Blueberry Kale Smoothie – Get your Greens in!

March 10, 2014 by girlinspired 13 Comments

I am hitting up the health foods big time! I’m trying to shed some weight and eat more deliberately. Smoothies are such a great way to pack in the fruits and veggies; I drink them daily. I’ve been growing kale in my deck garden and decided it was high time to get used to blending greens into my smoothies. Every time I’ve tried this in the past, I just couldn’t drink down the greens. But, I’ve found the right combination to make this green smoothie sweet enough that even my kids drink it up without flinching. As long as they don’t see the greens go into the blender, they have no idea they’re even drinking spinach and kale.

When I make a smoothie, I don’t usually measure. The process is more of tossing in what I have on hand. Feel free to adjust the ingredients and amount according to what you have available or what suits your taste buds.

Blueberry Kale Smoothie

1/2 C. fresh or frozen blueberries
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1/2 C. almond milk, coconut milk, or milk
1 ripe banana (the riper, the sweeter)
1-2 C. fresh kale and/or spinach
1 packet of Stevia sweetener (optional)

Instructions: Blend all the ingredients together in your blender. Add Stevia or honey to sweeten, if you wish. Different types of “milk” will alter the taste of the smoothie. I love cow’s milk in my smoothies, but have been drinking this smoothie with non-dairy milk and it’s good, too. Serves 1-2.

Look at those teeny tiny green bits in there! I’ve been handing my girls their smoothies in dark plastic cups with a straw and they don’t even notice the green bits. So sneaky and so awesome when they gulp it down!

Enjoy drinking your greens, friends! It feels so good to put healthy food in your body!

Smoothies that Kids Love

April 15, 2013 by girlinspired 3 Comments

Feeding young children can be a tricky thing. Just when you think you’ve found their ***favorite*** food, they hate it. Just when you have them convinced that healthy foods are delicious, a classmate turns their nose up and your kid won’t eat it any longer. My girls are hungry seemingly every second of the day and it’s challenging to come up with enough variety to satisfy them all the time. I don’t make separate meals for mealtime – they all get the same thing. For dinner, they eat what we eat. The only exception is when Graham and I want something spicy (or Thai takeout!!), then, I’ll make them a separate toned down version. I spent about a year on a really restrictive diet (no grains, no sugar, no lactose) and one of the things that I started eating daily was smoothies. The kids started drinking smoothies, too, and although I don’t make them every day anymore, when I do make them, I’m always making a batch to feed more than one!

Today I’m sharing my go-to recipe that everyone loves and it’s super healthy (the recipe is a single serving – double, triple, quadruple as you wish!!)

Smoothies Kids Love

1 very ripe banana

1/2 C. plain yogurt (make your own yogurt for lactose-free)

1 tsp. honey (more if you want it sweeter)

1-2 tsp. coconut oil

1/2-1 C. ice cubes

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth – drink up!!

Variations include:

add 1/2 C. ripe strawberries for a strawberry-banana version (this is my girls’ favorite).
use honey vanilla greek yogurt in place of the yogurt and honey (slightly less healthy, but delicious)
add 1 Tbs. peanut butter or almond butter
For a special treat, add a little whipped cream and sprinkles on top and call it dessert!

Note: the coconut oil has a lot of health benefits, but it solidifies in the cold smoothie – I don’t mind it, but leave it out if you do!! Or blend it with the other ingredients before adding the ice.

I know there’s a whole world of smoothies out there, and lots of ways to add green veggies to your diet this way – my girls see green and won’t drink it, but we keep trying – who knows when their preferences will change again!

What’s your favorite smoothie combination??