September 11, 2019 1 Comment
If you're in Australia, you'll know that winter's finally out of here and we're gearing up for everyone's favourite season - summer! It's time to start prepping for beach days, clearing away the cobwebs from your bathing suits and readying those blenders up for smoothie sipping.
But, even though winter's out, have you noticed that the tissues and sniffles are here to stay?
With the change of season comes great sniffle-sponsibility. Allergy season has hit us big time this year so, it's time to up your immunity. Don't worry, I'll be right here with you!
I've created three perfect recipes to help you move into the light and sunny days of spring and summer, sniffle-free. These three allergy-friendly blender recipes will boost your immune system and keep the teary eyes at bay. The best part about these recipes is that you can make them your own. If you don’t like dairy, you can swap it out for an alternative milk like almond or coconut, if you’re not nuts about nuts, you can give seeds a go instead.
1. Berry and Avocado Smoothie Bowl
Berries are high in antioxidants, low in sugar and they taste delicious. They also help to boost energy. Berries are high in vitamin C so they're just like best friends when it comes to immunity! We couldn’t have a nerdy-nutritionist smoothie bowl without sneaking in some greens – so I've thrown some spinach into this recpie. Spinach is a vital component of the smoothie bowl, not so much for its taste (you can’t actually taste it!) but for its nutrient value! Spinach is a great source of plant-based iron and can help gut health. If you don’t like spinach, you can swap it out for another one of your green favourites – I’m going crazy for rocket at the moment.
Speaking of all things green, avocado, the delicious fruit (yes, fruit!), adds a perfect creaminess to a good textured smoothie bowl. Avocado provides a healthy source of fats to help absorption of vitamins and nutrients.
If we’re going to be real, much like icing is the best part about cake, toppings are the best part about smoothie bowls! Using things like fresh blueberries and strawberries are great for adding a lovely pop of colour and helping to protect our cells from damage and, prevent those constant allergy sneezes. Nuts and seeds not only add a satisfying crunch to smoothie bowls, they also deliver an extra protein boost. Strong immunity comes from having a well-balanced diet that contains proper amount of nutrients, especially protein.
Another superstar topping is tasty granola. Make sure you’re not buying granola that's just a box full of processed ingredients, artificial sweeteners and sugars. Instead, opt for a home-made granola made with ingredients like grains, nuts, and yummy spices. Try this gut-loving Golden Gut Granola!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Smoothie:
Topping Suggestions:
Method:
2. Golden Gut-time Soft Serve
Say goodbye to boring old vanilla ice cream and get ready for my golden take on the creamy dessert. My Golden Gut-time Soft Serve will have you breezing through summer and spring without a care in the world. Goodbye Kleenex!
So, what makes this dessert so nice? The ingredients! This soft serve contains only REAL ingredients. It’s rich in a plethora of vitamins and minerals to boost your energy, keep your skin glowing and your tummy happy. It's perfect for any and all dietary requirements too. It doesn’t take hours to churn or require copious amounts of sugar either. I guess you could say it’s soft serve supercharged style.
The best part about making soft serve is that it’s so easy to make - all you need is a blender, a few minutes, some delicious ingredients and you’re good to go!
People who say to not eat food that comes in a package had clearly never seen a banana! Bananas have proven to help maintain blood pressure, stop runny noses and look after our heart health because of their high levels of potassium. They also contain fibre that help speed up our digestion and keep you well-regulated. Bananas are a great pre-workout snack because they help reduce muscle cramps before training. Freezing them makes them the perfect base for our soft serve, providing the perfect amount of creaminess and sweetness.
Of course, the essential component of this recipe – the one that takes it from silver to gold - is my Golden Gut Blend. Golden Gut Blend is a raw whole food blend that does all the hard work for you. It can improve nutrient absorption, regulate metabolism and is full of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties to fight off any allergy that comes your way. Just think of it as your magical golden fairy dust. You can read more about it and how to use it in your recipes here.
What's next? Ahhh... maca powder! Maca powder can help balance hormones and increase energy. It's a great mood-lifter and can make you feel more awake and energised. The best part about maca? Its taste. Maca adds a caramel and honeycomb taste so it's the perfect addition to this Golden Gut-time Soft Serve.
You can't have ice cream without a topping... or five. Activated Buckwheat, also known as buckinis, are your Low GI, gluten-free and dairy-free answer to ice cream toppings. Buckwheat is rich in protein and many minerals such as zinc, iron, copper, manganese and B vitamins and lots of heart-healthy fibre.
Supercharged tip: peel the bananas before you freeze them for ultimate soft serve making ease.
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
Method:
Blend until desired consistency adding extra coconut milk if required.
Sprinkle with buckinis
Coconut Vanilla Bean Matcha Chiller
Swipe right and find your greatest matcha yet with my Coconut Vanilla Bean Matcha Chiller.
There's nothing I love more than starting my day by sipping on a nutritious matcha chiller. Matcha is popping up at every health store and café and I sure know why! Not only because of the earthy and wholesome taste but because of all the health benefits it provides.
Matcha teas didn’t start off as the funky health drink that we all know and love today. Matcha originates from Japan where it’s drunk as part of a religious tea ceremony. I don’t know about you, but any ceremony which has tea in it is one I want to be a part of ;)
On a nutritional level, matcha is equal to about ten cups of regular green tea. It’s packed full of antioxidants, making it protective against anything from nasty colds to heart disease. It's even great for ageing gracefully (woo-hoo!). Not to mention, matcha can boost metabolism and even lower blood sugar, preventing insulin spikes. This makes matcha amazing in slowing down the development of type 1 diabetes and can help to regulate glucose levels in diabetics.
The thing I love about my matcha chiller is that it provides the lovely ritual of an iced coffee without the not-so-lovely coffee and sugar side-effects. While matcha provides a great boost of energy because of its caffeine content, it contains a specific amino acid which helps calm the mind and avoid those coffee jitters. Say hello to antioxidant-rich, wrinkle-free smiling faces.
I’ve combined the goodness of matcha with a hint of vanilla powder, for the ultimate concoction. Vanilla powder is also rich in many nutrients and minerals and gives our latte a velvety vanilla taste and total immune-boosting power.
This chiller is silky smooth and just sweet enough to satisfy all your matcha cravings!
Coconut Vanilla Bean Matcha Chiller
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Method:
If you would like more recipes like these three easy allergy-friendly blender recipes, download our free e-books below:
Love Your Gut Free E-book
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PAM COPEMAN
October 02, 2020
Would love all the benefits of matcha tea but since doing your 1 mth gut cleanse 2 years ago, I’m still off caffeine. Any similar decaffeinated product out there?