"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." - Isaiah 32:18

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Green Smoothies

When my oldest was a baby I was one of those typical first-time moms who made baby food.

Never mind that you can buy already made baby food that's perfectly fine for 50 cents!!!

No, no... I enjoyed picking out fresh produce and blending it up myself.

Making my own at home made me feel like a good mom.

And because.....

 that's the kind of stuff you do when you only have one kid!

Fast-forward to four kids later...

Now I feel like a good mom when I toss a lukewarm hot dog their way instead of getting annoyed when they tell me they're hungry.

(Confession: I really do get annoyed when they tell me they're hungry. But, why are they always hungry?!!!  I try to reason with them by saying, I just fed you! But then my seven-year old, whom I regret teaching how to tell time, says, Mom, that was 5 hours ago...)

Sigh...

Things have changed.

But, I will say that the one thing that has not changed in seven years is that I will still make green smoothies on occasion for my kids at breakfast.

When my oldest was a baby I couldn't come up with any other way to get him to eat raw spinach.

Over the years I have gained more babies and more experience, but I still don't know of another way to get babies and toddlers to eat raw spinach.

So I do this:


I get out my blender (which is nothing fancy) and the following food items:

~One banana

~Vanilla yogurt

~Frozen Pinapple

~Raw spinach or kale or a mix of both

I've never had an actual recipe for this. I just sort of do my own thing. A smoothie is just a term for putting a few random things in a blender and mixing it up.

I start with the banana:

              

Then a few plops of yogurt:

             

The reason why I put the soft foods in first is because it blends up nicer. Also, I like to use this kind of yogurt because it's a good probiotic with lots of different cultures. I am not above buying cheap, generic food. With some foods it really makes no difference. But I compared yogurts a few years ago and the generic yogurt I was buying had only two live cultures in it. This one has seven. To me, it's worth the extra few bucks. 

Next, I pour in some pineapple:




           

Then a handful of spinach on top:


         

I was snapping away with my phone and dealing with the baby as I was making this. Her new thing these days is wanting to be held while I'm working in the kitchen. Needless to say, these aren't the prettiest photos.

I also like to add a few ice cubes at the end because I prefer to not have it be too soupy:


        

I don't add any sweetener because it's really flavorful and sweet as it is.

Then I blend away....


        

Until it's just right...

        

Once it's smooth, I put the pitcher in the fridge while I make the hot foods. It's important not to leave it out, it'll melt. I've also learned not to make it at the end, either, because then the hot foods get cold while we're waiting for the smoothie. So... I make it first and into the fridge it goes...

(Ya live and ya learn...)



       

 I dished everything up and poured the smoothie into bowls at the very end:


On this particular morning we had scrambled eggs and spinach smoothie, (because that's good for our bodies) and donut holes and sausage (because that's good for our souls! :):)

All of my kids have really liked my green smoothies through the years. 

I sure hope you'll let me know in the comments if you try it!

Until next time,

 ~ Courtney


6 comments:

  1. I've been creeping on your blog since you've started, but I haven't commented yet. It's been a fun read. And I burst out laughing at the "not getting annoyed when they say they're hungry" because, well, that's my life story haha. We make smoothies almost every day! I can't get my oldest to drink it, but we mix in lots. We make ours with chia seeds, flax meal, keifer, the same yogurt, mixed berries and whatever fresh fruit we have. We also add spinach and blothouse green goodness juice because it has a lot of good stuff in it.
    She may not drink the smoothie, but I also add raw spinach to their sandwiches at lunch time or use spinach wraps to get her spinach in. And oddly enough, both of my babies just eat spinach leaves as a snack!!
    -Teresa Johnson

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    1. Hi Teresa! SO good to have you as a reader and now commenter! You put a lot of healthy stuff in yours! That's so good for them! What a good mama you are! That's a great idea to sneak spinach into sandwiches! I'll have to try that! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! :)

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  2. I am so going to try this. I bet the only kid that will drink it is Joelle. I guess one is better then none.

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    1. Absolutely! I'd love to hear if she likes it! 😊

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  3. Yum! I will have to try your recipe!

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