Kale and Spinach Smoothie

Last week, the kids and I were hanging out on a hot Friday afternoon, when my kids asked for a snack..."something sweet" they said. I didn't have any healthy snacks readily available since I haven't gone to the grocery store for a while, but I really didn't want to give them any junk food. They've already cooled down with some popsicles, so now what?

I searched around the kitchen for some inspiration. Then I remembered I had bag of organic kale and spinach my mom gave me. This would be a great opportunity to try something new and make some healthy smoothies! We do need to start transitioning from mostly processed food to regularly eating healthier, organic food. What could be greater than getting my kids to each vegetables in a way they think is a treat?!

And with that, the thought came to me....

Your mission, January, should you choose to accept, is to create a concoction of fruits and vegetables using a blender that will appease and satiate the curly headed creatures, eliminating further desire for sweets.

Challenge accepted!

It's a challenge because...well, frankly...my blender and I aren't great friends. I've never been good at using one. I've tried to make drinks in the past and they've never turned out...edible. I know what you're thinking...how can anyone mess up a smoothie, right? It happens. Trust me. Since then I just leave it to the experts and buy my smoothies.

Luckily, I had the right ingredients on-hand to make a decent smoothie:
-organic kale and spinach
-one ripe banana
-strawberries
-blueberry yogurt
-one cup of ice

I didn't really measure anything, I just cut them up and threw a handful of each ingredient in the blender and hoped for the best. In retrospect, maybe this is why I never could make a smoothie right. I never tried to adjust what I made or tried to look up a recipe. I just figured smoothie-making wasn't my thing...oh well.
I was scared as heck I would make a catastrophe of a smoothie and traumatize my kids from ever drinking another one ever again {over-dramatization runs in my family}. But I already accepted the challenge...and after all i'm on a mission for self-improvement, so I can't just NOT do anything because I'm scared. I told myself  "It's just a damn smoothie for crying out loud! If it doesn't turn out okay, you won't stop breathing, promise". So I plugged the darn blender in and cranked the dial to "smoothie" and waited...

Here's what happened...

Batman wasn't so sure about this drink

Got him to try it by bribing him with kisses

Check out the eyebrow raise. Thinking "not bad"

Let's give it another try...

Big eyes = light bulb moment

Success! He totally likes it!

Now for Maya...

Serious drinking going on here

"Did you make this, Mommy?"

Thumbs up for Mommy

Now for a song about her smoothie

Hey not bad! In fact, they loved it so much daddy and the kids asked for it again the next day.

Here's a few things I learned after several days of smoothie making:
-Freeze your fruit. It comes out a lot better
-Coconut water works great
-It doesn't hurt to use kefir. Tastes great. Feels great.
-If you need it to be sweeter, use a little honey instead or organic raw sugar instead of the white stuff.
-If you make more than you can drink or you want to make it ahead of time, freeze it in ice cube trays. Then when you are ready for more, fill a glass with the frozen smoothie cubes and defrost in the fridge or on your way to the gym, work, shopping spree, etc.