The final phase of the current school year has started and time has turned into something rather  rare and valuable, the more grateful I am for the invention of smoothies! They go back a long way but it all kicked off in 1933 with the creation of the Waring Blender- thanks to Fred Osius- what a clever man!

Smoothies are so easy to make, with endless variations and they fill you up for a good amount of time- plus in the right combination they can be the perfect fuel for essay writing and endless hours of reading ! I have to admit that green smoothies can look a bit scary and it might take some convincing to actually drink one for the first time, BUT they are in fact super nice, you just need to make sure you choose the right fruit and vegetables.

Before we start on the ingredients, just a quick reminder why smoothies are so good to have. Unlike juices, smoothies are made up of the whole vegetable or fruit, so with all the nutrients and good fibre which is perfectly broken down by the blender and makes everything easier to digest. On top of that, smoothies slowly release energy, so you will feel fuller for longer. For even more good fibre, minerals and vitamins add a tbsp of chia seeds to your breakfast smoothie- so good and so delicious.

Irma’s beginner friendly Green Smoothie is made with bananas & almond butter – such a lovely combination, super nice as a breakfast or afternoon ‘pick me up’ option. The high mineral, vitamin and carbohydrate content of bananas, together with the good oils, proteins and more minerals from the almond butter also make this a great post workout smoothie. Adding the greens top up this drink with even more goodness – what not to like about that ?

Here is what you need for Irma’s Green Smoothie – serves 1

250 ml organic rice , almond or cashew milk
1 small organic banana – sliced and ideally frozen for a lovely creamy texture
2 cups of organic lettuce or spinach
1 tbsp of almond butter
1-2 tsp of wheat grass powder (optional-start with one tsp and see how you go )
1 cm vanilla of vanilla pod ( optional)
1 tsp of hulled hemp seeds  to garnish ( optional)

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, drink straight away or fill into bottle, close tight and refrigerate- consume within 24hours. A little tip : Keep your smoothie cool by simply using a thermos flask –  put the empty thermos flask in the freezer for 1/2 an hour before filling it with your smoothie. Enjoy!