I was in Berlin for Easter and had the most amazing sweet potato smoothie. I hadn’t even thought about adding sweet potato to a smoothie , what a genius idea! It took some time to get the flavour right, but I think I got there in the end. It’s ranking one of my favourites at the moment. Made with  rice milk, frozen strawberries, cucumber and almond butter, it makes the perfect start into a day !

Here a little about the ingredients : sweet potatoes are one of the oldest vegetables known to man, they are an excellent source of carotenes which gives them their fabulous deep orange colour, the deeper the orange the better. They are also a good source of vitamin C, B2, B6 and minerals including manganese, copper and biotin, which, together with the carotene, makes them the perfect skin glowing smoothie ingredient. Next in line, strawberries, they are not in season yet so I chose the frozen variety. These deep red berries are rich in antioxidant flavonoids and vitamin C as well as folic acid and biotin, so more goodness for our skin. Cooling and hydrating cucumber can already be found locally grown in some shops. Finally almond butter, it doesn’t only give a delicious flavour it also adds protein, good oils, vitamin E and minerals. So good!!

What I find best about smoothies is that they take next to no time to make and you can prepare the ingredients in advance. I always have a great variety of  berries and other fruit in the freezer, ready to add to my smoothies. The thing to do is to buy fruit when they are in season, so at the height of their nutritional value, and freeze a big batch to keep for the winter months. Because it’s  my favourite smoothie at the moment, I literally tend to chop and bake 3-4 sweet potatoes at a time and freeze them once they have cooled down- it’s all about being well prepared – saves so much time. And here is what you need:

Sweet potato smoothie – 250ml
1 cup of baked or steamed sweet potato (organic if possible)
1-2 cup of  organic rice or almond milk
1 cup of frozen strawberries ( if you have fresh strawberries add 1-2 ice cube)
1/3 cup of cucumber ( sliced – if organic keep the skin on)
1/2 tbsp of organic almond butter
1-2 pieces of pineapple ( fresh or frozen-optional but adds a great twist)
fresh mint to garnish- optional

Method
To prepare the sweet potato, peel, cut into cubes and bake on a baking tray lined with baking paper at 180C for around 25minutes, give a shake now and again, so they bake evenly. Leave to cool completely before use or freezing. Once all ingredients are ready, just place in a blender and blend until a nice and smooth – either drink straight away or fill into a bottle and consume on the day of preparation. The secure your daily smoothie with little work, prepare ingredients, freeze portion sizes and use when needed.

Enjoy!