Autumn-Inspired Apple and Almond Breakfast Smoothie

After an exceptionally warm and summer-like September and early October, Autumn has finally arrived in Bath. The Virginia creeper seems to have magically transformed overnight from lush green to vivid red, and the river and canal paths are littered with crunchy brown leaves and horse chestnuts. It most certainly is a beautiful time of year

First Signs of Autumn 4

And though the weather has cooled off a little, I’m still enjoying my daily smoothies. I often have them as a breakfast or lunch on the go, so I add ingredients like nut butters and chia seeds for protein, slow-release energy and to keep hunger pangs at bay. Lil’ L also enjoys smoothies as an after-school snack or evening dessert.

One of our current favourites is this Autumn-inspired Apple & Almond Smoothie (which I shared on The Road to Less Cake last month).

Apple and Almond Smoothie

The nut butter, yogurt and chia seeds add a delicious creaminess to the smoothie as well as packing in lots more nutrients. The smoothie provides a good dose of protein, fibre and heart-healthy fats (including omega 3), as well as antioxidant vitamins C and E, and trace minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium.

And another great thing about this smoothie is that you can sneak in a handful of spinach and it doesn’t affect the taste at all!

Until recently, Lil’ L hasn’t been a fan of green smoothies. He likes his smoothies to be the ‘right’ colour. In his eyes, berry smoothies should be pink or purple, while pineapple or mango smoothies should be yellow. For him, a berry smoothie that’s bright green is just wrong. However, one day it dawned on me that I might get away with adding spinach to our usual apple and almond smoothie. Apples can be green, right?

Green Apple and Almond Smoothie

I decided to give it a try when he arrived home from school one day. Here’s how the conversation went…
“Hi!” I call out. “I’ve made you a smoothie!”
“Great! Thanks!” he replies enthusiastically. I hand him the smoothie and there’s a pause, followed by a despondent “Oh…. it’s green”.
“Yep, it’s a green apple smoothie. Give it a try. I’m sure you’ll love it”.
With trepidation he takes a sip. “Mmm, it’s really nice!” he says with surprise. Then there’s a pause…. “So what’s making it green?”
Darn, 10 year olds are sharp. Clearly the ‘green apple’ thing won’t wash with him, so I decide to own up and tell him it’s spinach. He thinks about it for a moment then decides it doesn’t matter after all. Green or not, it tastes really good.

Hallelujah, the green smoothie hang up is finally over! In hindsight, I wish I’d introduced green smoothies when he was much younger. That way, he would have grown up thinking that green berry or tropical smoothies are normal. Never mind, he’s on board now and I’m really excited to try out lots more concoctions over the coming weeks (especially as I’ve got an awesome new blender to play with).

So if you’ve got any green smoothie phobes in the family, I highly recommend trying this one on them. Start with a small amount of spinach so it’s a delicate light green rather than scary green and see what they think (just don’t mention the spinach until they’ve given it a thumbs up 😉 ).

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This smoothie is perfect for breakfast on the go or as a post-school or exercise snack. Unlike regular fruit smoothies, this one is a great source of slow-release energy and will keep you feeling full up for hours.

Hands-on time: 5 minutes

Serves 1 as a breakfast (or two as a snack)

1 medium organic apple, cored and chopped (no need to peel if you have a powerful, high speed blender)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBSP almond butter
1 TBSP chia seeds
handful of spinach leaves (optional)
120ml / 4 fl oz / ½ cup almond milk (or other non dairy milk)
120ml / 4 fl oz / ½ cup non dairy natural yogurt
1 tsp maple syrup, or to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Pulse a few times to break up the apple, then blend on high speed until smooth. Taste test, and add more sweetener, if desired.

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Products used in this recipe
Alpro almond milk and natural yogurt, available in major UK supermarkets
Meridian almond butter, available from Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and health food stores
Chia seeds, now available from Tesco, Ocado, health food stores and online (I knew the supermarkets would catch up 😉 )
Clarks maple syrup, available from most major UK supermarkets

11 thoughts on “Autumn-Inspired Apple and Almond Breakfast Smoothie

    1. I love eating/drinking al fresco. It’s so nice to get away from the desk/computer, take a proper break & get some fresh air ♥ Sadly there’s not much al fresco dining happening this week. I need a rain canopy or waterproof suit lol!

  1. Love that you’ve convinced Lil’ L! I actually think that subtle green is really pretty.
    I’m also a big fan of adding nuts and seeds to smoothies for an energy/nutrition boost.
    I love autumn too but I just wish we could have some more of those cool, crisp days rather than the endless rain we seem to be enduring at the moment!

  2. Morning, this smoothie sound lovely. I am not a big fan of smoothies but I am enjoying trying out different flavours and textures. Do you drink your smoothie as soon as you make it or do you think they can be made and drunk at a later stage. I am thinking mid morning or afternoon slump at work!

    1. Morning Sue! I don’t always drink my smoothies in one go. Over time though, smoothies with chia seeds or banana become thicker and thicker so, if I know I won’t be drinking the smoothie straight away, I’ll either use just a small amount of chia or perhaps leave them out altogether and just use nut butter instead. I tend to always use seeds &/or nut butters as they add protein & good fats to help keep me feeling full up. Enjoy your experimenting! xx

  3. Smart mama! I love how you’ve strategized and figured out how to gradually expand what he will eat, I’m sure that applies to a lot of foods beyond the smoothies! The apple almond smoothie looks like a good one for fall, I’ve just saved it to try sometime soon! I’ve never used apple or chia in my smoothies before!

    1. Thanks Mary! What I’ve learnt over the years is that there’s often a way to encourage kids to enjoy healthy foods, even ones that they’re adamant they dislike. The challenge is finding that way! Even now, Lil’ L still won’t eat soft berries (he says it’s a texture thing) but he’ll happily gulp them down in smoothies. As long as he’s eating them in one shape or form, I don’t mind 😉

  4. I love adding nut butters to smoothies, they make a filling breakfast drink on the go! Lil’L is so funny, very rarely I try to avoid green-colored smoothies as well, but don’t mind green juices! Your smoothie sounds lovely, I love the addition of almond butter. I miss Alpro products, they are better than the ones I’ve tried in the U.S., I find them creamier and flavorful.

  5. Woooohooooo! You clever lady, green apple smoothie– love it! And I bet I would love the taste, too! I’ve never seen almond milk yogurt before!

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