Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Green Smoothies - For You and Your Kids!

Do you have trouble getting your kids to eat their vegetables? Or maybe you have trouble eating them yourselves! You know that they are good for you and that you should be eating them but you just can't stand them. You are not alone!

According to the CDC (2013), 37.7% of adults and 36.0% of adolescents report consuming fruit less than one time daily and 22.6% of adults and 37.7% of adolescents report consuming vegetables less than one time daily. The median intake of fruits is only 1.1 times per day for adults and 1.0 times per day for adolescents and the median intake of vegetables is only 1.6 times per day for adults and 1.3 times per day for adolescents.


There are only three states that have a 1.8 Daily Vegetable Intake or higher (with Oregon being in the lead at 1.9)! This is a sad state for America to be in! Our bodies are made to thrive on vegetables and most of America barely touches them!

Green Smoothies to the Rescue!


What is a Green Smoothie? A Green Smoothie is a blended beverage made by blending leafy greens with fruit and water or fruit juice. There are endless varieties of Green Smoothie recipes! And the best thing is that, when prepared properly, you don't even taste the greens!

Many parents will say to us, "But my kids won't eat greens - they don't like them!" We have seen a lot of success when the parents introduces the green smoothies as "Hulk Juice" or "Green Slime" or some other "cool" name that their kids would enjoy.

There are different levels of green smoothies. There are some that have hardly any fruit and mostly vegetables and there are others that are basically fruit smoothies with some greens added. Obviously, the more greens you consume the better, but most people who aren't used to eating greens don't enjoy the taste of chlorophyll yet. So it may be best for them to start with a more fruity smoothie and work towards a greener smoothie.

Victoria Boutenko (the pioneer of green smoothies) says on her website, "Based on my observation and feedback from other smoothie drinkers, most people naturally start to crave greener smoothies in several weeks. On the other hand, some people were trying to be too perfect too quick, and prepared "super-green" smoothies from the very beginning. Then they complained that the green smoothies tasted awful, quit, and never wanted to try them again."

So, would you like some recipes to try??? Here are just a few to get you started on your new Green Smoothie Adventure!

Basic Balance

Victoria Boutenko

1 mango
1 cup kale
1 cup water

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Green Smoothie Monster

Victoria Boutenko

4 leaves kale, stems removed
4 leaves chard, stems removed
½ bunch fresh parsley
1 leaf aloe vera
½ bunch dandelion greens
3 pears
1 banana
3 cups water

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. 

Berry Green Smoothie


3/4 cup water
3/4 cup orange juice
2 cups spinach
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
2 bananas

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Green Smoothie Pudding


This is not a "smoothie" but more of a pudding. The flavor is phenominal and your kids are sure to love it!

2 mangoes, peeled and pit removed
1/2 whole pineapple
2 or 3 collard greens (stem removed)

Blend in Vitamix to pudding consistency.

Sherry's Favorite Green Smoothie


2 cups apple juice
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1/2 banana
handful kale leaves (remove stems)
handful of spinach
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp agave nectar

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add ice for desired consistency.

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