Recipe: Quick and Easy Smoothies and Milkshakes

I’m veering slightly off my usual topic of lunchboxes today, but I thought I’d share a couple of simple recipes with you that I use regularly to make delicious smoothies for the family.  We will often have a smoothie with breakfast, or with lunch at the weekend, and I find it’s a great way to get an extra little boost of fruit in our diet.  You don’t need much in the way of equipment to make a smoothie; I just use a large jug and a stick blender, but any food processor or blender can do the job.

The great thing about smoothies is that pretty much anything goes.   All you need is some liquid in the form of fruit juice or milk, and some fruit.  I almost always use a banana or two, as they add some thickness and texture, and I tend to use frozen fruit if I have it on hand to make it lovely and icy cold.  A few ice-cubes added to the mix can do the same job too, if you don’t have frozen fruit.  You can also add all sorts of extra ingredients to boost the healthy content of a smoothie, but I must admit I tend to stick mainly to fruit, although I intend to experiment a bit more as the weather warms up (wishful thinking?!).

Here are a few of the recipes that I use regularly; feel free to play around with them and substitute any different fruits/juices etc to suit your needs.  I usually use dairy free alternatives such as soya or rice milk in the place of milk and yoghurt for the sake of my dairy-free husband, and they still taste delicious. These recipes all serve 2-3, but can easily be halved if only needed for one.

Super Fruity Smoothie

200ml Orange Juice
200ml Apple Juice
2 Bananas
Large Handful Frozen Mixed Fruit
1-2 tsp Icing Sugar (optional)

Measure out the fruit juices into a large jug, peel the bananas and break into pieces, add to the jug with the frozen fruit.  Whizz with the blender until you have a thick liquid, adding a little more fruit juice if needed to get your desired consistency.  Add icing sugar to taste, if using, and whizz again until completely mixed in. Best served immediately, although it can be covered and stored in the fridge (our smoothies never last long enough to find out how long they can be stored though!)

Berries and Banana Smoothie Shake

400ml Milk (or dairy free alternative)
2 Bananas
Large Handful Frozen Berries
2 Tbs Yoghurt (or Soya Yoghurt)

Measure out the milk into a large jug, peel the bananas and break into pieces, add to the jug with the frozen berries and yoghurt.  Whizz with the blender until you have a thick liquid, adding a little more milk if needed to get your desired consistency.  Best served immediately.

Strawberry & Kiwi Smoothie

400ml Orange Juice
2 Bananas
2 Kiwi Fruits
Large Handful Frozen Strawberries

Measure out the orange juice into a large jug, peel the bananas and break into pieces, add to the jug with the frozen strawberries.  If using fresh strawberries instead of frozen, add a couple of ice-cubes.  Whizz with the blender until you have a thick liquid, adding a little more juice if needed to get your desired consistency.  Best served immediately.

Note: In the picture below I made the above smoothie but added a handful of blueberries that needed using up.

Banana Milkshake

400ml milk (or dairy free alternative)
2-3 bananas
2-3 Tbs Banana or Vanilla Yoghurt (or Soya Yoghurt)
1 Tbs Honey (optional)

Measure out the milk into a large jug, peel the bananas and break into pieces, add to the jug with the yoghurt.  Whizz with the blender until you have a thick liquid, adding a little more milk if needed to get your desired consistency.  Add honey to taste, if using, and whizz again until completely mixed in.  You could also try adding a couple of scoops of banana or vanilla ice-cream to this one to make it extra yummy!  Best served immediately.

Hope I’ve managed to inspire you to give smoothies a try – they really are easy and delicious with endless variations.

Grace