A great alternative to dairy milk would be almond milk -- a kind of milk that is made with water and almonds. It is healthier than dairy milk because aside from being a rich natural source of essential minerals and vitamins, almond milk contains no cholesterol and is low in sugar. Aside from drinking it, almond milk can also be used in cooking and baking both savory and sweet dishes and drinks and that includes preparing an almond milk smoothie!
Their consistency is similar to milkshakes and slush beverages and they are as refreshing, but much healthier. When you use almond milk to make a smoothie, it becomes even healthier and more flavorful! Plus, it's quite easy to make your own almond milk smoothie also there are a lot of recipes to choose from that you can make it a goal to try out all them! You can mix and match ingredients according to your preference, so not only do you get to drink something healthy, you can also have fun making it!
Ingredients and Equipment
The consequent smoothie of this recipe won't just satisfy your thirst, it will also make you feel complete because of its various ingredients, particularly the oats. In a sense, it's like a type of food that you drink instead of eating it. Whatever the case, you'll find yourself chewing some pieces of nuts, fruits, and seeds while taking this smoothie. You will need the following ingredients:
8 almonds (no need to remove their skins)
2 tablespoons of oats
1 tablespoon of pumpkin or flax seeds
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 medium sized banana
1 kiwifruit
2 huge handfuls of berries (based on your preference or whichever is in season)
3 tablespoons of natural and plain yogurt
250 ml almond milk
Other flavourings and sweeteners (honey, almond extract, nectar, maple syrup, etc) are optional.
For your equipment, you'll need just a blender or a smoothie machine and some tall ice cream flutes.
Making your Almond Milk Smoothie
If you choose to make your own almond milk, do that first. Soak a cup of almonds overnight or longer, rinse them, and combine them with two cups of plain water.
Blend them into a nice texture by means of a smoothie blender or machine. Then you add the banana, berries, kiwi, yogurt, almond milk, and sweetener or flavouring of your choice until the mixture becomes smooth. Use a small drop of almond extract to make the smoothie taste like candy!
If you want a nuttier or an almond milk smoothie that has a chewy texture, you can opt to include the almonds once you make the true smoothie or just top it with crushed almonds (or even the almond meal from homemade almond milk) or seeds of your choice. You can also decrease the mixing time of the mixture so the seeds, nuts, and fruits can be a little more solid. Again, people's tastes vary so that you can experiment on the type of texture and flavour of your smoothie.
Pour the completed mixture into a tall ice cream flute and enjoy your beverage or store it in the refrigerator for future consumption or if you'd like it to be colder (although you can also blend in some ice when making it so that you can have a cold drink right away).
Nutritional Content and Benefits
Almond milk alone already has different nutrients that the body can benefit from, that which more from the other ingredients? A cup of almond milk is around 240 ml plus it already contains protein, unsaturated fat, magnesium, selenium, manganese, calcium, and vitamin E.
For an almond milk smoothie, the carbs and nutritional content will depend on the other ingredients you use, but generally, it's quite a healthy beverage. A serving is roughly around 16 ounces and has at least 180 calories. Berries are good sources of antioxidants that are good for the cells, so use as much as you want when making this smoothie. With the banana, you get Vitamin B for energy, potassium for proper cell function, fiber for good digestion, and even vitamin C for boosting immunity. Oats lower cholesterol and reduce the chances of having heart ailments. From pumpkin seeds, you can get zinc for development and also from sunflower seeds, you linoleic acid, amino acids, fiber, and B vitamins. Finally, vitamins C, E, and K are found in the kiwifruit.
Basically, it is you who determine how healthy your almond milk smoothie is going to be, so make this delicious beverage as often as you would like!
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