Beauty! Here Today........Gone Tomorrow.
I have been given permission to use the flower images in this blog by my son (and edit them as desired) and although this post is more about nutrition, it is also about the subject of beauty, because this is what one first appreciates when they have the privilege of seeing this exotic flower in full bloom.
Let me present to you the very beautiful Dragon Fruit Flower.
When my son sent me these pictures, I wanted to dash over to his place and take my own photos but alas, he’d taken his pictures first thing in the morning and said that by the end of the day, the Dragon Fruit Flower had wilted considerably.
I couldn’t help but wonder why the life span of the Dragon Fruit flower was so short. But then I thought about the beauty of humans and realised that for all of us, this over-rated, highly commercialized and sometimes all consuming passion to preserve it was perhaps because it is, ever so fleeting……..especially when you reach the age that I have.
But let’s not limit the subject of beauty to the exterior only. Inner beauty is a much more interesting study. Take the Dragon Fruit for example. Yes, she is stunning at the flowering stage but take a look at the inner beauty of this product……. her phenomenal fruit and numerous gifts to mankind.
If you’ve never experienced the taste and benefits of a Dragon Fruit Smoothie, let me enlighten you. I have adapted a few different recipes to satisfy my taste buds and with every smoothie recipe, they can be very interchangeable, so this is a suggestion only.
Dragon Fruit Smoothie:
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 packets frozen pink dragon fruit (200 grams)
1/2 cup frozen blackberries
2 packets frozen pink dragon fruit (200 grams) or 1-2 fresh dragon fruit
I/2 cup of Greek yogurt or strawberry yogurt if you prefer you smoothie to be sweeter.
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Juice of 1/2 a lime)
1-1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
½ - 1 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk or milk of your choice
Berries/kiwifruit to decorate.
Orange juice can be a refreshing alternative to berries if you don’t have enough of them available.
Despite the vibrant colour of the pink/red dragon fruit, their flavour is relatively mild…….similar to that of a pear and this is why I love to add ginger to my smoothies.
N.B. The white coloured dragon fruit is a little lighter and less sweet than the coloured one.
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to blender apart from the milk.
Add milk according to the thickness of the smoothie of your choice.
Add more berries or banana if consistency is too thin.
Pour smoothie into a glass and top with additional chia seeds and berries if desired.
The red/pink dragon fruit variety provide more colour to your smoothie.
Devour immediately before someone else in the family thinks you have made it for them. (lol) And as you drink, imagine all the benefits this amazing fruit provides.
Such as, Vitamin C, and iron (which are a necessary combination) Magnesium, Prebiotics, Fibre, Antioxidants and Carotenoids. Powerful stuff!
CHEERS!