It's Pepper Time - Smoothie Recipes*

I recently got invited to take part in a Pepper Time Smoothie challenge and being a lover of smoothies I thought - why not give it a try? 'It's Pepper Time' is an EU funded initiative which promotes the use of peppers and I want to share with you how great peppers are.

When I first thought about the idea of having peppers in a smoothie, I did think it was a bit strange but when you think about it, why not? Peppers are deliciously sweet and are actually higher in vitamin C than oranges. Peppers are also packed with vitamins E, B1, B2 and A. They also come in a variety of colours and shapes and can be eaten at all times of the day, the pepper possibilities are endless. I  was given two recipe ideas for smoothie and I have made variations of these which you can read all about below. They were surprisingly tasty and something I will be making again and again! How about you give them a go?

Orange Vitamin Hit
Ingredients:
2 Stalks of Celery
2 Large Carrots
2 Apples
1 Orange and 1 Yellow Bell Pepper

Pop all of the ingredients into a blender/juicer and mix until smooth.

Orange Pepper Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Orange Bell Pepper
200ml Cloudy Apple Juice
A Small Piece of Ginger

Pop all of the ingredients into a blender/juicer and mix until smooth.

Head over to the 'It's Pepper Time' website for more delicious recipe ideas. Will you be trying to incorporate more peppers into your daily routine?

*Collaborative Post

Healthy Smoothie Recipes! – Featuring Matcha Green Tea Powder*

It’s the first Monday of the new year, and I don’t know about you but today is the day that my diet officially re-starts. After a few unsightly weight gains over the past few weeks, I am definitely ready to get back on track.

One thing I love to drink to get me feeling healthy and refreshed is a good old smoothie. I have many favourites, but thought I would share with you a couple of the ones I love best.

Firstly, I would just like to mention the fact that I freeze most of my fruit. This is just so it lasts longer and I always have some in the freezer for when I want to make a quick smoothie, it’s all chopped and prepared.

For this smoothie I used pineapple, mango, banana, kale and one teaspoon of Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder topped up with water.

The Matcha provides 4 to 6 hours of mild steady energy as it acts as both a stimulant and a relaxant. This is ideal for focusing on whatever the day throws your way. I love using this in smoothies that I drink on the way to the gym as it gives me that boost that I need to keep pushing through my workout.

  

You can also use 1 teaspoon of the Organic Matcha in a mug of boiling water to create the perfect Green Tea with amazing benefits and up to 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea. I love how green this is - know what I mean? This tastes stronger than standard Green Tea I have tried in the past, but this isn't bitter and goes down really nicely.

Another smoothie I love is a berry themed smoothie so I will use whatever berries I can get my hands on. On this occasion I used frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. To make this a bit creamier I added some natural fat free yoghurt and some water.

Blueberries contain antioxidants and give you a good dose of vitamin C. In my opinion, this smoothie is great for a hangover.

 

 
The organic matcha green tea powder can also be used for baking, I'd love to know if any of you guys have tried this and what you suggest I could use this for.

Please let me know if you’re interested in these types of posts, and I will continue to do them.

Matcha Green Tea Powder is available from Amazon here for £18.00 for 113g or you can visit the below links.

*The Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder was provided free of charge from Kiss Me Organics for the purposes of a review. All opinions are my own.