Smooth(ie) operator… Kick-start your morning with “Earth Mama”
Isn’t it a yummy morning?
Wait - it’s about to get even yummier! 🤗
Good morning to all you body suits brimming with eternal light! 🌟 Did you already eat breakfast? If not - great! Today’s article will not only shake up your morning routine, but also make your body really happy. You guessed it: We are talking smoothies, baby! 🍉🍋🍏
What exactly is a smoothie?
Dictionary.com defines a smoothie as “a thick beverage of fruit pureed in a blender with ice and milk, yogurt, or juice”. Despite the Americans trying hard to claim it as their original creation, pureed fruit juice goes back to the times of, well, fruit. 🌱
Almost all cultures have their own versions of a ‘fruit slush’ - and yet, it was a young man with a stomach too sensitive to handle freshly squeezed orange juice who is credited with its invention. In the 1920s, Julius Freed began looking for easier-to-digest-alternatives, and started to add ingredients to his beloved juice in order to make it less acidic and more frothy.
And boom, it soon became a hit with his friends, who kept telling him “Give me an orange, Julius!” The result: his store, the ‘Orange Julius’ launched in 1926 in Los Angeles, and is still running today. 🍊🍊🍊
It wasn’t until the 1970s (the decade of love, peace and rock’n’roll), however, that the smoothie attained its final name. Another young man, this time suffering from terrible lactose-intolerance, began to make smoothies so he could enjoy something similar to the milkshakes his buddies drank all the time.
Steven Kuhnau created a frozen blend of fresh fruit, ice, nutrients and fruit juice instead, it a ‘smoothie’. Interestingly, the term already existed, and was used to describe everything from a gentlemen’s behaviour to women’s bras and girdles, as even car paint. There was even a band named “The Smoothies” - and what a lovely song they sang! 💃
In 1973, Kuhnau opened his health food store “Smoothie King” in Louisiana to appeal to the already health-conscious hippy-crowd. The name took off - and the rest is history. 😊
Meet my personal queen of smoothies.
Goa is full of amazing people, but I am lucky to call Malavika Manay, Founder of ‘Earth Mama Smoothies’ one of my close ones. Apart from being a truly beautiful soul both inside and out (and the only one who is able to successfully disentangle even the most messed up mish-mash of my crochet wool balls), Malavika puts all her heart into the food she prepares - and I thank God that we are among the chosen ones who are able to enjoy her lockdown culinary experiments! 🤗💖
Her goal: Create a dialogue around a new, conscious eating culture.
Malavika is not new to healthy food - after working for years with New Delhi’s ‘Greenr Cafe’, she decided to dive deeper into the vast universe of nutrition and vegan / gluten-free alternatives of her favourite food. ‘Earth Mama’ is the result of her immense research turned into practise.
“My mission is to engage people in a conversation around food, and to create a new, conscious eating culture. Every single one of my smoothie bowls is designed and formulated in a way that reflects the elements of creation of our mother (Earth). Thus, each recipe is crafted with a specific purpose to bring change to the people who experience it.”
Do you understand now we why all love her so much? 💖
I asked Malavika to share with us a super simple DIY smoothie recipe that doesn’t require any crazy ingredients or mad mixing techniques. Just plunder your kitchen and, oh well, experiment!
Start your day with this Earth Mama Chocolate-Chip Peanut Butter Smoothie.*
You need
6 ice cubes
50 ml plant milk (oat, almond, cashew or coconut) (avoid real milk as it will change the taste - and it is generally better to stop drinking milk and switch to alternatives)
2 frozen bananas (small ones are enough - peel them, put them in a ziplock or a box, and freeze them over night)
30ml Espresso shot or 60ml cold brew coffee or black coffee (optional, but also kind of mandatory for coffee lovers like me)
2 Tbs Cacao Powder
1 Tbs Raw Cacao Nibs or any chocolate (break it into tiny pieces, and don’t eat all of it in the process)
1 Tbs Peanut Butter (yes, a serving spoon is alright, too)
3 Dates (if you don’t have dates, use 3 table spoons of jaggery)
A blender (if your mixie can do high-speed, then this should also work)
Method:
1. Throw ice cubes, plant milk, and the espresso shot / cold brew shot into the high-speed blender.
2. Then add the bananas, cacao powder, cacao nibs or cut up chocolate, peanut butter and dates.
3. Blend on High speed. Keep checking on the smoothie after every blend until the consistency is thick and creamy. (yummmmm)
4. Pour into a glass or bowl (or if you are greedy, drink it right out of the blender)
5. Be creative with toppings of your choice (and no, old monk does not count!)
6. Drink.
7. Be happy. Do a little dance. And then take a well deserved nap.
8. Repeat steps 1-5.
9. Surprise your neighbour with a glass of smoothie-loveliness.
10. Keep smiling and enjoy the day!
Curious about more vegan and gluten-free ideas?
If you want to learn more about my ‘Earth Mama’ and Malavika’s amazing recipes, then follow her beautifully curated Instagram page. 💖 In the meantime, press play for the perfect smoothie-making soundtrack, and get grinding! We both would love to see your smoothie pictures. ☀️
With love from Goa,
Isabelle 🌿
P.S.: This is not a paid promotion - I just really love Malavika and her food, and that is why I had to share it with you. 💖
*Please note: All comments in italic are mine, and not hers. 🤗
