Green Smoothies with Apples, Kiwi and Manuka Honey 奇异青冰沙

If you have been following my blog, you probably noticed I am into smoothies nowadays. Well, reasons are many. It's cooling, it's packed with nutrition that can be directly absorbed by our bodies and most importantly, it is yummy and we all love it!  :)

Today I made this feel good smoothie for my big guy and my little girl who are both not feeling too well -running nose, no thanks to our temperamental weather. Unlike the previous smoothies, it has a slight sourish taste due to the kiwi, hence I added Manuka honey to balance it. 

My little boy doesn't like kiwi when serve fresh, probably due to its sourness; however when served as smoothie, he gobbled down the entire cup without me asking :)

Why kiwi? This fuzzy little fruit originated from China but made popular by the New Zealander is packed with nutrition and is probably one of the most nutrition dense fruit, it offers benefits from disease prevention (high fiber, antioxidant) to supplier of vitamins (acic folic, vitamin C, vitamin E) and minerals (calcium, copper).  It's pretty amazing that one small fuzzy fruit contains so much of nutrient!

Green apples, on the other hand, are packed with fiber, vitamin A, B, C & E, low in cholesterol and it has this tartaric and malefic acid that helps to prevent constipation, diarrhea and indigestion. In fact, it's one of the frequent fruits you can find in our fridge.

Mixed these two green guardian fruits with lemon and Manuka honey, now you see why I called this the Feel-Good Smoothies? :)

Ingredients:

4 medium green apples 四粒中型青苹果

3 green kiwis 三粒奇异果

1/2 lemon, extract the juice 半颗柠檬汁

3-4 spoons of Manuka honey (adjust according to your liking) 三-四茶匙Manuka蜂蜜

6-8 ice cubes 六至八颗冰块

Step-by-Step Guides:
1. Mix honey and lemon juice with 1/2 cup of warm water. Set aside.

2. Wash and cut all the fruits into cubes, toss into the blender and add the honey lemon juice. Blend on high speed for 20-30seconds. Add the ice cubes last.

3. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Useful Tips!

• Please take note that honey is not recommended for children under 1 yo as there is a potential of allergic reaction. If you are not comfortable to serve honey to little one under 2 yo, you may substitute green kiwi with golden kiwi which is sweeter hence you may skip the honey.
• When choosing kiwi, go for those that are plump and slightly firm when touch, and no visible bruises or wrinkles on the surface.

Reference Links..

http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/superfoods/sf_kiwi/
http://greenapplebenefits.com/category/green-apple-health-benefits/

Orange Booster Smoothies - Orange, Honey, Lemon & Banana

Big Guy is working late tonight, in fact he had been staying up late these few nights, so I whipped up this vitamin C booster smoothie for him before I head off to bed.

Here's a big cup my Big Guy...

And one slightly smaller cup for myself as reward... :)

Why I called this Booster Smoothie? Simple because...

Purple Smoothies - Dragon Fruits & Banana Smoothies 紫色冰沙-火龙果香蕉

It's been such a hot month, not a single rain drop, just melting tropical sun that burns the skin. So I decided to make some smoothies to combat the unbearable heat before anyone of us got dehydrated (excuse excuse.. the truth is we just love smoothies :)).

Dragon fruit is an ideal choice; it is naturally sweet, high in fiber, vitamin C and is a good source of anti-oxidant. It's locally produced so getting a fresh one is really not that difficult. I usually pick the pink dragon fruits instead of white ones, as they have higher vitamin C content. Besides, go for the fruit that is heavy and firm when hold in hand, and a tip the store worker told me was - check for fresh looking "spikes" on the outer layer, that's a sign of fresh and juicy dragon fruit.

This smoothies is so simple that it can be ready less than 10 minutes, absolutely no flavoring or sugar required.

Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: Not required
Serving for: 4 cups

Ingredients:
1 dragon fruit 火龙果一粒

2 medium size ripe bananas 香蕉两条

1 cup / 240ml fresh milk or low-fat milk 一杯或240ml鲜奶/低脂牛奶

6-8 ice cubes 六至八颗冰块

How to cut the dragon fruit with least mess? Just scope around it using a spoon then make tic-tac-toe cuts using a knife. Give it a light push and the flesh with come off easily.

Step-by-Step Guides:
1. Wash and cut all the fruits into cubes, toss into the blender and pour in the milk. 

2. Blend on high speed for 20-30seconds. Add the ice cubes last. This is how it should look like, before and after..

3. If the mixture is too thick, dilute with some milk; If its too thin, add a little more banana or ice.

4. Chill the smoothies in the fridge for 30 minutes, or serve as is if you just cannot resist, like me. ;)

Yum... Anyone care for a cup of this Purple Smoothie? 

Just some Tips..

• This is a naturally sweeten smoothie, while I found that many will add sugar or honey to it, it is really not necessary.

• Due to the high fiber content, dragon fruit is ideal to ease constipation problem too.

• Pink Dragon Fruit may stains the cloth, so avoid to let your little one self-feed. I only let my 18 mo to have a few sips as I discourage cold drink for young infant.  Even for elder toddler you may want to serve in moderation, i.e. just one small kid's cup.

Creamy Avocado Smoothies 牛油果冰沙

*updated*
Not an avocado lover? Give this smoothies a try and you may think again. Living in a city where midday temperature can reach as high as 38°c, a cooling smoothies is just nice to combat the heat. With a little deco, this greenish smoothies can be transformed into a really tempting dessert.

Little Ethan was so delighted to see his "green yogurt" (as what he called it), and he said this to me after tasting a big spoonful -- "Mommy, this is so good! It is so nice that you made this for me..".

Needless to say, I'm happy beyond words :)

Hope you & your little one will enjoy this healthy treat too. You may dribble some chocolate chips to give an extra kick :)

Preparation Time: 10 min
Serving for: 4 persons

Ingredients:
2 medium ripe avocados
1 1/4 cup fresh milk (you may replace with BM or FM for baby under 1 year old)
4 table spoons honey or agave sweetener (adjust the sweetness according to your liking)*
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
8-10 ice cubes

* Suggest to skip honey if serving for baby under 12m. Please read the footnote at the bottom of this page.

Steps by Steps Guide:
1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh using a spoon.
2. Mix avocado flesh, honey and lemon juice, blend the mixture until creamy smooth. Add the ice cubes and continue blending.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 cups, decorate with cut fruits or serve as is with a spoon.

Useful Tips!
1. A ripe avocado is really soft and has a dark green / brown color skin. If you bought an avocado that is still hard, store it at normal room temperature for few days until it's soften. Do not refrigerate it.

2. If there is any left over smoothies, put them in a cube tray and freeze it for few hours, you'll get a nice avocado dessert (see the sea shells and heart shapes avocado dessert below). I added some chocolate chips as bonus for Ethan.

A Note on Honey for Young Babies...

A reader asked at what age can she introduce this smoothie to her little one? 

• For baby from 6m onward, you shall serve avocado with only milk, either BM or FM are fine, no honey nor ice required.
• Do avoid serving honey to baby under 12m to avoid potential allergy reaction. Besides, when serving honey to baby above 1 year old, do practice the 3-day monitoring rules when introducing new food, where you should watch out for symptom such as rashes, swallen, diarrhea. Seek medical advice immediately if any allergy reaction spotted. 
• You may skip the ice when serving for young babies. It will be less creamy but still tasty none-the-less.