When it comes to kitchen gadgets, I’m a bit of a sucker. Most of them get used for the first week and then packed away into a far cupboard, never to be seen again. There are only a select few that make it past that first hurdle, so you know they’ve got to be pretty special. Recently, we were given the opportunity to test out the VonShef 4 in 1 Blender. With all the attachments to blend, juice and grind to my hearts content, there was one function I truly couldn’t wait to test out; the smoothie maker.

Recipe: Berry & Banana Smoothie

You will need:

• A handful of blueberries
• A handful of strawberries
• A banana
• A pot of strawberry yoghurt (approximately 200ml)
• 150ml of milk

Recipe:

1. Peel the banana and break into smaller chunks
2. De-hull the strawberries
3. Add the blueberries, banana, strawberries and yoghurt to the blender
4. Blend until smooth (ish!)
5. Add milk in small amounts, blending in between, until you reach your desired consistency.

The great thing with smoothies is they can be as flexible as you want – got some other fruits to use up? pop them in! We’ve found getting the toddler to drink cows milk a bit of a nightmare; whilst he loves yoghurt, he point blank refuses to touch milk. For us, this is a quick way to get more calcium into his diet, disguised nicely behind the taste of berries and the texture of yoghurt!

Blender Recipes

Soups

• Pumpkin & Crispy Chorizo Soup
• Low Calorie Pumpkin & Pesto Soup
• Immune Building Soup
• Potato & Leek Soup
• Roasted Tomato, Garlic & Pepper Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Easy Carrot & Ginger Soup
• Roasted Pepper & Tomato Soup
• Cauliflower Cheese Soup
• Spinach & Pea Soup with Ricotta Dumplings
• Sweet Potato Soup

Other

• Three Ingredient Frozen Lollies
• Homemade Pizza Sauce

Smoothies & Shakes

• Banana & Strawberry Smoothie with Chia Seeds & Cocoa
• ‘Ruby’ Cleanse Smoothie
• ‘Emerald’ Cleanse Smoothie
• ‘Lean Green’ Cleanse Smoothie
• ‘Gold’ Cleanse Smoothie
• ‘Yellow’ Cleanse Smoothie
• ‘White’ Cleanse Smoothie
• Beetroot Smoothie
• Sweet Green Smoothie
• Banana & Cinnamon Smoothie
• Tropical Coconut Smoothie
• Raspberry & Avocado Smoothie
• Baobab Berry Smoothie

For more blenders and smoothie makers, visit Domu and view their whole range. There’s something to suit every budget!