Morning smoothie with a caffeine kick

Do you drink coffee all year round? In summer I love having mine cold. Last week I started making a morning smoothie with coffee, banana and cinnamon, based on a favourite smoothie from a Sydney cafe called Bloom. Theirs is called the Crazy Ape :)

This smoothie is best enjoyed iced cold. So if you have a few minutes the night before, brew your coffee and store it in the fridge, and pop a few peeled bananas in the freezer too. This is my go-to breakfast if I'm running around (or running late!) in the morning.

Morning smoothie
Serves 2, though it's easily halved if you're just making one for yourself

You'll need:

2 ripe bananas, frozen
1 cup of espresso, chilled
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 sprinkles of cinnamon
A dash of milk to blend, roughly 1/4 cup

Here's how:

Add your frozen bananas to your blender, breaking them up as you go. Then add the espresso, yoghurt, cinnamon and a dash of milk. Blend and add more milk as required. I like mine as a thickshake, so add as little as possible.

One last tip:

The riper your bananas the better, as they'll be extra sweet. My green grocer discounts them, and lets me choose them from the cold room! I buy about a dozen at a time, and leave peeled frozen bananas in the freezer for smoothies and homemade ice cream. You could also add a teaspoon of cacao or hot chocolate mix (I love Mork Chocolate) to mix it up.

My go-to green smoothie

There's something really lovely about coming home after a solid period of travel. After packing my bag every few days for the last fortnight, I've been enjoying really little things about being back home, like making food for myself.

On slow weekends, I love to make a batch of peanut butter and honey granola for the week ahead. And after many delicious meals out, I've been craving fruit and veggies. I've been making this green smoothie, which is sweet, refreshing and not too spinach-y :)

Green smoothie
Adapted from New York Cult Recipes.

Makes one giant smoothie, or two medium-sized ones.

You'll need:

1 ripe banana, peeled and broken into pieces*
100g frozen mango pieces
1 cup mineral water, chilled
A large handful of spinach
1/2 tsp of your favourite honey
A few sprigs of mint (optional)

Here's how:

Pop everything in a blender and blend until combined. Add more water if required. Done!

* The banana can be frozen if you like your smoothie extra cold. My blender isn't the strongest, so I add a ripe room-temperature banana to speed things up.

P.S I've stopped looking at social media in the morning and it's been great. I feel far less rushed and have been using the spare time to make a proper breakfast - like porridge or scrambled eggs on avocado toast. Some days there's even time to make and photograph a smoothie ;) Here's another favourite morning smoothie, which I make a lot in summer.

Blueberry and green tea smoothie with honey and mint

If you have a stash of frozen blueberries, this is a super refreshing way to start the day. My favourite breakfast is this smoothie and a thick slice of Vegemite toast with a soft boiled egg on top.

This breakfast is inspired by two much-loved cafes. The Australian twist on egg and soldiers is served at Bloom, near Tony's parent's place and the smoothie comes from ONA on the Lawns, where we love taking visitors for brunch.

Blueberry and green tea smoothie with honey and mint

Serves 1

You will need:
1 cup of blueberries, frozen
Half a banana, frozen and sliced
1 teaspoon of honey or more to taste
About a cup of green or peppermint tea, chilled
A few mint leaves

Here's how:

Make your green tea in advance so it has time to chill in the fridge. Green tea is best brewed at around 80 degrees celsius for just a few minutes. If you don't have a fancy kettle, let your boiled water sit for awhile before you add your tea bag. I normally make two cups of tea, so I can double the recipe or sip on cold green tea later in the day.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If all of your fruit is frozen (which makes for a deliciously cold smoothie), you might need a wooden spoon to gently separate the fruit if it freezes together.

Serve immediately.

Tony and I try and have breakfast together most mornings, which sometimes means one of us eating cereal on the bed if the other has a late start but still wants to chat :) Other days... I am sipping a smoothie while trying to throw a packed lunch together and organise an outfit to change into after I ride to work.