Green smoothies: my kids eat kale for breakfast
Okay, I admit it…I get some kind of sick pleasure out of saying that I send my kids to school in the morning with a belly full of raw kale or spinach. As I watch them sipping away at their freshly made green smoothies, I pat myself on the back thinking I am such a genius at deception. What parent doesn’t want to get more green vegetables into their children’s diet? My seven year old daughter cringes at the idea of eating a salad with dinner, but lately I have her happily slurping away at her blueberry smoothies in the morning oblivious to the fact that she is drinking raw spinach. As long as she doesn’t actually see the green leaves enter the blender, then it’s fine. Blueberries and blackberries work well with her because they cover over the green color, but as far as taste goes, basically any fruit works. My oldest son who is eleven is much more adventurous and will try any concoction I make, regardless of color or texture.
Green smoothies are the easiest place to start for anyone who wants to add more green vegetables into their diets and they are equally appealing to both children and adults. Kids like that they taste good…they think they are getting a treat. Adults like that they taste good too and that they are quick and easy to make. In our busy lives, quick and easy are essential if we intend for a diet or lifestyle change to stick. In my kitchen, the blender remains on the center island counter at all times. A quick rinse and it is ready to be used again. In the morning, I throw in one or two frozen bananas, some frozen berries, two handfuls of whatever greens I have on hand, some water and ice…hit the blend button and breakfast is served. There are no complicated recipes required and experimentation is recommended. My favorite smoothies have been ones I have improvised, not copied out of a recipe book. If I would ever get into the habit of writing down the concoctions I like the best, I may end up with a recipe book of my own!
A full pitcher is enough for my three kids and myself. If it happens to be a particularly popular flavor, I’ll give my portion to the kids and make a second batch for myself. This batch I load up with all kinds of supplements. I go easy on the supplements with the kids, because many of them alter the flavor of the smoothie and they won’t drink it. Nothing annoys me more than to have to waste all that precious organic produce. Ground flax seed is one supplement that I can add in to theirs without any of them noticing a change in flavor.
Although much of what my kids eat remains outside of my control and I cannot force them to eat something they don’t want to, I find the green smoothies to be a win-win situation. The kids love them and I feel good that they are starting the day off with proper nutrients. Over time the more green vegetables they eat, the less they will crave the sugary, processed junk food they are surrounded by at school, their friends’ houses and restaurants. I am trying to be patient with their transition to healthier foods. After all, my own transition to a healthier lifestyle has been a journey (several years and counting). There have been many occasions where I have just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say forget it, I give up (actually I have done that a number of times), but the introduction of green smoothies into our household has given me newfound hope that all is not lost.
Some helpful tips for making green smoothies:
- If you find the flavor too bland with water as the liquid, substitute 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice for 1 cup of water. This will give the smoothie a sweeter taste.
- Buy bananas at the store that look very ripe (some brown spots). Peel them and place in a large Ziploc bag in the freezer so you always have them on hand.
- Chop up and freeze your own fruit…buy overly ripe or just do so when you have too much left over.
- Ask your grocer for fruit “seconds”; you may be able to save some money.
- Alternatively, buy bags of frozen organic fruit in the freezer section at your grocery or health foods store. I have found certain brands of strawberries to be way too sour, so try a variety of different brands to find the ones you like the best.
- A very popular supplement with my kids is raw cacao (raw chocolate). Mixed with agave nectar, it adds a rich chocolaty taste to the smoothie. Beware of overdoing it though; raw cacao does contain caffeine. Carob powder is another choice that does not contain caffeine.
- If you end up with too much of a batch, store the remainder in the refrigerator covered with saran wrap for an after-school snack. Smoothies and grapes are a much better choice than cookies and milk.
- Get the kids involved in the fruit choices; they are much more likely to eat something they have helped to create.
- To make a smoothie thicker, add more ice. To thin it out add more liquid (water, nut milk, or orange juice depending on recipe).
- To sweeten a smoothie, add a couple Tablespoons of raw agave nectar or raw honey.
For those of you who feel more comfortable following a recipe, I am including a couple different variations here, but please experiment on your own after you have made these. If you come up with something really great, let me know about it! (Feel free to use the greens interchangeably…you really can’t taste them).
Blueberry Kale:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 frozen bananas
2 handfuls chopped kale
2 cups water (or 1 cup water and 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice)
handful of ice
Optional: 1 T ground flax seed
Grape Fig Cleanser: (grapes are very cleansing and detoxifying)
3 cups grapes (purple or green)
3-4 black mission figs
2 handfuls chopped spinach
2 T agave nectar
2 cups water
1 cup ice
Optional: 1 T ground flax seed
Peach Almond Smoothie:
1 cup frozen peaches
2 frozen bananas
2 handfuls chopped swiss chard
2 T raw almond butter
2 cups water
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: 1 T ground flax seed
Can’t wait to try these smoothies! Great blog – love your stories!
I tried it! It works!!! Thanks, Carol
Wow you really can call yourself ‘Super Mom!’ This is a great blog. Very encouraging! And the recipes sound yummy. Thanks for the great info.
love this idea – will try it out on my kids and my husband ! thanks Carol !
Love the blueberry smoothie!!!! It’s really good.. my daughter loves it and can’t wait to try others.. Thanks Carol!
Hi Carol – Thanks for sending me the link to your website and blog. I absolutely love all the stories and helpful hints….I’ll definitely return to read more…. Great stuff!
Thank you very much for that informational entry.
solid post , really good view on the subject and very well written, this certainly has put a spin on my day, many thanks from the USA and observe up the good work
Hey, I just hopped over to your site via StumbleUpon. Not somthing I would normally read, but I liked your thoughts none the less. Thanks for making something worth reading.
Thanks for your insights
I usually don’t post in Blogs but your blog forced me to, amazing work.. beautiful …
Hey, nice post, really well written. You should write more about this.
Amazing blog
Bookmarked
wow all of this information in one place, bookmarking now
Someone recommend me to visit your site, I found the this what I looked for . Thank you very much
Hi, i noticed your blog in the 12 pm radioshow on sunradio LA, they presented a radio show over writing a blog and web 2.0. Right after this radioshow i’ll hit the trail to your postage about Green smoothies: my kids eat kale for breakfast | Galantys Game Plan. Hot posting buddy! I hits the point – Its very good to look at just 1 post writer out from quite a lot i read which is trained in what he is posting about! Stay on your way.
I like your post. Your blog is fantastic.
Hi I read that the miracle fruit trees (Synsepalum dulcificum) are an interesting berry to try with a juice. The fruit can change sour food to sweet and its all natural. I have some plants website: Miracle Berry its my blog on this Magicalfruit. With the miracle fruit you you do not need to add sweetner to the recipe.
I really like the style of your writing. I found your blog on bing and decided to check out
great site and your writing style is amazing. just found your site on yahoo. I¡¯ll come back later for sure
While we’re talking about Green smoothies: my kids eat kale for breakfast | Galantys Game Plan, I have never frozen my greens, but if I lived in a northern country and had, for example, a large harvest of spinach, I would freeze it and use it over time. Frozen greens will still be more nutritious than cooked greens. However, if you have access to fresh greens, they are significantly more nutritious and tastier than frozen.
Since we are discussing Green smoothies: my kids eat kale for breakfast | Galantys Game Plan, Smoothies can stay in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, but fresh is best. As soon as a smoothie is warmed to room temperature, it should be consumed.
Sweet stuff! Nice post, I’ll visit again.
I really enjoy your blog. Could let me know how I can go about subscribing with it? By the way I stumbled upon your blog through Aol.
While we’re discussing Green smoothies: my kids eat kale for breakfast | Galantys Game Plan, the human growth hormone aids in rapid metabolism and breaking down on nutrients (from the ingested food materials). This property of the hormone is very advantageous to humans as metabolism and weight loss are often interrelated.
People always like to keep food fresh and tasty with minimum effort then you can easily cover it with a colored plastic wrap that will seal your food and keep it from getting rotten. At times there you need to freeze the food so that you can eat it at some other time. I like how the colored plastic wrap looks, it just makes my food look more tasty!