than others. Get the ratio of greens to other ingredients wrong and it tastes like liquefied lawn, but get it right and you’re laughing. Another factor is how good your blender is, because quite often green veggies can be fibrous – well that is one of the nutritional benefits after all – so you’re blender needs to up to the job. It’s a good idea to read reviews, speak to friends to see if they have any recommendations, or some shops may even let you trial the product in store, before buying a blender. Each one will come with it’s own benefits, various different attachments and capacities and so it’s all about finding the right one to suit your lifestyle needs. I own both a cheap and cheerful hand blender, which comes in handy when blending soups or sauces when they’re still in the saucepan, and a good quality, more robust food processor complete with blending attachment and jug, which is better suited to smoothies and will blitz up even the toughest of veg in an instant.

To mix things up a bit and to give a sense of eating a meal rather than just a drink, I’ve come up with this recipe for my Mean Green Smoothie Bowl that makes a fantastic breakfast or even a healthier dessert on the days when you need something sweet after your meal. By blending a combination of ingredients that include plenty of greens and other nutritional superfoods I’ve created something that doesn’t taste ‘green’.

Depending on tastebuds, you can vary the amount of Matcha powder and honey that you use. Kids may be able to detect the taste of Matcha, but it’s worth using a bit as this is what helps give it such an intense green colour, so try adding a bit more honey to help disguise the taste. And of course what you put on top is entirely up to you. Choose your favourite nuts, fruit, powders etc. and embrace your creative side by making it look as pretty as you can. For more smoothie bowl inspo head on over to Pinterest – your mind will be blown!

One thing’s for sure, this mean green smoothie bowl of goodness will have you powered up like Popeye right up until lunchtime so dig out that blender, grab that spinach and get blitzing. Enjoy!

What’s In It?

200ml Almond Milk
1 Large handful of Spinach or Kale
1 Kiwi
1 Banana
1 tsp Matcha Powder
1 inch Root Ginger (chopped)
1 squirt of Honey

Toppings – Pumpkin seeds, kiwi slices, roasted almond flakes, cacao powder.

How Do I Make It?

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz up until it is smooth, thick and basically resembles the colour of the Hulk! Pour into a bowl – as pretty as poss, I’ve got these gorgeous coconut bowls that really make it look extra special – and then go crazy with the toppings. You can pretty much use any toppings you like, but I highly recommend the cacao powder because it just feels so decadent and…well anything that tastes like chocolate is gonna be good, right?! Cacao nibs or grated dark chocolate also work really well and kids will usually eat anything if you tell them it has chocolate on, and who can blame them.

The smoothie will last for a couple of days in the fridge, so it’s great to make in advance and store in a jug for use whenever you need a nutritional hit or if you’re running short on time in the morning. Or if you want to do the whole smoothie bowl thing, it makes the perfect weekend breakfast when you’ve got a bit more time to make it look full on Insta perfect or if you want to impress your loved ones.

Eating healthily needn’t be a chore and even if you are a bit of a vegetable dodger, you needn’t miss out on the nutritional benefits that greens provide. So if the thought of munching through piles of raw leaves sends you into fits of terror, disguising them in a beautiful smoothie bowl is deffo the way to go!

*collaborative post