The demands of a young family can mean that you often forget to feed yourself! Nutritious meals can be time-consuming to prepare, so why not try whipping up a delicious fruit or veg smoothie – a tasty contribution to your Five a day.
Melon refresher
(Makes about 1.5 litres)
Scoop the flesh, discarding the seeds,from 3 small or 2 large, ripe melons such as galia, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Whizz in a blender with 200ml of fresh apple juice (from a carton). Melons have a really high water content, so they’re a tasty way to keep you hydrated.
Jungle smoothie
(Makes about 1 litre)
Whizz together 450g Sainsbury’s frozen tropical fruit smoothie mix (papaya, mango, pineapple, and banana) with 300ml freshly squeezed orange juice and 2 x 125g Be good to yourself yellow fruit yogurts (mango and passionfruit, and peach and papaya).
Bananas are rich in potassium and a great slow-release energy provider, while mangoes are full of vitamins and minerals.
Berry purple
(Makes about 450ml)
Whizz together 75g ready-cooked fresh beetroot with 100g each of fresh *raspberries and strawberries, and a 150ml carton of fresh apple juice. Beetroot is rich in vitamins and minerals,
but don’t buy it preserved in vinegar!
All the fruits used in these recipes can be puréed to make a delicious snack or dessert for your little one. You can also add the purée to baby rice, cereal or yogurt for added flavour and texture. *Wash all fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly before use.
Go veggie...
It’s important, as part of your Five a day, to include lots of different veg*, so here’s some more inspiration. For lots of texture, use a food processor in these recipes. Each recipe serves 2.
- Whizz together 350ml carrot juice, 200ml vanilla yogurt, half a peeled lime, 1 banana and 8 ice cubes to create a cool, refreshing drink.
- Combine 150ml plain yogurt, 6 ice cubes, 1 peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber, 1 small tomato and 3 spinach leaves. Whizz until smooth, then garnish with a cucumber slice.
- Blend 1 large carrot, 4 broccoli florets and 300ml orange juice until finely chopped. Add 75g raw baby spinach, 1 chopped apple and 2-4 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and serve with a garnish of sliced apple.
