I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years now. I flirted with a vegan diet but I just in all honesty couldn’t give up butter or cheese. Ohhhh cheese how I love thee all melty and gooey on toast and butter with all its creaminess and flavour that it imparts into cake…… I think you get the picture 😉

Anyway onto this blueberry banana smoothie, one thing I have never really found a taste for is milk, I know it’s good for you and its full of calcium and vitamins but I am just not that much of a fan of it. I drink my tea and coffee black so I can avoid it as much as possible. I have no ethical problem with it I just don’t like the taste of it much.

To get around this issue in smoothies I use almond milk. If you haven’t tried it before I highly recommend it for smoothies. It’s very mild sweet nutty flavour is completely masked by any flavourings you use. It just helps give smoothies that rich creamy feeling which milk gives to smoothies. But by all means use regular milk if you prefer, I have made this blueberry banana smoothie in the past with cow’s milk and it was perfectly enjoyable.

 

 

Vegan & Gluten Free

So lets get on with the nitty gritty of this smoothie instead of me going on about my dietary likes and dislikes! So we have already covered most of the vegan part so now lets move onto the gluten free part.

I don’t need to follow a gluten free diet, I have high amounts in my diet so when possible I like to try and cut it out. A really easy way for me to do this is to use certified gluten free oats. They cost a few more pennies than regular oats but they are worth it if you are trying to watch your gluten intake.

 

 

It may sound a little weird having oats in a drink, but they really help to bulk this out and especially if you are having this drink as a grab and go breakfast. And because this smoothie has oats in it you will find it very filling and it will defiantly tie you over till lunch.

When I first started adding oats to my smoothies I must admit I did find it a bit gritty to drink but with a little trial and error I have found that by soaking the oats for 20 minutes in the almond milk it softens them right up. So when you blitz this all together you have a smooth filling drink to enjoy.

 

 

To make this really thick and creamy feeling I used a frozen banana. Now wait and hear me out, using a frozen banana helps thicken your smoothie so you don’t need to use yogurt to give it that thickened feel. So this also helps keep it vegan! But it also makes your drink lovely and cold. You could just whizz up a few ice cubes with your fruit and oats but why water your drink down when you can use a frozen banana.

Trust me, go grab a banana, peel it chop it into chunks pop it in a bag and throw it into the freezer and next time you make a smoothie use it and you will never look back!

Depending on my mood I sometimes add a teaspoon of honey. I know the use of honey is a contentious issue in the vegan world so this is completely optional. Sometimes I crave something a little sweeter so I add it in and sometimes I don’t. If you do have issues with using honey, though I have never tried it I am sure maple syrup would make a great substitute for an extra little sweetness in this blueberry banana smoothie if you feel you need it.

 

 

To top it all off I usually chuck in a few whole blueberries and half a sliced banana. But that is because I am a total fruit addict and I just can’t get enough! So when you fancy a quick and easy on the go breakfast give this Blueberry Banana Smoothie a go.