The FastDay Forum

I have just bought a "Magic Bullet Smoothie Maker" I'm enjoying trying different fruits and I add Almond Milk.
I would like to add grains to make them more filling for longer.
Any suggestions for what grains to add, I don't mind mind adding them before or after zapping the fruit.

Be careful with the smoothies, Janey47. Fruit and grains can be really fattening, although they sound so healthy!

I have a vitamix, and make a smoothie almost every morning (not fast days though). I might possibly get my 5-a-day in one meal. I would recommend not adding grains, as they don't really add any value to your smoothie. You could try quinoa meal/flour, chia seeds, or hemp seeds. these will add fat and protein. chia and hemp have omegas too.
you could try oats too, though i don't like the texture.

i would highly recommend adding some greens - spinach is usually a good first start since it's milder and softer, but i love kale and chard. i usually add some lemon and occasionally ginger to cut some of the "greeniness".

Also, be careful with the almond milk. A little is ok, but water will do just as well. I've used coconut water with great success. You could do hemp milk too, but I prefer the hemp seeds and water to get some extra bulk.

I also sometimes add psyllium husk for extra fiber. And some people add protein powder, but if so, try and make it plant-based (not soy) for the extra heart health.

I would totally love a Vitamix. My Bosch blender's pretty good though. Not sure what the bad thing about Almond milk is though? I get the unsweetened stuff and it's 26 calories per 200ml - hardly breaking the calorie bank! Surely the point of 5:2 is to be able to quaff down a health-packed smoothie to last you all morning without feeling guilty for putting a sprinkling of oats in?! What's so fattening about fruit and grains? Yes if you eat piles I'm sure that's not good, but a handful of berries and a tablespoon of flax in a smoothie is probably a lot healthier than toast and jam - and remember nothing is off limits doing this. Sorry, don't want to sound antagonistic, but for me, one of the main reasons for doing this plan is to be able to enjoy yummy healthy stuff like this without getting food guilt or having to 'be careful' about consuming food that has lots of goodness in. Maybe the cautionary note was in case the smoothies are in addition to normal meals, in which case yes they could bulk up calories without you realising, but if you're wanting to add grains it looks to me as though you want to have them as breakfast, in which case I would say go right ahead.

Some insiration can be found here:

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/05/ ... ds-in.html

Enjoy your experiments!

oh yes, flax meal/seeds is great!

and i should clarify unsweetened almond milk is fine. it was the sweetened stuff i was warning against. even that is obviously ok in not huge helpings, but sometimes it's sweetened with corn syrup or sugar. there are often additives to non-dairy milks that aren't great, but it's just a matter of looking at the label.

and i wasn't saying you couldn't have a smoothie with some grains if you wanted. i was merely suggesting ways to improve the nutritional profile of a smoothie. if the idea is to make it/keep it healthy. more of an expediency thing. and if you want the health benefits of oats (or amaranth or whatever), then you will likely have to eat more than a spoonful of it, in which case, if the caloric content is important to you, then you have to keep an eye on what you are adding to your smoothies. at the end of the day though, to make a smoothie more filling, fat and protein would probably serve better than more carbs.

Thanks for clarifying badtzmaru5, I think you certainly have more in depth knowledge than me. Yes I think with the non-dairy milks there are huge differences with additives etc. Lots of people put avocadoes in smoothies to get the healthy fats in to help with longevity - I guess as with most things it's whatever works for you.

You mentioned aramanth - I bought some of the grains to try & when I cooked it, it turned out like claggy sludgy slop & I could't eat it. Have you got any tips on how to cook it to make it more palatable?

I've heard you have to cook in a lot of water (and then drain) and definitely don't overcook. Otherwise the starch makes it all sludgy. The grain should maintain structure but be soft inside.
I've had some success popping my amaranth. Just a few spoons at a time in a hot pot and stirring til they pop and then taking out and do a new batch. I'm sure you could do a whole pot at a time, but I can't get an even pop and then they burn. Popped amaranth can be eaten like a cold cereal (like puffed rice) with milk or yogurt. Or maybe in a granola or muesli or baked in a breakfast bar? Ooooh, or a homemade popped amaranth chocolate bar.

Ooh popped aramanth - totally off to try that now! I followed the packet instructions to cook it but it was like cement - bleurgh. Thought it would be a bit like quinoa/couscous - how wrong!

Thanks )