Easy, Quick, Environmentally friendly and Frugal Green Thickies

The recipes in this Green Thickie series called ‘Simple, Seasonal, Save’ have so many benefits:

• Recipes are very quick to make
• Ingredients are easy to find
• Not many different ingredients to add
• Recipes are not complicated
• Uses seasonal ingredients so much better for the environment as they are more likely to be local or not shipped so far
• Ingredients will taste better as they are in season
• Smoothies are easier on the digestion as they have less ingredients
• They will save you money as seasonal ingredients are cheaper
• They will also save you money as you won’t have to buy as many different ingredients
• You will actually be able to taste the fruit in the recipe as there aren’t many ingredients
• There will be less wastage as you won’t have to buy so many different ingredients you don’t end up using
• They are quite a lot lower in calories than some other series (dessert thickies) so you will hopefully lose weight too
• They generally don’t have added sweeteners which is much healthier as your blood sugars will remain steadier, and this will lead to less cravings for sweet food.

I must admit, I have a sweet tooth and really enjoy complex recipes, so my favourite series of all was the dessert thickies with added greens.  But there’s only so long your body and your wallet can cope with more complex and rich foods all the time.  Sometimes, especially in summer you will find yourself craving more simple refreshing foods.  This Simple, Seasonal and Save series couldn’t have come at a better time.  Try one with the knowledge that all you’ll taste is a creamy version of the fruit that’s included in it.  This means it’s vital you use ripe fruit.  If your fruit isn’t ripe and sweet before you put it in, it won’t taste good at all.  If your smoothie isn’t sweet enough, do feel free to add some healthy sweeteners such as agave nectar, molasses or dates.  Bananas usually do a good job of sweetening up smoothies too.  I will be including more recipes in this series in the summer when there is an abundance of ripe fruit and at least one recipe a month throughout the rest of the year.

Start your day with a Green Thickie every morning and within a couple of weeks you’ll have so much more energy and will have reduced your cravings for unhealthy foods.