Tropical Breakfast Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way of squeezing in all the good stuff in a quick, convenient and very delicious way. This is one of my favourite recipes as it tastes of a warm summer's day. The addition of coconut milk adds a wonderful creaminess.

For this recipe I used oat milk as the base but you can use any plant milk, juice or simply water ... feel free to experiment and see which you prefer.

And if you want a lighter drink, just leave out the oats. It also makes a lovely version of piña colada with the addition of a splash of white rum ... although probably not for breakfast!

Enjoy and please let me know what you think in the comments.

Ingredients

• 1 small banana

• A handful of fresh or frozen mango

• A handful of fresh or frozen pineapple

• 3 dessert spoons of oats

• 1 dessert spoon of ground seeds ... I use a mixture of chia, flax and hemp

• 150ml of milk or juice of your choice

• Optional: Coconut milk from a can to make it creamier; tropical or pineapple juice for sweetness

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. To make this into a smoothie bowl, just add less liquid

2. Top with fruit of your choice and sprinkle on some ground seeds.

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Health benefits

• Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B6 and carbohydrate

• Mango is low in calories yet high in nutrients, particularly vitamin C that boosts immunity, iron absorption and growth and repair

• Pineapples are high in fibre to aid digestion, and phytonutrients including bromelain that is anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial

• Oats and oat milk can help lower cholesterol and stabilise blood sugar. They contain antioxidants including avenanthramides which are anti-inflammatory and help to protect against heart disease and high blood pressure. They are also packed full of other nutrients like thiamine, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, manganese, selenium and iron

• Ground chia, flax and hemp seeds are a good source of protein and contain omega 3 fatty acids essential to heart health. They are also high in fibre to help control blood glucose and cholesterol.