Strawberry banana smoothie with vegan pea protein powder

Fresh strawberry banana smoothie, an ideal breakfast

This strawberry banana smoothie with vegan pea protein powder is more ice cream than a smoothie, yet apt for the year's warmer months or reminiscence of. Laced with cinnamon and vanilla, it's incredible how so few ingredients can come together, creating something so nourishingly simple yet delicious.

Breakfast smoothies are a way of removing complications from meals and the addition of vegan pea protein powder makes it all that much easier to reach your nutritional needs.

They are richer in fibre unlike juicing, quick to make, and flavoursome, this one with a significant amount of protein for those concerned about their protein intake on a plant-based diet. Here we used the Salted Caramel flavoured vegan protein from NOODE, with 80.8 g of protein per 100 g. It has a pleasant, light salted caramel taste.

We originally published this smoothie in our first ebook, Start. If you are yet to subscribe to our newsletter, you can sign up and access your free copy by following this link.

The base of this breakfast smoothie is organic bananas, two per serving. We love frozen bananas in our smoothies for the taste, the texture and the nutrition. They have digestive health benefits and are rich in potassium and magnesium. Imagined as a seasonal smoothie recipe, we paired the bananas with strawberries. The bonus with fruits is that you can use them fresh, if you are in season, here late spring or summer, but it is also easy to lean towards frozen fruits when out of season. The other benefit of frozen fruits is their affordability, and they also contain almost the same amount of nutrients as their non-frozen version.

Fresh and feisty, I found strawberries are the epitome of the luscious sweetness of fruits, bringing flavour vibrance in any sugared recipe, like this breakfast smoothie. Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, fibre, and potassium for those focused on nutritional value. With one and a half cups of strawberries per serving, you are almost guaranteed to reach your daily intake of Vitamin C straight in the morning. In addition, strawberries contain antioxidants which, paired with collagen-boosting Vitamin C, helps maintain a good complexion. I even read that eating a few strawberries a day will make your skin glow!

Furthermore, the berries family has similar health benefits. I recently perused this post from Simon Hill, sharing a study concluding that berries are highly beneficial for brain health. The advantage of this strawberry banana smoothie with vegan pea protein is indeed its versatility. You can easily switch the berry fruits without compromising the taste. A simple way to incorporate diversity in your diet without much effort. Yes, to breakfast smoothies.

We often hear or read that beauty starts from the inside, so is good health, but while this comes from a place of common sense, let's keep in mind that food happiness is also a question of balance. I recently watched this video from nutritionist and influencer Ellie Bullen where she shared her personal experience with orthorexia. She discussed how her quest for healthiness went too far, to the point of obsession and lost pleasure in nourishment, and her recovery so far. Insightful and inspiring for those going through similar struggles.

I am a firm believer that enjoyment is a crucial element of food. What is the point of eating something if it doesn't make us happy? But health obsession is an easy road to take. On my life journey to avoid doctors and health issues as much as possible, I sometimes questioned whether I should eat certain types of food, even plant-based. These moments are an opportunity to reframe my mindset and stick to the essentials. Life is short, and we should spend our energy, physical or mental, on positives. Knowledge helps. I am reading The Proof is in The Plants from Simon Hill, deepening my comprehension of optimal plant-based nutrition; and reading to learn what a healthy diet should look like while still enjoying my meals, like a strawberry banana smoothie, without guilt. Balance.