I LOVE Green Smoothies!

I kid you not, I am OBSESSED with Green Smoothies and probably always will be!  They are served daily in our house and are a hit with everyone!  Its no wonder green smoothies are so trendy today, they are a great way to pack in leafy greens and other great sources of proteins and antioxidants whether you are 2 or 32...  :-)  I know as a parent we all want our kids to eat all the vegetables on their plate, but I know in my house that isn't always the case. Kids go through phases and at least I know that my picky almost 4 year old is drinking some great nutrients :-)  Its funny, because he often helps me make smoothies, and knows what's going in there..including leafy greens (he calls salad) but as long as he cant taste it, he drinks every drop and usually comes back for more.

Great ways to get the wee ones enjoying their green smoothies:
* Serve a smoothie or send it to school in a Sili Squeeze or other reusable smoothie pouches
* Make extra and freeze smoothies in Silicone Freezer Pop Molds
* Buy some fun colorful straws or special fun cups
* Let the kids help with the smoothie making process

Recipes:
There are so many great recipes out there to incorporate your favorite
fruits, veggies, and seeds etc, and there is a lot of fun to be had coming up with
your own.  Some extras that I always have on hand for smoothies include flax seed, chia seeds, mint leaves, raw almonds, raw coconut, coconut oil etc...  Sara Sullivan's blog and Simple Green Smoothies facebook page are some of my favorite spots for new recipes. 

Here's a great starter recipe from Simple Green Smoothies on Facebook:

Coconut Dream - Serves 2
2 cups kale, fresh
2 cups coconut milk, unsweetened 
1 cup
mango
1 cup pineapple
1 banana
2 tablespoons coconut flakes,
unsweetened

**to lighten it up you can always use 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup coconut water.  I also like my smoothies cold and either add ice or substitute frozen fruit

Equipment:
I use a Vitamix, which is probably my favorite material belonging!!  Its amazing!!  It is a big investment, but checkout Vitamix's website, they offer certified reconditioned machines for a significantly reduced Cost.  My mom uses a nutribullet which is much smaller, but also does a pretty good job getting the ingredients smooth for a much smaller investment.

For Free Shipping on your Vitamix purchase, use coupon code: 06-009557

Happy Smoothie making!  What's your favorite smoothie recipe??

Rebecca

*** Keep in mind I'm not a nutritionist, just a smoothie lover :-)

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