Cherry Bakewell Smoothie

In case you didn't know yet, I love all things sweet. Cakes, puddings, desserts, sweets. You name it, I like it. One of my favourite cakes is cherry bakewell tart. I miss these little almond, cherry lovelies, but not only do they contain dairy, they also have a very high fat and sugar content. Not ideal for breakfast. That got me thinking... could I turn this classic cake into a healthy breakfast smoothie? And by Jove, I think I have managed it!

Cherry Bakewell Smoothie

Ingredients

1 banana (frozen if preferred)
Handfull of cherries, pitted
300ml unsweetened almond milk (preferably organic)
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp ground almonds
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Method

Add all ingredients to the blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.

Enjoy this protein rich smoothie for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

Blending the Rules

Blending has been big news for several years now and since the birth of the Nutribullet  it has never been easier to create sexy smoothies that are satisfying and contain multitudes of natural goodness. When living a plant based lifestyle or if you are just trying to exceed your 5-a-day, there is nothing easier than throwing your fave fruits and veggies into the blender and hitting the button, and with summer well and truly on the horizon, here are my top tips for getting the best from your blender this smoothie season...

The Curly Vegan's Top Ten Blending Tips:

1. WET, WET, WET. Every smoothie has to start somewhere, and I always start with my chosen liquid. Adding the liquid first protects the blades of my trusty blender. Any liquid works really (as long as it's edible obvs!). The main thing is that it works well with your chosen flavours. I find that plant based milks such as oat, almond, rice, hemp, soy, work well when creating a creamy smoothie. Plain old water, or coconut water work really well with green smoothies, and for fruity concoctions I sometimes use fresh fruit juices such as orange, pomegranate, grape, apple, pineapple. I always used freshly squeezed or pressed (not from concentrate) juice and I mix a small amount with water so that the sugar content isn't too high. 

BONUS TIP: Citrus juice can curdle with plant-based milk, so avoid this rookie smoothie mistake by steering clear of the two together.

2. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BASE, BOUT THE BASE. Once you have the wet stuff sorted then it's time to think about substance. Banana and avocado are perfect starting points for the pro smoothie maker. As a base they add depth, creaminess and a gob full of nutrients. These ingredients are all rounders and work well with most other fruits and veggies.

3. PLEASE FORM AN ORDERLY QUEUE: The order in which you add your ingredients really does mean the difference between a smoothie that is tip top or a flop. The best procedure is to add liquid, base, frozen ingredients, power-food add ins, ice (optional - see number 4), and fresh fruit/veg last.

4. ICE ICE BABY. Some people choose to add ice to their smoothies. I don't always think this is necessary, especially if using frozen fruit (see number 5). However if you do make your smoothie nice using ice, always add it towards the end (see number 3). Any other time can lead to over blending of the ice, giving way to a watery mess! I would recommend lots of crushed ice added for a few seconds at the end. This gives a great frozen-cocktail-like result and I have never turned my nose up to a cocktail, even without the alcohol!

BONUS TIP: Make coconut water ice cubes instead of tap water ice cubes. This will give a gorgeous fresh taste without affecting your flavour -combo too much. Coconut water is also full of nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and other electrolytes. These are particularly good for hangovers, so instead of reaching for a greasy breakfast after a night on the tiles, reach for a healthy smoothie instead. You will thank me for it, I promise!

5: LIFE'S A FREEZE: Frozen fruit makes a wonderful addition to any smoothie. Smoothies don't taste great warm, so by adding frozen fruit it lowers the temperature, meaning you don't have to add ice. Frozen fruit also adds thickness and can make smoothies deliciously creamy. It is also really handy to freeze your own fruit before it turns bad, which avoids waste and also means that you have lots of good stuff on hand whenever you get a craving for a blend. Freeze peeled/chopped bananas, berries and mango before they get overripe and freeze them in zip-lock freezer bags ready to go!

BONUS TIP: Green smoothies are a staple in my household, as a great start to the day, or a pick me up in the afternoon. Most big supermarkets sell frozen spinach which comes in handy portion size cubes. This is great to have on standby in the freezer to chuck into the blender whenever I have ran out of the fresh stuff. Most supermarkets also sell a great variety of frozen fruits that are great to have on standby.

7. FOOD MATTERS: They type of produce you choose to add really does make or break your smoothie. Using a combination of fruit and veggies is a sure fire way to create a nutritionally balanced drink that tastes great as the sweetness of the fruit is complemented by the nutrient rich vegetables. Most fruits are great in smoothies. After your base fruits, all berries, apple, pear, mango, plums, pineapple, and peach/nectarine, work amazingly well. If you are looking for something to mix it up a bit, try melon, passion fruit, kiwi, guava, young coconut flesh, in fact, any fruit that has a fleshy or creamy texture.  Green leafy veg is the easiest way to add vegetables including spinach, chard, kale, spring greens, or rocket. Other veggies that work great include cucumber, celery, tomatoes, grated carrot and beetroot. 

7. BIG UP THE BULK: If you are having your smoothie for breakfast or lunch then fruit and veg alone is just not going to fill you up and you will be reaching for unhealthy snacks before you can say 'elevenses'! Adding protein is a great way to keep you fuller for longer and is also a great way of increasing your daily intake. Hemp protein powder is perfect for bulking up smoothies, but I also use organic soy yogurt, silken tofu, oats, nuts, seeds and nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter) for creamy texture and added yumminess.

8. SPICE GIRL: In order to beat smoothie boredom, I like to add lot's of different herbs and spices for variety and added goodness. My go-to's include fresh ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, basil, aloe vera, vanilla pod, cayenne, sea salt, black pepper, to name a few.

BONUS TIP: Flavour combo's that work well include: carrot and beetroot with ginger; banana and cacao with vanilla; strawberry with basil; apple with cinnamon. These are just a few suggestions, sometimes flavour choices work, and other times they don't. It is all about experimenting and having fun. You will soon learn what works well together and what doesn't.

9. POWER UP: You have probably heard of superfoods and if not then where have you been?! Superfoods are the powerhouses of nutrition - foods with dense vitamin, mineral or anti-oxident properties, and natural healing abilities. It is easy to add these to your smoothie to give yourself a great boost of plant power. My favourite add-ons include cacao, spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, maca powder, goji berries, flax, chia and hemp seeds. Simply add to the blender and blitz with the rest.

BONUS TIP: Not only do these ingredients give you wings, but they also can add a great flavour. For sin free chocolate cravings add cacao and for a caramelly indugence add maca powder.

10: GO CREATE: With my comprehensive list there is nothing stopping you from getting starting and becoming a smoothie making expert. It is all about getting creative and trying different combinations of liquid, fruit, veg, spices, and add-ons. If you are not feeling confident enough to try out your own recipes yet, then check out the recipes section of the blog for great smoothie recipes. Starting with my Cherry Bakewell Smoothie.

Rainbow City Reboot

Panoramic picture of Rainbow City, Portugal

One thing that has really inspired me to start posting again, is a recent trip that my sister and I took to Rainbow City in the mountains of Portugal, 3 hours north of Lisbon.

Founded by friends Anthony Lowther and Daniel Kruger, they have created a magical health retreat, immersed in nature and away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. This was the perfect place to go for my first 2 weeks medication free, and best of all their main focus is on living a super healthy lifestyle of which Anthony calls a 'constant health upgrade' and he's not wrong. I found this the perfect place to reboot my health before committing to treating bipolar naturally.

Anthony and son Malakai

Dan and resident dog Huxley

Now I could tell you about the ins and outs of our stay, but primarily our days consisted of waking with the rising sun and early nights, eating a raw organic diet packed full of juices and superfoods, yoga, aligning with nature, meditation and high intensity training. Our downtown was spent in deep conversation with our fellow RC dwellers, reading, singing, or watching a good movie. Not too shabby, but it doesn't make compelling reading in my eyes. So, instead of talking you through that, I think it is more beneficial for me to share the main things I took from my week and how you can apply them to your life when booking a yoga retreat or help upgrade your health from home.

Before arriving at RC, I was worried that everyone would be a yoga expert and as an amateur, I would not know any moves and make a fool of myself. However, I found that you don't need to be an expert yogi to enjoy, and benefit from, a yoga retreat.
RC welcomed anyone from the  absolute beginner to the daily devotee. And there was not air of showing off or pretense of keeping up. Everyone was free to go at their own speed whether that meant going slow with more challenging poses or pushing the limits on familiar ones. As an added bonus, there were several professional yoga teachers residing there during my stay, who were more than willing to offer me tuition. The result was that I dropped my ego and stopped worrying what people thought of my practice. I realised that no one cares, which left me feeling much more confident and able to 'feel' my moves rather than over-think them. After 10 days of yoga, it was easy to create a personal routine to take anywhere.I have practiced at home every day since I have returned and I am now even looking into courses in India for next year. 

Yoga in Dome 1

'You are what you eat' and 'Let food be thy medicine' are famous quotes that I thought I understood before my trip. I didn't realise the truth that rings through them until my two week diet upgrade. The RC family buy all local organic ingredients and prepare vibrant colourful meals. Breakfast typically started with a raw juice, smoothie or porridge with superfoods such as chia seeds, goji berries, spirulina, chlorella, maca or cacao, to name but a few. Lunch and dinner included fresh dips, soups, salads and all the fruit and veggies you could want. Throughout the day there would always be offering of fresh raw desserts, which were the biggest winner for me. You really do have to taste them to believe how good they are, and when you know they are sin free, they taste even more glorious!

Before diving headfirst into Rainbow City life, I had dabbled in raw cuisine but found it intimidating and unsatisfying. Since returning to the UK I have maintained a diet of aroun d 70% raw foods. I am motivated, not only by how good it tastes, but also by how alive eating raw makes me feel. I feel supercharged in mind, body and spirit. I really believe that it is my new diet that is helping me cope with living with bipolar medication free.

Raw chocolate brownies with goji berries

One thing that I found particularly healing was the pace of the days. The days are structured, not ordained. As volunteers there were certain things that we needed to contribute towards as part of the community such as preparing food and cleaning, but apart from that the days pretty much took care of themselves and there was not need to worry about planning. With the conflicting symptoms of depression and mania, bipolar can see like I am always fighting against the two extremes, so it was a huge relief when I realised I could try just sitting back and letting the schedule unfold before me. This gave me an opportunity to go with the flow of my moods and also indulge in my passion of painting. My sister and I completed a huge wall mural in the cinema room. It felt amazing to contribute a long lasting piece of art for other guests to enjoy. Going with the flow, and embracing my creativity are lessons that I am hoping to live by moving forward.

Wall mural created by myself and my sister

At Rainbow City there is huge emphasis on community living. As someone who has always suffered from depression, mood swings and anxiety, I thought this would be challenging for me, as I tend to hide myself away to avoid others seeing. It was in fact the opposite. It encouraged me to listen to my own moods and challenge some destructive behaviours that I have such as isolating myself and being dishonest to others about how I am feeling. There is such a stigma surrounding mental health that I often only socialise when I am feeling 'normal'. This experience allowed me to be more accepting of myself and stop worrying about how others see me. It helped that everyone at RC was so lovely and on my wavelength. Living as part of a tight-knit community was new to me, but I really did feel like a houseguest, friend and even part of one huge family but the end of my stay.

Rainbow City ladies

My main reasons for going to Rainbow City were to destress, work on a yoga practice, learn how to breathe, and put away my smartphone and connect with my feelings and moods. I got much more than this. I left with a new sense of self, great feeling of accomplishment and a new Rainbow family from all corners of the globe. Not bad at all.

If you would like more information about staying at Rainbow City, please get in touch via their Facebook Page.