There is a way to make better smoothies with just five minutes of effort (Image: Katherine McPhillips)
Smoothies are one of the healthiest ways to start your day, and I love making them when I want something quick in the morning without spending ages in the kitchen. They are an easy way to get most of your five-a-day without much effort, but they can end up tasting quite bland when mixed with ice.
People often add ice to get a cooler and more refreshing drink, but in my experience, it tends to really water down your smoothie. Not only will this dilute the flavour and make the fruit less sweet, but all that crushed ice can create tiny shards that will give your smoothie an awful, grainy texture. I like to make smoothies every day, and after trying out lots of different recipes, I discovered that a smoothie tastes a lot better if you make it with frozen bananas instead.
I really like using frozen bananas as it gives a smoothie an almost milkshake-like taste while also adding a lot of fibre and other nutrients to your drink.
Frozen bananas will keep smoothies chilled and its natural sweetness means you won’t need to add sugar. It is also a very soft fruit, so it can go in most blenders without issue and will help you get a much smoother and thicker smoothie.
Ice cubes dull blender blades faster and make the motor work harder, so it takes longer to make a smoothie for breakfast.
Using frozen bananas takes only five minutes of preparation while helping you turn this healthy drink into something you look forward to making in the morning.
I like to chop up a ripe banana and freeze it for much sweeter smoothies (Image: Katherine McPhillips)
It takes me two minutes to freeze a banana and then put it in a blender the next day (Image: Katherine McPhillips)
How to make a much better smoothie
You will need (for one serving):
- One banana
- 75g of fresh blueberries
- 75g of fresh strawberries
- 100ml to 150ml of milk
- 75g of Greek yoghurt
- One teaspoon of honey or maple syrup (optional)
You can use frozen berries in this recipe if you wish, but be aware it can make the smoothie extremely thick when combined with frozen bananas and Greek yoghurt.
I prefer to use fresh berries, but if you want to use frozen ones, then just add more milk to the blender until it has your desired consistency.
My smoothies are really creamy and rich so I look forward to making them in the morning (Image: Katherine McPhillips)
To begin, chop a ripe banana, place the pieces in an ice tray, and freeze it overnight so you can make the smoothie the next morning. However, it will take the banana slices about two to three hours to be frozen enough to use if you want to make it the same day.
Do not place it in a sandwich bag; otherwise, they can freeze into a big lump. Make sure to only use a yellow or browning banana, as a green banana will be really starchy and simply not taste very nice.
Once you are ready to make your smoothie, add the milk and Greek yoghurt to the blender first. Then, add the bananas, blueberries and strawberries.
Blend until completely smooth and then check the texture. If the smoothie seems too thick then add a little more milk. Make sure to taste the smoothie and then add honey or maple syrup if you want it to be sweeter.
Then, all you have to do is pour your smoothie into a glass or reusable water bottle. Your smoothie should taste really creamy and rich with a delicious fruity flavour.