Drinks · Smoothies

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

 Brighten your day with this smoothie juice drink made with tropical fruits, creamy natural yoghurt and packed with vitamin C. It tastes like you’re sipping on sunshine! 

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I know what you might be thinking. A tropical fruit smoothie, what about pumpkin and other seasonal recipes? Yes, I know, but I’m a summery person at heart. I like autumn for many reasons, just not the chilly, grey days. So from time to time when I need a sweet reminder of what are now distant summer days, I will make this gorgeous, fruity smoothie.

I love all different fruits, but it’s the tropical fruits that are my particular favourite. There’s something about the taste of mango, pineapple and orange that just transports my taste buds to a tropical corner of the world away from cold and rainy UK.

Smoothies remain one of my favoured foods to make because they don’t require much effort and take just a few minutes to prepare. As with most smoothies all you’ll need to do to make this tropical version is place the ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker, whizz it all up, pass through a fine mesh sieve (this step is optional), blend again with the yoghurt and finally pour your homemade smoothie into a glass. So simple and you’re just minutes away from tropical heaven!

Like I mentioned above, for this smoothie I like to pass the blended fruit through a fine mesh sieve before blending with the yoghurt. This catches all the pulp and it will make a smoother textured smoothie. A lot of recipes I’ve seen don’t go to the bother of passing the pulp through a sieve, but I’m not too keen on bits/pulp in my smoothies or OJ, however it’s all down to your own personal preference.

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This deliciously easy recipe is also optionally vegan. Swap the natural yoghurt for dairy-free yoghurt or just leave it out entirely and enjoy a homemade tropical juice! If you want an even healthier smoothie, try adding a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach.

Now grab yourself one of these smoothies and start dreaming of somewhere tropical you’d like to escape to!

(Makes 2)

Ingredients:

225g (1 cup) fresh or frozen pineapple chunks

1 medium ripe mango, cut into small chunks

2 large oranges, peeled, segmented and cut into small chunks

125g (1/2 cup) natural yoghurt (you can use mango or pineapple flavoured yoghurt)

Method:

  1. Place the fruit in a blender. Blend until smooth and well combined. Pass the fruit purée through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the pulp.
  2. Add the sieved fruit purée back to your blender and add the yoghurt. Blend again until smooth.
  3. Pour smoothie into glasses and serve.

Recipe Notes:

  • Natural yoghurt can be substituted with Greek yoghurt, another flavoured yoghurt such as mango, pineapple or dairy-free coconut yoghurt if you want to make this smoothie suitable for vegans.
  • If you prefer your smoothie on the slightly thicker side, try using frozen mango and pineapple chunks. Just remember to thaw the frozen fruit for a while before making your smoothie. Alternatively you can add a couple of ice cubes if your blender is powerful enough.
  • This smoothie is at its best eaten straight away, but it will keep covered in the fridge for a few hours.
  • Fruit should be sweet enough, however if you think your smoothie needs a bit extra sweetness add a drizzle of agave nectar, honey or another sweetener of your choice.
  • Recipe makes two small smoothies or one larger serving, but it can can easily be doubled to make more.

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Drinks · Travel

Easy Homemade Lemonade

Easy Homemade Lemonade. 3-ingredients and unbelievably simple and quick to make. It’s refreshing, tangy and the perfect quench-thirsting drink to sip on a warm summer day. 

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As you read this blog post, I’m currently relaxing in the beautiful Mediterranean in sunny paradise. It’s a much needed break, after a long year of studies and working on my blog. It’s nice to have 2 weeks dedicated to total relaxation. When I’m back I have lots more recipes lined up for the blog and I’ll definitely be sharing pictures from our trip.

So back to today’s recipe. For me there is nothing quite like a glass of ice cold lemonade on a boiling hot day. It’s one of my favourite summer drinks and I knew this year I needed to share a basic recipe on how to make your own homemade lemonade. You will have this fab and easy recipe on hand ready for those hot summer days. Luckily the English summer has been fantastic so far with soaring temperatures and long sunny days and evenings so I’ve had the chance to enjoy this delicious lemonade many times!

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My recipe couldn’t be any easier to make! I mean it’s not really even a recipe because it’s so incredibly easy and quick to prepare! You won’t believe that all you have to do is stir together just 3 ingredients, chill and it’s ready to drink!

Most lemonade recipes on the web are over complicated and require standing over hot stove and making sugar syrup. When it’s a gazillion degrees outside I don’t know about you but the last place I want to be is in a hot kitchen stirring something over the stove.

It’s really important to stir the lemonade well before chilling as you really need to dissolve all the sugar otherwise it will have a gritty texture.

Plus it’s such a good feeling when you have make homemade lemonade – it’s 100% fresh and free from all those added flavourings, additives and colourings. This lemonade is still but if preferred you can swap the cold water for sparkling water. Making a drink recipe for the blog gave me the perfect opportunity to use these beautiful floral straws sent to me by my lovely friend Jemma at Iced Jems.

(Makes 2 litres)

Ingredients:

4 lemons, juiced

1 litre cold water – you can use sparkling water, if preferred

100g (1/2 cup) caster or superfine sugar

Method:

  • In a large pitcher (2 litres) combine the lemon juice, water and sugar. Simply stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Chill the lemonade in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, pour into a glass and garnish with ice cubes and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

jess

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Christmas · Drinks

Pomegranate Lime Fizz

Pomegranate juice served with lemon and lime soda. A delicious and fresh nonalcoholic drink, perfect for the upcoming party season. 

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This is my favourite drink to enjoy around Christmas time! So today I’m sharing a nonalcoholic drink that’ll be great to drink over the festive season. It’s not even a recipe because it’s so super easy and quick to prepare. The flavours of pomegranate and lime pair well together and no one flavour is too strong or stands out, they all compliment each other. Though this is a mocktail, I promise you, you won’t even miss the alcohol. It’s become somewhat of a tradition in our house to drink this fizz over the Christmas period, seconds all round is guaranteed!

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(Makes 1)

Ingredients:

100ml pomegranate juice

200ml limemade (or lemon and lime flavoured soda water)

Good squeeze of fresh lime juice (more or less to taste)

To serve –

Pomegranate seeds

Lime slices or wedges

Ice

Method:

  • In a glass, start by pouring in the pomegranate juice. Then pour over the limeade (or flavoured soda water). Finish by dropping in a few slices or wedges of lime. Also, sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds if you desire. Serve ice-cold.

Blog post and pictures updated in October 2016. I’d previously shared this recipe along with a bit of writing on having my recipe featured in BBC Good Food magazine in a Christmas winter comfort food booklet, after it had been previously featured in the magazine and on the website back in May earlier that year. This drink recipe was created as a toast to this success.

Enjoy!

jess

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