Love smoothies but need some inspo to mix things up a bit? Smoothies are a fab way of adding fruits and veges into your diet, plus you just chuck all your ingredients into a blender and you're ready to go.

It's easy to get into the habit of using the same recipe each time, but changing your smoothie ingredients is a simple way of stopping food boredom from setting in. Learn how to make a delicious, healthy smoothie and check out the flavour combos to add variety into your diet.

Create your base

What you put into your smoothie will change whether it's very liquid or thicker consistency. Just like macronutrient portion sizes in a 'regular' meal, if you want a balanced healthy smoothie that is a complete meal on its own you need to incorporate carbohydrates, protein and good fats.

A well balanced smoothie will include:

• A small handful of ice cubes (keeps drink colder and thickens the mixture)
• A base liquid such as water, coconut milk, almond milk, cow's milk, green tea, or another kind of milk (depending on how big you want your smoothie to be, around 150ml - 250ml)
• A palm-sized portion of protein. This could mean around 2 scoops vanilla or unflavoured protein powder (you can use another flavour but vanilla won't affect the overall taste as much) or another protein-rich ingredient such as plain Greek Yoghurt. Protein powders vary in their purpose and nutritional makeup, so ensure you pick one that's right for your goals.
• A fist-sized portion of vegetables. Our aim is to get 5+ serves of fruit and veges into our day, and most people need to incorporate at least one serve with breakfast to make that happen. This could be cucumber, celery, spinach, cooked pumpkin, kale or a powdered greens supplement. A decent handful of spinach is general pretty flavourless, which makes it a good option for most combos.
• A cupped hand portion of fruit. Bananas are great for thickening up smoothies and create a good conistency (though they do tend to come through strongly in flavour). Any fruit is good; try to opt for in-season produce for variety and freshness. Tinned or frozen fruit is also fine, though if it comes in a can try to get it in natural juice rather than syrup. Syrups contain processed sugar that we don't need to add to our smoothies!
• A thumb-sized portion of healthy fat. This could be nuts or seeds. Smooth nut butters are an easy way of adding this in, plus they are kinder to your blender blades as some models can't handle chopping up harder nuts.

Here are some flavour combos to try out. If one of the base ingredients isn't listed below, you can choose your own.

Tropical Breeze

• Fruit combo: Sliced banana, pineapple and mango
• Coconut milk base liquid

Berry Bliss

• Fruit combo: Any berries. Could include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries...

Chocolate Lover

• Fruit: Banana (can make it berries instead for Black Forest flavour!)
• Protein powder: Can be chocolate
• 1 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
• Extra: 1 tbsp grated dark chocolate as a topper

Choc Peanut Butter

• Protein powder: Can be chocolate
• Healthy fat: Smooth peanut butter
• Fruit: Banana
• 1 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder

Amp up your smoothie

Once you have your smoothie base and your main flavours sorted, there are so many options for boosting the health properties of your smoothie! These include:

• 1 tsp chia seeds for extra protein and fibre (just make sure you soak the seeds until they swell/go soft prior to adding them into your smoothie or let your smoothie sit for a while after making it to allow this to happen).
• 1/4 cup natural yoghurt for probiotics (healthy bacteria for digestive health) and a smoother consistency.
• 1 tbsp rolled oats or 1 wheat biscuit for extra carbohydrates and fibre (thickens the mixture). Good if you need to add calories to your diet for more energy or to gain weight.
• 1 tsp desiccated or thread coconut for flavour and fibre.
• A dusting of cinnamon for anti-inflammatory properties and a warming flavour that goes great with vanilla and pumpkin, or autumn fruits such as apples, pears and feijoas.

For something a bit different, you could pour your smoothie into a bowl and add fresh fruit/garnishes like thread coconut on top to create a smoothie bowl.

Image / DepositPhotos