Last week I posted a topic in my Blog Frog discussion forum about ways to get extra nutrition into your children. Tara from Banks Blab wrote that she incorporated spinach, yes SPINACH, into her family's smoothies! First I thought, what a GREAT idea and then I thought, Hey, why didn't I think of that! In my fridge you will find a variety of greens from spinach to beet greens to swiss chard and I am always trying to find new ways to incorporate these vitamin and antioxidant rich foods into our diet. My 3 year old loves smoothies and we drink them often, so I decided to give the greens a try. Know what? It was fabulous! I used swiss chard and it was delicious and Tara was right, you can barely taste it. My whole family enjoyed it and Jack was eager for seconds. Give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised! Depending on the fruits you use in your smoothie, it may change to a brilliant green. If the color isn't going over well with the kids, try adding a 1-1.5 cups of blueberries to the mix and it will be a rich, eye pleasing purple that kids love! You can also use smoothies to make popsicles, so make an extra batch and freeze for a delicious and super healthy treat.
Here is the combination that seemed to work best in my house:
1.5 Cups orange juice(I like calcium fortified juice)
1 Cup fresh strawberries
1 frozen banana
1.5 Cups of frozen wild blueberries
1 Cup swiss chard or spinach, packed
1 TBS. flaxmeal
Blend until smooth and enjoy! I serve with eggs, whole grain toast smeared with almond butter. D-E-Licious!
Serves 4.
What are your "tricks of the trade?" Visit my forum and tell me about it! If I choose your healthy trick, I will feature you and your blog on this site!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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5 comments:
What a great idea to add spinach to the smoothies! I'm working with Chiquita Smoothies right now and I think that would be perfect to add to some recipes. You should check out these new smoothies (all-natural, tons of vitamin C) if you have a chance and let me know if you have any recipes suggestions! Just visit chiquitasmoothie.com. We're also giving away some great prizes like a vacation and an Oster blender. Definitely worth it for a 30-second sign-up; I swear, once you try the Oster® Blender, you won’t be able to use anything else! Check out http://www.oster.com/ for more info.
Our college daughter reported last month making smoothies with blueberries and spinach and said it was wonderful. I had a chance to spend the night with her (girls' night in!), and she made one for me for breakfast. It WAS delicious!
Lucy
YEAAA!! I am so excited you liked my tip! I just hopped over here to take a look at my favorite mommy chef, and to my surprise, see my name pop off the page! Thanks!
Thanks everyone for your comments! And Tara, I so appreciate your tip:) Jack was in love at first sip!
Thanks Kelly! Do you have an available ingredient list for your mixes? Very cool idea!
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