The First Weekly Dose
A delicious mocha smoothie recipe, what's in season in April and the first of many recommendations
Hello and Welcome to my Substack and the First Weekly Dose!
I am so grateful to all of you who have signed up and subscribed to receive my weekly emails and wanted to say a huge thank you to you all.
It honestly motivates me everyday to know that people are committed to making nutrition and lifestyle changes to support their health and happiness and I’m thrilled you’ve chosen me to help you on your way.
So, to kick off the start of April, here is a delicious Mocha smoothie recipe!
I am a big fan of smoothies and find them a great way to add in a variety of nutritious fruit and vegetables. They work well as an addition to breakfast or as a snack. I always recommend my clients to make their own, rather than go for shop bought varieties which tend to contain lots of tasty fruit, but not much protein or fibre, which is crucial for supporting our blood glucose levels, mood and appetite.
I’ve written a blog post on making smoothies if you’d like to experiment with making your own which you can access here.
Mocha Smoothie recipe
The addition of protein and cacao powder help support blood glucose levels whilst providing a delicious taste and additional micronutrients (iron, magnesium and zinc).
When looking at protein powders, I’d recommend checking the ingredients to ensure there are no additives/emulsifiers in them that may affect our health long term. My favourite brands include Form Nutrition and Nuzest which both have a variety of other flavours, if you’re not the biggest fan of vanilla. Here is a little more info on protein powders if you’re interested in exploring alternatives (What’s the deal with protein powders).
Similarly with plant milks, I’d recommend checking the ingredients to ensure there aren’t additional sugars, seed oils, additives or emulsifiers included too. My preferred brand for plant milks is either Plenish or for the oat milk lovers out there, the beige organic Oatly.
Ingredients:
250mls Unsweetened Almond Milk
¼ cup coffee (brewed)
1 banana
25g vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp cacao powder (cocoa also ok to use)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Notes:
Leftovers: Best enjoyed immediately. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Prefer it sweeter: add in a date or a drizzle of honey/maple syrup
No protein powder: add 2 tbsp hemp seeds, chia seeds or ground flaxseeds instead.
Nut free: use nut free milk such as oat milk
More veggies: add in a handful of spinach, kale or frozen cauliflower (trust me, you can barely taste it!)
To download a copy of this recipe, click the button below:
A reminder of what is in season:
I love podcasts and always find myself recommending various episodes to clients throughout our work together, depending on what we’ve discussed during our sessions. I encourage them to pop one on whilst walking, pottering, commuting, cooking, in the bath, whatever works best for them. I’ve found them to be such a valuable tool, not just for learning, but discovering the work of inspiring experts too.
My podcast recommendation for this month is: The No.1 Health Expert: The One Food (WE ALL EAT) That’s Killing Us Slowly: with Max Lugavere
Another great episode from Steven chatting to Max looking at how food, nutrition and lifestyle habits can impact our brain health and function. They include practical steps we can all take to support our mental and physical health on a daily basis.
Still to come in April:
4 delicious and nutritious speedy recipes
More tips, tricks, recommended products & brands to help make healthy eating 2nd nature
Gentle and digestible nutritional information and education as well as some myth busting
My favourite food brands this month
Q&A where you can ask me any questions