What Kale? Protein Smoothie

Summer time = Breakfast?  No worries, the kids are not even awake until lunch time.
Back to school time = Breakfast?  Our daughter has the weird “B” lunch in the middle of her fourth hour class and our son has the late lunch, 4 1/2 hours after the bus picks him up in the morning. Whatever it is it must contain some protein or they just won’t make it to lunch.

This smoothie tastes so good and with it’s beautiful purple hue they won’t even know the kale is in there.  It’s the perfect way to get them off to school

What Kale? Protein Smoothie
Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • 1 c fresh strawberries
  • 1 1/2 c frozen blueberries
  • 1 c vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 c skim milk
  • 1 thin slice lime
  • 2 c fresh baby kale
  • 1 c ice

Instructions

  • place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth
  • add more milk if necessary

Blueberry Mojito Smoothie

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” 
― Victor HugoLes Misérables

My garden is my pride and joy.  I love being able to relax in the back yard with a different scene almost daily depending on what is in bloom.  Tucked away in the blooms are edible delights that almost look too pretty to eat.  Chives in the spring and fall, strawberries in early summer, blackberries in late summer, and herbs almost year round.

Not big on rum, a server at my old favorite restaurant (so sad that it is gone) talked me into ordering a blueberry mojito.  I have to say, it was fun summer awesomeness in a glass.  It was this morning’s inspiration for our morning smoothie.

Blueberry Mojito Smoothie

Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • 1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
  • 1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
  • 1 small handful kale
  • 1 slice lime
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1 c ice
  • 1 squeeze agave
Instructions
  • place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

Sneak in an Avocado

Did you know that an avocado is actually a fruit?  I didn’t.  I always thought it was in the veggie group.  Green, slimy, kids won’t eat it.  It must be a veggie.  Digging deeper the avocado is a berry.  My kids new better.  “Mom, everything with a seed is a fruit”.

High in fiber (10g), vitamin C, vitamin B 6, and more potassium than a banana sneak these heart healthy fruits into your morning smoothies.

We enjoy this recipe so much we have it every week.

Purple Sludge
Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red grapes
  • 1 1/2″ slice of pineapple
  • 1 orange peeled
  • 1 avocado peeled
  • 1 large slice of lime
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 squeeze agave (optional)
More Like This

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Here are some of the health benefits of avocados check out more on The World’s Healthiest Foods’ page.
 
  • Helps arthritis
  • Heart Healthy
  • Regulates Blood Sugar
  • Anti-cancer agents

Skin In The Game

At a networking breakfast yesterday, someone mentioned leaving the skin on kiwi when you make

smoothies.  It just didn’t sound right to me, but then someone added “my kid eats kiwi with the skin on like an apple”.  OK, but kids eat worms too.  I still wasn’t 100% sold, but I tried it this morning anyway – you couldn’t tell they were in there.  Believe me, if anything was funky our 10 year old would have called us out.

Thanks for the great tip. 

I did some research this morning, there’s actually a California Kiwifruit Organization.  I found out that by leaving the skin on the fiber value is tripled and more of the vitamin C is retained.  Hey, I just like that it’s a shortcut in the morning.

According to Wikipedia to have “skin in the game” is to have incurred monetary risk by being
invested in achieving a goal.  In my smoothie recipe having skin in the game is to retain more of the vitamins and add fiber.

Skin In Kiwi Smoothie

printable version

Ingredients

  • 2 oranges peeled
  • 8 strawberries
  • 1 slice lime
  • 1 inch slice pineapple peeled
  • 2 kiwi, ends cut off, but not peeled
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 squeeze agave

Instructions

  • Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Hide the Spinach

Sometimes it’s not the foods our kids (and husbands) won’t eat, it’s the way they are prepared.  For instance, most people steam brussel sprouts. Yuck!  You can’t get most people to buy in to them this way.  Try roasting them with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and orange peel. DELICIOUS!  The same goes for asparagus.  Steamed, not so liked.  Grilled or roasted it takes on an entirely different flavor, and texture, that will get more wins and empty plates.

I find that the best way to make sure that my family gets enough vegetables is to hide them in a fruity flavored smoothie.  Sometimes I sneak a few too many veggies in there and I am busted.  Sometimes I hit a home run like with this limey flavored smoothie.

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hide the Spinach, An Antioxidant Smoothie

Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 orange peeled
  • 2 kiwi peeled
  • 1 banana
  • 1 lime wedge
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 squeeze agave

Instructions

  • Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Wait to see if anyone detects your secret ingredient. I bet that they can’t

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