After months of watching other people head off on holidays, RJ and I are finally taking a break and making our way through America-land for a few weeks.
In my absence the lovely Claire is here to ply you with treats. You may remember Claire from a few months back when I guest posted over on her site – she was one of those aforementioned holidaying people – and it’s great to have her here. Thanks again!
(Oh, and if you want to follow our eating adventure holiday, Instagram is probably the best bet, make sure to say hi)
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Hi, I’m Claire from Claire K Creations and I’m excited to be repaying a favour to the lovely JJ. While I was living it up in her hometown NYC in June, she shared her samphire and kipfler potato salad with all my readers, so it only seems fair that I share a treat with you guys while she’s gallivanting across The States.
I’m a bit of a sweet tooth and you’ll find far too many indulgent baked goodies over on my blog but seeing as JJ is so good and healthy I figured I should behave myself while on her turf.
I’m not actually that naughty an eater, I just have a weakness for baking. My usual morning starts off with a smoothie consisting of a whole lot of fruit, some veges, nuts, chia seeds and a bit of yoghurt. At least if I get a healthy start it sets me up for the day.
The warmer weather has crept up a little early here in Queensland (YAY!) and the other afternoon I found myself craving something nice and cold for afternoon tea. Smoothies may be my favourite for breakfast but I also like to play around with smaller versions in the arvo to get me through to pre-dinner nibbles, ahem I mean dinner.
I try to make them a little lighter and leave out the dairy but to me a smoothie still needs to be creamy. Enter frozen banana and nuts (or nut milk if you prefer). Frozen banana blended up with a little liquid is like ice-cream. In fact I sometimes blend it with some cocoa and a little vanilla and fool myself into thinking I’m having chocolate ice-cream – it’s that good.
Anyway back to my afternoon smoothie. This version combines the creaminess of banana with the tartness of raspberries and some almonds and chia seeds for protein. I like to use whole almonds and water because my hardcore blender grinds them up to a drinkable texture. If you don’t want any chunks then you can substitute almond milk for the water and almonds.
However you make it you will have a refreshing and seriously healthy treat to get you through the afternoon. I’m not really sure how many serves this should be. I may have drunk the whole thing myself. You could probably stretch it between two people. Enjoy!
Thanks for having me JJ. I hope you’re having a great time away.
You can find Claire at her blog – Claire K Creations as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
Banana Berry Smoothie
A Claire K Creations original recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 30g raw almonds
- 100g frozen raspberries
- 100g frozen banana
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 150 – 200ml filtered water
METHOD
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you like a very liquid smoothie, add a bit more water.
vegan // vegetarian // dairy-free // gluten-free
Thanks for having me JJ! Hope you’re having a wonderful time!
So pretty Claire! Did you drink all three of those? 🙂 I would have, it sounds so……. good!
Gorgeous colours Claire 🙂 Perfect weather too! Hope you’re having fun JJ!
Ha ha – Chris asked the question I was going to ask. Claire, did you drink them all? So pink and pretty and “girly”.
Such a pretty smoothie, I love the color!
It is getting warmer in Perth too but the weather is yet to make up its mind so we have days of hot and cold. Love this smoothie, it is so bright and intense. Hope you enjoy your holidays 🙂