The sweet taste of my favorite vanilla smoothie recipe we will prepare today always brings a childlike feeling of coziness and warmth. We will also prepare a surprisingly tasty and creative decoration on top of that.
In the beginning, let’s prepare our lemon and honey decorations. This process consists of two parts, during which the mix must stay in the freezer for a while. Take half a lemon (or more, depending on your taste and need) and squeeze the juice.
Then, proceed by blending the rest or simply grating it. Yes, we need the whole thing, so try to go with lemons with a not-so-thick peel. Mix the grated or blended part with the juice.
Start pouring the mixture into an ice cube tray. Fill the empty ice cube slots just a little less than half. Once this is done, leave the tray in the freezer until frozen. Take the tray out when solid, and add some honey on top of the frozen third of an ice cube, roughly the same amount.
Since the lower part is frozen, and the honey is consistent enough, the honey stays on top. After pouring the honey, fill the rest of the ice cube slot with more lemon mush. Let it freeze again. Now we can move on to prepare the main recipe.
Whenever I decide to venture into some more creative styles of mushing, it always involves vanilla. Vanilla was one of the first ice cream flavors I ever tasted, and maybe the reason for my sentimental approach lies within that fact. Either way, vanilla is an ingredient I firmly recommend whenever you want to surprise your loved ones with a delicious recipe.
However, the taste and irresistible smell are not the only reasons to pick vanilla for this recipe.
Vanilla Extract Has Surprising Effects in Mush
1. Calming Effect
A study shows that a smooth aroma like vanilla has anti-stress potential. Aromatherapy specialists already use fragrances like this during sessions and other similar treatments.
2. Antioxidant Environment
The vanilla extract is rich in antioxidants. This provides for a notable anti-cancerous influence. Bonus points for the vanilla.
3. Blood Pressure
Vanilla plays an important role in lowering blood pressure, thus decreasing the odds of developing a heart attack or a stroke.
4. PMS Symptoms
For all the ladies out there, vanilla is also highly beneficial in minimizing PMS symptoms, making the whole experience less painful and more bearable.
5. Anti-infection
As gentle and soft as the taste might be, it should not be taken lightly. Vanilla is proven to contribute to fighting infections due to its content of vanillin hydroxybenzaldehyde, a known infection fighter. Still not surprised? There’s more…
6. Anti-Inflammation
Another of the popular benefits of vanilla extract is the successful suppression of inflammation.
7. Libido Boosts
This is maybe the most exciting of its properties. If you enjoy vanilla, you will likely enjoy an improved sexual life, as vanilla effectively boosts hormone levels. Just saying. :)
8. Antidepressant
Vanilla extract has very similar effects on our body as fluoxetine, an anti-depression and anti-OCD medicament.
So, the right decision is to have vanilla as a requirement for a more creative experience. Mix half a teaspoon of vanilla extract with 1/2 cup of milk of your choice. Mush it nicely.
Now we have a perfect base for our vanilla smoothie recipe.
Milk provides a lot of necessary and very beneficial nutrients, provides energy, and promotes bone strength. It is always a good choice for a base, as it goes well with any fruit I can think of. That being said, vanilla is, to me, best when combined with milk.
The next ingredient is vanilla-friendly, a smooth addition to the color and flavor. Mash one banana with the milky white base until the desired consistency. Besides taste compliance, the banana also brings many health benefits, complementing the antioxidant environment by bringing a bunch of radical-fighting nutrients.
Banana vitamin C content also helps fight infections. As if these were not enough, the banana promotes the healthy work of the cardiovascular system.
The last ingredient for today’s sweet vanilla smoothie recipe is 6 strawberries. Another antioxidant-rich fruit comes from the earliest times of one’s childhood. Bringing a stark red shade, spoiling the consistent pale appearance of the mush, the strawberry brings stunning health benefits.
1. Anti-infection
One of the most prominent benefits comes from the stunning amounts of vitamin C.
2. Anti-inflammatory
Strawberries pack phytonutrients such as flavonols, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, terpenoids, etc. This makes for a powerful combo that boosts the anti-inflammatory potential of our body.
3. Development of red blood cells
Strawberries also contain minerals such as iodine, fluoride, and iron, but the most important of them is copper, which is responsible for the creation of red blood cells.
Important: Don’t be too greedy with strawberries, as they contain fructose that can damage your health if ingested in great amounts.
Fun fact: There is one thing that makes strawberries unique. They are the only fruit that holds its seeds on the outside.
That was the last ingredient for today’s sweet vanilla smoothie recipe. As a last step, we will use the decoration from earlier. By now, the ice cubes from before are frozen solid and ready to be added to the mix!
Sweet Vanilla Smoothie Recipe:
- lemons and honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 banana
- 6 fresh strawberries