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Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Green Smoothie - Trick, Treat, or a Little of Both?


For about six months now, I've been serving up a mysterious green beverage at lunch each afternoon. This unique drink can scare the faint of heart if they happen to be watching what gets dumped into my blender, but what they may not realize is how delicious and addictive it is!

I'm talkin' green smoothies here. They're loaded with nutrition and taste like dessert, so don't let the strange hue throw you. If you're looking to sneak veggies into your kids' diets, this is the perfect way. And with Halloween around the corner, you can pass the beverage off as a witch's brew or eye of newt or bug juice. Just get gross about naming it and I'm sure they'll be intrigued.

Here's how I do it: Most of my smoothies have 1/2 a banana in there for sweetness, but sometimes I use a couple of dates (without pits - your blender asked me to remind you). Then I may toss in 1/2 a cored apple or a peeled kiwi. A handful of grapes (with or without seeds) makes a nice addition. After that, the fun really starts. I usually have a tub of fresh baby spinach in the fridge. One handful of that or a Swiss chard leaf adds nutrition that is virtually tasteless! (Read: They'll never know it's in there if you don't tell them.) I sometimes add a small amount of sprouts or dried seaweed for an extra vitamin kick. After that, I fill the blender to the 2-cup mark with our favorite juice or soy milk and blend it until smooth.

The possibilities are endless here. The best part is, when you blend the fresh fruits and vegetables, you're breaking down the structure of the plant much more than chewing it, which releases all its goodness. Something about the little cell walls being smashed.

When my son hears the blender, he gets excited and can hardly stand waiting for his smoothie! The amount I discussed here is enough for two adults to have a glass if they each promise to share with an eager toddler. But lately I've been making a little more so my son can have his own portion and Mom and Dad can enjoy their own!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like what we do here.. I add some ground up flax seeds (omega 3s and 6s), some hemp protein powder, sometimes ground up pumpkin seeds and sometimes groun Seasame seeds (calcium).... oh and frozen blueberries... that will make it purple instead of green.. for those afraid of the green! :)

Kristen's Raw said...

I love green smoothies. My latest craze is to add fresh organic herbs for intense nutrition and amazing flavor :)

Come on over to my blog for a short visit and see some of the recipes I have listed. Have a great day!
Cheers!

Kristen Suzanne
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www.KristensRaw.blogspot.com
www.KristensRaw.com

Laura said...

Yum, yum! I'll have to whip some up for my kids. What a great way to add extra nutrients to a child's (and adults) diet!

LR

Mrs. Stam said...

wow I gat to tell you I want to have a smooty right now (but my blender is defuncked~ oh ya I invented that new word because I'm mad at it!!!!)

hopefully soon I'll have a drink of it!

Kathy Gillen said...

You are so smart to start early with your kids. I tried the green smoothie thing once they already knew it wasn't cool to drink green stuff. But at least now, after years of pounding good eating habits in their heads, they eat the stuff. I still have a green smoothie every morning, using a green super food powder. You go girl!

OhTheJoys said...

That sounds delicious to me!