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Tart Cherry and Greek Yogurt Smoothie

A thick, creamy smoothie of frozen dark cherries, a splash of tart cherry concentrate, Greek yogurt and banana. A protein-rich evening snack with 15g of protein, blended in 5 minutes.

Snack

5

Serves 2

A tall ribbed glass of thick deep pink cherry and yogurt smoothie on a wooden table beside a green plant

Ingredients

  • 200g/7oz/1⅓ cups frozen pitted dark cherries
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) tart cherry concentrate (Montmorency)
  • 200g/7oz/¾ cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • Half a ripe banana (about 50g/1¾oz peeled)
  • 150ml/⅔ cup semi-skimmed milk (2% milk), or more to loosen

Method

  1. Put the cherries, cherry concentrate, yogurt, banana and milk in a blender.
  2. Blend for about 1 minute, until thick and smooth. Add a splash more milk if it is too thick to pour.
  3. Pour into 2 glasses and drink straight away.

Why it works

A glass gives you about 15g of protein for 250 calories, mostly from the Greek yogurt.

Why the sleep tag, and its limits. Montmorency tart cherries naturally contain a little melatonin. In small trials, adults who drank tart cherry juice or concentrate twice a day for one to two weeks slept longer, and one study found higher melatonin levels. Each glass here contains 1 tablespoon of concentrate, less than the 30ml twice a day used in that study, and the trials were small and short, so this is a pleasant evening snack, not a treatment for poor sleep.

Why Greek yogurt in the evening. Most of the protein in milk and yogurt is casein, which is digested slowly. Some studies in people doing resistance training suggest protein before bed supports overnight muscle repair. These studies used larger amounts, around 30 to 40g of protein.

Watch the sugar. Cherry concentrate is concentrated fruit juice and high in natural sugar, so 2 tablespoons for two glasses is plenty. Frozen cherries make the smoothie thick and cold without ice.

Not tagged for blood sugar, because the fruit brings 42g of carbohydrate. Contains milk. For other evening snacks, try the kiwi and kefir night bowl or the yogurt with cherries and walnuts.