Best Christmas Smoothies

There’s a lot that is great fun about Christmas and a bit of overindulgence is among them.  What with the chocolates, the wine, a few drinks after work, Christmas parties, big meals, party bits, the list just goes on.  Sometimes you end up feeling a bit yuck.  This is when a smoothie can be the perfect solution.  They don’t need to be ultra-healthy but can contain a few secret ingredients that make them both seasonal and helpful to your system.

Spices

Spices may be traditionally associated with Christmas cake or a good Indian meal but there are plenty of ways to include them in a smoothie and lots of benefits from doing so.  Take cinnamon, for example.  It is sweet flavoured and is known for its anti-oxidant benefits – it has the highest strength anti-oxidants of any food.  It also has anti-inflammatory properties to help with that sore knee when you walked into the table after a little too much mulled wine!

Another useful spice is cardamom, which comes in different colours from different parts of the world.  It too has anti-oxidant properties as well as helping the digestive system and the stomach as well as being a good source of minerals such as potassium that helps with body fluids.

The Gingerbread Smoothie is a great way to get these spices and more as well as having that Christmas cake vibe going.  Take one third of a cup of cashew nuts and soak them overnight.  Then pop them into the blender with:

• ½ banana
• ½ cup sweet potato puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 cups almond milk

Blend until all the ingredients are mixed and smooth then deposit into that personalise bistro cafélatte glass that the kids bought you for your birthday – it will do you much more good than that latte you normally use the glass for!

Detox

Sometimes, after the excess of Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a great time to start the detox process with a special smoothie for breakfast (or lunch if you were a little late in getting up!).  Spinach is known as a super food and for good reason.  They have very little calories but are packed with important nutrients.  They are good for skin and hair health after all that styling and makeup as well as giving you loads of vitamins and minerals.

To make the Detox Green Smoothie you need:

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cucumber
• ½ avocado
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 lemon
• 1 handful mint leaves
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds

You can also add a scoop of vanilla protein if required and any other greens you have lying around if you want an extra boost.  Add everything to the blender and whizz until smooth, adding a little water if needed.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of ideas about Christmas smoothies but there are plenty of recipes available.  Whatever you do, enjoy Christmas and then have a bit of fun with the blender afterwards!