Smoothies are a great way to start the day and they make excellent mid-day snacks. They are so delicious and easy to make. But be careful! Its easy to get carried away and add ingredients that turn your smoothie into a high calorie bomb. For good health you want your smoothie to be well balanced with sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients. You dont want to feel tired or struggle with food craving. Since bananas blend so well with other flavors and give a lovely creamy texture its no wonder why banana smoothies are so popular. They are flavorful, rich, and filling and the ingredient combinations are endless. There are a few things you should keep in mind if you want to make the perfect banana smoothie.

1) Do not use warm fruits. For a thick and creamy consistency of the smoothie use frozen bananas. It will be best if you freeze banana in advance. Peel the banana, chop in quarters, wrap into greaseproof paper and put into a freezer for minimum 2 hours.

2) Chose liquid base for the smoothie! You can use milk, natural or flavored yogurt or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, fruit juice, coconut milk or coconut water. Dont forget to add the liquid to your blender before adding the fruit as this will prevent the blade from getting damaged.

3) Be creative and try adding different flavors to your basic recipe. Bananas get along well with all berries, mango, peaches, plums, nectarines apples or pears. Also you can add cocoa powder, grated nutmeg, cinnamon or vanilla essence before blending. If you want some texture, add flax seeds, whole oats or toasted chopped nuts. It will taste great and it will keep you feeling full until lunch.

4) Your smoothie is supposed to be healthy, remember? So please, dont add any sugar. Use ripe fruit and dont water it down. And if you really need a sweet kick in your smoothie, add a date.

5) If you want your smoothie to substitute your breakfast or lunch, you need to add some proteins. Peanut, almond or other nut butter, or some tofu will blend well with your smoothie and give you an essential protein boost.

So what are you waiting for? Just throw your ingredients in a blender, pour into a glass, and enjoy!

Basic banana smoothie

Serving: 1

Ingredients:

1 large banana, cut into quarters and frozen
1 cup almond milk, chilled
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp rolled oats (optional)

Directions:

Place the almond milk and banana in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and oats (if using) and serve immediately.