During the colder seasons, there’s no reason to give up having a delicious green smoothie. However, the cold is not as appealing as in summer, hence the winter smoothie that is made with a warm base. Find out.
- What’s in it for winter smoothies?
- What makes a winter smoothie different
- This is how to make a winter smoothie
- Winter smoothie recipes
When the temperatures start to drop, cold shakes are no longer so appealing, but if you like them and they make you feel good, there is a solution to continue your good habit: winter smoothies that warm you up inside and are also satiating.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR WINTER SMOOTHIES?
Smoothies provide you with lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidant phytochemicals, and fiber. They contribute to health due to their nutritional content, strengthen defenses against viruses and bacteria, and have purifying properties. They are ideal for starting the day off right, especially if you do sports.
An advantage of smoothies is that, as the ingredients are crushed, the assimilation of nutrients is very effective. And when you drink it hot, it gives you a feeling of comfort, ideal to start the day as breakfast or to end it as dinner.
WHAT MAKES A WINTER SMOOTHIE DIFFERENT
Of course, you can also drink your favorite cold smoothies in winter, but you may not find some ingredients. If you made them with summer fruits, you could only get them frozen or imported.
You can use frozen varieties without any problem, but you should be careful with imported fruits and vegetables.
In general, if they are not of organic quality, they can contain significant amounts of pesticides and may never fully ripen because they have been harvested prematurely to withstand the journeys. In addition, they are not sustainable foods due to the great environmental impact of their transport and conservation.
The winter smoothie is not about heating a summer smoothie, because the flavor would be lost and many vitamins and phytochemicals would disappear. The difference is that winter smoothies use hot liquid foundations.
The base of your winter smoothie can be an infusion or a plant-based milk. Then, simply mix your base with fall vegetables and seasonal fruits and integrate it all well.
Don’t overheat the base because the vitamins in the vegetables and fruits would also be destroyed. If you want to use frozen vegetables or fruits, let them thaw first, and don’t eat them until they’re at room temperature.
THIS IS HOW TO MAKE A WINTER SMOOTHIE
Once you’ve decided on a base, you heat it to an ideal drinking temperature. In the meantime, for example, you can get your hands on the most suitable vegetables and fruits for your smoothie:
- Kale, kale, and spinach are all great ingredients for rich winter smoothies.
- Apples and citrus are in season and are ideal for sweet smoothies.
- If you want to make it even more wintery, you can add nuts or nut butter and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, anise, and ginger in the vitamin drink.
- Put your warm base, fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices in the blender and mix everything together. Once it’s well crushed, consume it right away.
WINTER SMOOTHIE RECIPES
You can try and add whatever you feel like and create your own recipe. Keep in mind that all the fruits and vegetables you use for your winter smoothie should be at room temperature, so as not to chill the whole. Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:
MANDARIN AND CASHEW SMOOTHIE
Ingredients for one serving:
- 4 tangerines
- 40 g raw cashews
- 100 g baby spinach
- 1 banana
- Cinnamon and cardamom (to taste)
- Hot base: 100 ml cashew milk
ORANGE, CARROT AND GINGER SMOOTHIE
Ingredients for one serving:
- 2 oranges
- 3 yellow carrots
- 1 cm piece of ginger, peeled
- Green anise powder to taste
- Hot base: 100 ml herbal tea (e.g., ginger or fennel)
WINTER APPLE SMOOTHIE
Ingredients for one serving:
- 1 apple
- 1 pear
- 1 teaspoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 20 g walnuts
- Cinnamon to taste
- Warm base: 100 ml almond milk
OATMEAL & BERRY SMOOTHIE
Ingredients for one serving:
- 200g mixed berries (fully thawed and at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp thin oats
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup
- Vanilla and cinnamon to taste
- Warm base: 100 ml oat milk
