Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Ultimate Smoothie


Many of you already have my smoothie recipe, but many have been requesting it from me. For those of you who are new to the smoothie world, get ready for the ultimate way to con your kids into eating their veggies and fruits. Just make sure that they don't see what you are putting into their drink. They will never know, I promise. As soon as you get the basics down, you can freestyle it, put in whatever you have around the kitchen. My little one would live completely on smoothies if I let him. Since he is Autistic and very picky about textures of food, this is how I get his nutrition into him. I don't have to worry about what he eats because I know that he is getting everything in this shake. Everytime I give a class and I show them what I put in them, people always say that their kids will never drink it, after they taste it and the kids at the class taste it, they are hooked. I have only had about 2-3 kids refuse to drink it and they are usually the ones who see what is in it. I make these a couple times a day for my little one, my others drink it about every other day. I especially make it if they are having a meal that isn't the healthiest, this way I can justify a little of the junk.
I have a Vita Mix blender which is what the Commercial smoothie companies use. It gets it really blended and smooth. You can use whatever blender you have, but the more powerful the better. I always make a full container full, but if you don't have a powerful blender, start small.
Basic Smoothie Recipe
I start with frozen fruit, you don't have to, but it gets the drink slushy. I like the triple berry mix from Costco, it hides the flavors best or frozen strawberries. Any fruit will do , but these are the best to start with to get the kids hooked.
I usually put in about 2 cups. I then put it one banana, an orange, peeled and quartered, a handful of RAW spinach, a couple baby carrots and a T. of flax seed meal. I fill up the container to cover the fruit with pineapple juice. I buy this at Costco as well in a three pack of Dole Cans. You can buy those at Walmart. Pineapple juice is real sweet and hides it all. You can use orange juice also. Blend this up until it is completely smooth. You will not see the spinach.
You can add anything to this smoothie. I add raw zucchini, raw cabbage, even raw brocolli. Just keep the fruit at about 2/3 and veggies at about 1/3. My little one will drink anything. I add millet, yogurt, quinoa, etc. Put in any fruit that you have on hand. You can also add ice if you want too. Start with the basic and then play with it. You can add a little honey if you need to but it really is sweet. I love these in the morning.
One more recipe that I keep getting emails for is the blender wheat waffles, here you go!
Blender Waffles
1 C. Whole Wheat kernals (not flour)
1 C. Milk
Blend on high until smooth.
ADD:
1/2 C oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp salt.
Blend again until all mixed.
Cook on waffle griddle. I top with fruit and whipped cream. These are real yummy and very hearty. If your kids are not used to whole wheat, make sure you give them ample time in the morning for a bowl movement! You can throw in flax and other grains with this, just keep it mostly wheat. Add more milk if needed.
P.S., My kids loved the Valentines Day celebration! Guess I have to do it every year now!

6 comments:

Cindy Thomas said...

When I have overripe bananas I freeze them and then use these too. We also put in yogurt - the plain kind and even the fruity kind (the one with no added sugar like Cascade Fresh or Brown Cow or Mountain High, whatever's on sale). Hey, I tried the HOLY COW cleaners the other day - WOW! Thanks for all the little tidbits... I look forward to your blog! :)

Melissa said...

My kids love smoothies and I can't wait to try this tomorrow morning with them. Thanks so much, I have been trying to think of ways to get more nutrients into them.

Where do you get whole wheat kernels?

Shari Goodman said...

Melissa,

Wheat from the cannery, you know, you should have a year supply of it! The white wheat is best. You can go to the cannery and buy a bulk bag of it too and put it in buckets that you can get from Shar's , the big white 5 gal buckets. You don't need to seal it. You can also buy wheat from her. It is just more expensive.

tiffany knox said...

we really do have a lot in common. I have all of those things and already hide things in drinks. my kids will eat veggies at any given moment for some reason though so no worries there. I want one of those blenders so bad. I just use a magic bullet for now.. thanks for the recipes-I love your blog

Jen said...

I tried the smoothies tonight and my kids all liked it! I'm so excited because I have one daughter that will not touch veggies. This will be a great way to start their day! I'm starting with baby steps with her.

Nichole Barney said...

I am a friend of Tracey's and she told me about your blog and gave me a bunch of recipes. I am excited to get the junk out of my house and start eating healthier. Thanks for you inspiration. I love reading all your ideas. I have made the smoothies for about a week everyday for an after school snack because that seems to be the unhealthy junk hour and all of my kids have loved them and they have no idea I put spinach and zucchini.