SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE SECRETS - FRUITS AND VEGGIES MONDAY

"Got milk" is a well known American phrase, I believe. Here in my healthy South African home, my son kickstarts the day with a green mouth and then, later, he wears a superfood smoothie moustache! He loves Barley Green and I pop it directly on his tongue when I have mine. Around the green grin he always says "yum yum"! It thrills me that he loves his fruits and veggies.

Smoothies are a wonderful way to nourish your body without the stress of your stomach having to digest a complicated meal. If you have fussy children (or spouse) you can sneak veggies and nuts into your smoothie. This makes for a really wholesome, yet sweet treat. While nuts and seeds are an excellent source of protein and vitamins, it is very important to soak them before eating. This is Secret number one! Nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances found in nuts and seeds (as well as grains) will only be eliminated by soaking, for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. Soaking nuts and seeds (and grains) will reduce the phytic acid and make the vital nutrients more readily absorbed by the body. Some people who are allergic to nuts could've prevented the intolerance by this simple method of soaking nuts overnight.

Another superfood smoothie secret I will share with you is; Freeze fruit. While I love seasonal fruit, we often have excess. This bounty I freeze in small portions to be used in coming months. For an extra thick and chilled fruit smoothie ensure more frozen than fresh fruit. I usually work on a 50/50 ratio. Another secret of mine is to make a larger than necessary fruit smoothie. And freeze little fruit "bites" in an ice tray. The colourful frozen smoothie "bites" are perfect for a child's hand. It'll last just long enough for a sweet nibble without melting in the summer heat. With a daily variety of fruits - frozen and fresh - you will also have a colourful variety. Add a few leafy greens or a dash of spirulina powder to your fruit smoothies and you will have a rainbow of colourful fruit "bites".

My favourite smoothies are enriched with superfoods. Moringa is very mild tasting and is chock full of goodness. We have young Moringa trees and I pinch off the tender tips to add to our smoothies. The benefits of Moringa are endless. They are full of folate and niacin, Vitamin A, K and E as well as amino acids. Research indicates that moringa has more iron that spinach, potassium than bananas and Vitamin C than oranges! This is indeed the superfood of the future! I like Maca in fruit smoothies. However Baobab powder is undoubtedly my all time favourite superfood. Baobab is one of the most nutrient dense fruits available. As for antioxidants it has the highest count of any fruit. The creamy citrus tang testifies to the fact that Baobab is very high in Vitamin C. However it also contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and traces of iron. It is my favourite form of Vitamin C and it really enriches a smoothie, giving a regular fruit smoothie that superfood boost.

Because ginger is a wonderful immune booster and cinnamon balances sugar levels I add both - in varying quantities - to all sweet dishes. My fruit smoothies also receive a pinch of lovely organic ginger and cinnamon. Currently we're at the end of winter. This means the end of the berries and citrus, but you can be sure I add 2 oranges or one grapefruit to my Vitamix. Our gooseberries should be bearing soon. Until then the frozen strawberries and blueberries - plus the few frozen figs and peaches - will keep us going. With fresh pineapple and pawpaw this is quite a delicious smoothie. I ensure I have plenty of frozen bananas as they make a smoothie really creamy. Freeze whole and simply cut off the peel to pop into your chopped fruit selection. Voila!

While it was an honour to win the 49th #fruitsandveggiesmonday and be the judge for the 50th week, I am relieved the pressure is off me this week. @lenasveganliving has initiated a really special weekly challenge. I hope Lena and all you other lovely readers have enjoyed hearing about my superfood smoothie secrets.

Having such an enthusiastic little helper and eater makes meal time extra special. Of course a lot of his enthusiasm is due to the wonderful noise these machines make. When his eyes sparkle and he claps his little hands I know he's happy with his healthy treats. Of course, being a hippie organic homesteader also means that I share the fruit peels between my goats and chickens - and that is my last secret! What remains goes to lovely compost which will ultimately feed the fruits and veggies that'll nourish us in the coming months. How marvelous is this symbiotic home sweet homestead!