Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and what we first put into our bodies after a night of fasting affects our energy levels and cognitive abilities for the rest of the day. Instead of caffeine, a better option would be a smoothie which, with the right imagination, could be a delicious morning beverage.

Smoothies have been around since the invention of the blender in the 1920s and are the choice of creative food artisans who are blending seasonal fruit, berries plants, herbs and superfoods with their own personal touch.

For a roundup of the best homemade smoothies in Bali, where better to turn to than Ubud, Bali’s center for healthy and organic eating? I ask four Ubud personalities to share their unique recipes.
 

Avara Yaron

Avara is the force behind Living Food Lab, a raw food café and teaching lab at  Green School in Mambal. She has been serving the community delicious hand-crafted drinks and food for the past few years. At home each morning her smoothies change depending on the season and what’s in her fridge. When the bright-colour dragon fruit was in season I caught up with her at her home in Sayan Kutuh, where she lives with her daughter.

Magenta Dragon Smoothie (serves 2)

1 red dragon fruit, peeled, chopped and frozen
1 medium banana, peeled, chopped and frozen
1/2 pineapple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fresh young coconut meat
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon acai powder
1/4-1/2 cup coconut water to process, according to how thick you want your smoothie

Substitutions: Add 1/2 cup chopped baby romaine, baby spinach, or beet greens, eliminate the chia seeds and/or the acai powder and substitute with hemp seeds, use fresh water or beet juice instead of coconut water, substitute mango or kiwi

Throw in blender
 

Tina Nance

The elegant and mystical Tina is a senior yoga teacher at Yoga Barn where she guides thousands of students each year through her uniquely designed yoga therapy and yin yoga classes. She lives in a community of likeminded people in Laplapan, where musical instruments are scattered around a vast living area overlooking lush jungles. She has a unique morning beverage routine that involves three different drinks spread out over 15-minute intervals. Included here is beverage number two that does not need a blender.

Tina’s Blend (serves 1)

1 glass of coconut water
1 tablespoon supergreens (spirulina, chlorella, barley and wheat grass
1 tablespoon bee pollen
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
small handful of goji berries

Mix in glass and drink
 

Jocelyn Gordon

After a long scooter ride through the rice paddies near Ubud, I met Jocelyn where she lives in a magical Balinese compound with her daughter. She is the creator of HoopYogini, a holistic fitness program that combines hula hooping with hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation. As an international teacher with a busy schedule and high demands on her body, she prefers to a morning smoothie regime that is quick and easy to make. Asked about coffee in the morning Jocelyn reports that she has one annually as a reminder as to why she doesn’t drink it. Her secret ingredient? Probiotics.

Belly Good Smoothie (serves 3)

3-6 small bananas
2 large tablespoons of plain yogurt
3 cups of rice milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup of coconut milk
3 tablespoon of cacao
1 packet of probiotics
pinch of cinnamon

Throw everything in a blender
 

Daniel Aaron

Not all mornings are created equal. Daniel Aaron, founder and director of Radiantly Alive yoga studio has been guiding inspirational yoga classes in Ubud for years. Not only is he a leader in the raw food movement, he is also a long-time alchemist. His home, which he shares with his partner and daughters, is a laboratory of herbal remedies and tincture jars. He starts his day with a most complex recipe that involves slowly brewing a grand selection of herbs.

Superhero’s Super Smoothie

Part 1: Medicinal tea

Heat up the following in a crockpot or low-heat ceramic rice cooker for a long period of time:

1 teaspoon of codonopsis root, he shou wu, dan shen root, gynostemma, chaimaro, rosella, ashatiba, vanilla skins and a handful of goji berries.

In the last few hours mix per 1/2 liter of water 1/2 teaspoons of: camu camu, shatavari, ashwaghanda, amla, purple corn and a teaspoon of mycellium reishi and shiitake mushrooms and suma root. These herbs can vary depending on your herbal/medical needs.

Part 2: Smoothie Recipe

1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons spirulina
1 tablespoon maca
1 tablespoon Miessence protein powder
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2 tablespoons goji berries
a few drops or granules of stevia
a pinch of salt

Substitutions: cinnamon, cacao, cayenne or fruit

Throw in blender and mix with medical tea (or substitute coconut water)

All photos by Janet Nicol
www.janetnicol.com