Berry Smoothie with Strawberry Doughnuts

I am totally behind finding and creating snacks for Evie that have minimal, to no refined sugar. It's not that I'm getting on my soap box about it, it's just a choice I made from when she was tiny. She is obsessed with fruit, which contains a heap of sugar, so I try and cut out refined sugars where I can.

Step in Lio Licious and their amazing freeze dried fruit packs, which I can 100% guarantee that tiny human of mine is obsessed with. 100% fruit, freeze dried to keep in all of the goodness, in sliced or powder form. Here I have used them in two ways to show you their versatility, blended in a smoothie and a wonderful mini strawberry doughnut.

The great thing about these packs is that they are resealable, so I can keep a pack handy for Evie to simply snack on. She has asked for ''More'' every time I offer her a handful and knowing that they are 100% fruit, gives me peace of mind to offer her another lot. The combo of smoothie and doughnut is a little indulgence for her and she gets super excited about the 'treat'.

Any leftover smoothie mix can be poured into ice lolly moulds and frozen to create smoothie pops.

Serves: 3 smoothies and 8 to 9 mini doughnutsPrep time: 15 minsCook time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 140g plain flour
• 1 tbsp strawberry powder, plus extra for dusting.
• 130ml whole milk, plus 750ml
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp honey, plus extra for glaze
• 1 egg
• 1 and a half tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 40g red berry blend 

Directions

1. For smoothie, blend 40g red berries dry, then add m 750ml whole milk and blend again until smooth. Set aside in the fridge.
2. Pre heat oven to 170 fan, 190c, gas mark 4/5.
3. For doughnuts, add milk, 2 tbsp honey, 1 whisked egg, vanilla and 3 tsp butter to a small pan over a low heat, whisking constantly until butter has melted.
4. Add flour, 1 tbsp strawberry powder, 1 and a half tsp baking powder to a bowl then whisk in milk mixture until smooth.
5. Grease doughnut pan with butter or cooking spray. Spoon in doughnut mixture until three quarters full. Bake for 10 mins. Allow to cool slightly on a rack before removing from pan and allowing to cool completely.
6. For glaze, brush on a light layer of honey, allow to go a little tacky then roll in strawberry powder.

This post is in collaboration with Lio Licious, thank you for supporting the brands that support The Mother Cooker.