Banana Apple Smoothie

Or should I coin the term Banapple for this Smoothie! I am taking small baby steps to lose some weight and I started with lessening my intake during lunch. Somehow, reducing my food during the day was always easy for me but come evening and I really wanted to eat. So today, I tried to completely cut my carb intake during lunch and thought of this smoothie. Like I wrote previously, I am more inclined to fruits in smoothies and would need time to graduate to vege smoothies. My stock of fruits included apple, banana and safarjal (yet to search the English name for it). There were some almonds as well which I planned to grind into the smoothie, it added to the consistency and to the health benefits.
Long back, I ground up some almonds rather than slicing them into my drink. And from then on I got hooked on to the taste of almond milk although I did not know then it was used widely in place of regular milk by vegans and people with lactose intolerance.

Banana Apple Smoothie now officially Banapple Smoothie at home!

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Apple - 1
Almonds - 15 to 20
Milk - 1/2 cup

This makes exactly 1 glass of smoothie. For this recipe you need to soak the almonds for at least 4 hours, the best is if you manage to soak them for 10 - 12 hours. Grinding almonds is easy once it is soaked for a long time. You can peel the almonds and use if you like, I preferred mine with skin. A lot of recipes suggest freezing the banana for a chilled smoothie plus it gives a shaved ice effect. Grind the soaked almonds with 1 or 2 tbsp. milk. Then add the sliced apple and banana give it a run again. At this time if you think you need to add milk to get the consistency right add milk 1 spoon at a time. The smoothie is ready.

Optional: You can add a drop of natural vanilla essence or a couple of vanilla bean seeds if you like.

I popped my Banana Apple Smoothie into the freezer for a nice cold drink and topped it with a spoonful of soaked sago or sabudana which I had handy.

 

Replace the regular milk with a few more almonds and a little water and you have a Vegan Smoothie recipe!

This smoothie's Awesomeness table:
Banana - contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium and of course fiber. It may be the best source of potassium which helps in lowering blood pressure. Bananas are also known for its antacid effects which helps in keeping stomach ulcers at bay. It also contains pectin a fiber which helps in easing bowel movement alleviating constipation.
Apple - contains Vitamin C and lots of fiber. Apples also contain phytonutrients which help in regulate blood sugars and an unusual mix of polyphenols which help lower the total cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol. The apple is also purportedly said to lower the risk of asthma and certain kinds of cancer. It also has anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.
Almonds - now this one is a long list - Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Phosphorous, Calcium, Potassium, Tryptophan and copper. It helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Almonds contain nutrients that help boost brain activity and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And something we all love it for - skin and hair!

(Benefits information from : www.whfoods.com & www.care2.com)

Rose Green Tea

There are tea loyalists and then there are coffee loyalists and each guard their bastions with complete conviction. I am very much a tea drinker. Though I have to admit I stick to coffee when I travel because experience has taught me that vendors can mess a tea whereas not so much an instant coffee. After all for a coffee, all they do is add a little instant coffee to the hot water-milk-sugar mix. If it is light for your taste a little more coffee powder can be added but not so with tea! As for me, a hot cuppa strong tea in the morning coaxes me awake and helps me acknowledge the world around me. A Taiwanese ex-colleague of mine was a green tea loyalist and she had 2 cups a day at work - in mid-morning and evening. She had never had any other tea and it was the same with her family. And that's the first green tea loyalist I met.

 

That reminded me of my trip to Goa with my friend and her sister. We were still in school then and felt very important that we were making that trip alone. It did not matter that her cousin and uncle and aunt would be waiting at the bus stand for us and would escort us every minute from there on! We were staying at her cousin's place and every morning we would have Rose Tea and biscuits while sitting in the verandah  overlooking the greenery around. That was the first time I had a flavored tea and I loved it, though I am not sure if it was green!

 

Years later, when my friend visited Goa I asked her to pick a box of Rose Tea and she got me this :

The Green element to this Rose Green Tea was a bonus. I boiled a cup of water, took it off the heat and added the tea leaves. Then let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes and it was ready to be poured into a mug. Have it steaming hot especially on a cold day. I learnt from practice that a hot mugful of green tea was really good at keeping the cold away during the winters. It's beneficial in a couple of ways - keeps me warm and increases my liquid intake! As for the benefits of green tea, the internet lists quite a few: reduces the risk of heart attacks and cancer, lowers bad cholesterol, controls diabetes and some more. It is the most sought after for its anti-aging and weight loss properties. Both of which I could do with! Cheers!