I know my YouTube channel has been a bit quiet lately, but this is going to change from now on. I just shot three brand new videos that will be uploaded to YouTube within the next few weeks, starting today with this green spring smoothie with mint and basil video. Smoothies are the perfect way to get nutrients into your system, especially greens. Some days I just don’t feel like preparing a salad or cooking large meals, so smoothies help me get my fair share of  vitamin K every day. One handful of basil, for example, gives you almost 100% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin K, which is important for blood clotting and blood sugar regulation. 

Experimenting with herbs in smoothies is a fun way to spice up your smoothie, and basil and mint are great herbs to start with. You might want to take it slow with the mint leaves, as they can have quite a strong taste, but other than that I think this smoothie will please even the worst smoothie haters. What’s your favorite green smoothie flavor combination? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Enjoy!

The post Video: Green Spring Smoothie with Mint and Basil appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

There’s probably no better season to enjoy green smoothies than summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love green smoothies all year around, but I just love them especially in the summer, when everything is green and bright anyways. I also love to start my day with a big green smoothie bowl more in the summer than winter because it’s such a nice and light breakfast opposite to a rather heavy warming winter porridge bowl.
This green smoothie is especially refreshing because it uses a different kind of green leaf than most smoothies: radish leaves. If you’ve been following my blog, then you may have noticed that I am a big fan of radishes and particularly their leaves. They taste amazing in soups like this cleansing green radish soup.
Radish leaves are a great alternative to commonly used greens such as spinach or kale. They have a wonderful lemon-y taste and give smoothies something really refreshing and cleansing. You can also use them as greens in your next salad – they are unbelievably versatile.

The greens are actually the most nutritious part of the radish plant, even more nutritious than the radishes themselves. The leaves are packed with minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, folate and vitamins such as vitamin A, C & K. They are also a great fiber source which makes them the perfect addition to green smoothies. Fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar into fruits in the green smoothie, which prevents our blood sugar level from piking fast. Thus, green radish leaves are one of the best green leaves that you can add to your smoothie. The other real superfood in this smoothie is bee pollen.

What are bee pollen?

You might have already heard of them, but some of you may be totally new to bee pollen. They are called superfoods because of their high nutrient density that results in many health benefits. The list of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and healthy fatty acids is so long that it would take forever to write them all down. They contain the entire list of B vitamins and all 22 amino acids that your body needs to make a complete protein (think muscle building). Moreover, they are one of the rare plant-based sources of the vitamin B12 that is usually only found in dairy or meat. B12 is one of the most important vitamins for a healthy nervous system and many metabolic functions.

Pollen are the fine powder that is found on the stamen of a flower. As bees fly from one flower to another, they collect this fine powder with their little feet and store it in their concave area. Here, the pollen are mixed with bee saliva, traces of honey and digestive enzymes and then formed into bee pollen. They are the most amazing superfood of all, because they have so many health benefits that it would take forever to write them all down. Just remember that they are an absolute beauty-food for our skin, fighting signs of age and acne on our facial skin. They are also known to cure allergies such as hay fever or help relief symptoms of PMS or joint pain. This area is, however, not widely studied yet.

Note: If you’re allergic to bee or suffer from severe allergies related to pollen, then please do not eat bee pollen before consulting a physician. Please use common sense before consuming bee pollen in any way.

The post Refreshing Green Bee Pollen Smoothie appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Green Superfood Smoothies are the perfect invention for hot summer days. I find it very hard to eat a full meal when it’s above 28°C outside, especially when it’s humid, so I found that smoothies and especially green smoothies are a great way to start the day. They provide you with some much needed nutrients that you lose due to sweat, and they fill you up for a couple of hours.
This one uses mainly seasonal ingredients which you will definitely get at this time of the year. It’s also boosted with some superfoods that provide your body with an extra touch of much needed goodness on hot summer days. It’s loaded with vitamin C from the peach cantaloupe, which helps your body fight free radicals and strengthens the immune system so you won’t be too prone to getting a summer flu. The potassium in the banana keeps the blood pressure in a normal range and helps maintain a healthy heart function. It also prevents muscle cramps and injuries, which is great for athletes and active people.
Spinach is of course one of the best greens you can put in a smoothie, because it is loaded with vitamin K, which is needed for blood clotting and maintaining healthy bones. It’s also a wonderful source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) which is an amazing antioxidant power house that protects or eyes and vision.
Hemp seeds give this smoothie a great protein boost as well as many beneficial nutrients. The little seeds are rich in healthy omega-3 fats, which help prevent heart disease, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. They are also bursting with fiber, which keeps you satisfied for hours and prevents your blood sugar level from spiking. Another great benefit is the amount of magnesium it contains. Magnesium is very important for a healthy nervous system, muscle function and energy productions. 
You see, you can’t go wrong with this smoothie. Try it tomorrow as a smoothie bowl topped with some more fresh fruit or granola and you’ll start the day nourished and healthy.

Ingredients:
Serves 2:
– 1 peach (about 100g)
– 1 banana (125g)
– 1 cup honey dew or cantaloupe (100g)
– 1/2 avocado flesh
– 1/3 cucumber
– 1 handfull fresh baby spinach
– 1 handful fresh mint leaves
– 3/4 cup coconut water (185ml)

Toppings:
– 1 tsp hemp seeds
– 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

Note:
If you’re new to green smoothies then try sprinkling only a few of the chia and hemp seeds onto your smoothie. Since your bowel system is not used to digesting so much food at once, it may happen that your digestive track will rebel against this nutrient bomb.

Remove the stone from the peach and peel the banana. Blend the coconut water with the spinach and mint leaves. Add all the other ingredients except chia seeds to your powerful blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately and sprinkle some chia seeds on top.

You can also enjoy it as a fresh smoothie bowl topped with fresh granola or fresh berries.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

The post Green Superfood Smoothie appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

This smoothie has been my go-to-drink for the past couple of weeks. It is a great pick-me-up when you’re feeling tired and weary because it’s filled with amazing goodness such as mango and avocado, which are natural superfoods. Mangos are my absolute favorite fruit at the moment. They don’t just taste amazing, but they are incredibly healthy, too. Research has shown that the high amount of antioxidants in the mango fruit can help protect against several types of cancer such as breast cancer or leukemia. The exotic fruit is also a natural skin beauty booster as it clears clogged pores and eliminates pimples. What a great excuse to eat it every day.

Totally different in taste, but just as amazing and healthy are avocados. I absolutely love avocados and I always have one at home. Avocados are packed with healthy mono-unsaturated fats called omega-3-fats. Don’t worry, this healthy kind of fat does not make your belly grow, but instead helps lower cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy. Avocados are also a great source of protein, which is why I love adding them to my smoothies as they make smoothie so much more filling, and help absorb fat-fat-soluable vitamins such as vitamin K.

Basil is another one of these everyday superfoods that we eat all the time but don’t even bother calling it a superfood. Half a cup of basil leaves provide 98% of the recommended daily vitamin K intake – the vitamin which is mainly responsible for healthy bones and blood clotting.
As you can see, this smoothie is basically medicine in a glas, so I highly recommend you try it out as soon as possible. Let me know what you think in the comment function below.

Health benefits in this Green Mango Basil Smoothie:
– fiber (important for heart health, lowers cholesterol levels)
– iron (important for healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen through your body)
– magnesium (important for a healthy nerve system, muscle health, energy production)
– omega-3-fatty-acids (prevents heart disease, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure)
– potassium (lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure)
– vitamin A (antioxidant powerhouse, anti-aging benefits, maintenance of good eye-sight)
– vitamin B5 (important for energy production; lowers cholesterol and blood pressure)
– vitamin C (good for your immune system, tissue health)
– vitamin K (important for blood clotting and healthy bones)

Enjoy!

The post Green Mango Basil Smoothie appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.