Green Smoothies!

Last year I was talking with my friend Jess and I was telling her that Logan had become somewhat picky when it came to "all things green." For the first time in Logan's life I felt like all the other parents out their fighting with him to eat his veggies! That's when Jess told me to just stop battling and put it in a smoothie. I wasn't sure how I was going to do this because I knew that the smoothie was going to look weird to Logan if it had veggies in it until I discovered that if I put his green smoothie in a green cup with a lid, he would never know! The basic recipe that Jess gave me and one that she gives to her kids on a daily basis is:

1 cup spinach
1/2 banana fresh or frozen
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
a few drops stevia extract if needed to sweeten
ice as desired

I discovered that if you put the whole banana in there you don't need the stevia. Since then, I have come up with all sorts of variations and have even added extra protein sources in such things as chia seeds, hemp seeds, or powdered peanut butter! If you've read my previous post, you know that me and protein powders don't jive but if you like it, then go ahead! My all time favorite smoothie combo, that I just can't get enough of is this:

1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup kale
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 banana
1/4 fresh peeled orange
1/2 apple
2 TB powdered peanut butter
1 TB hemp seed
tons of ice
Calories (around 220)

I have talked about the hemp seeds in my previous post; they are a great source of protein, amino acids, and omega 3 and 6. I recently purchased the most amazing powdered peanut butter ever on my trip to LA at a local health food store and I was beyond excited to finally find a powdered peanut butter that had clean ingredients and tastes amazing (Not to mention that 2 TB is only 45 calories)! I will continue to buy this stuff online since I can't find it locally because it is just that good! I love having a smoothie as a post-workout breakfast or a lunch on the go. Logan has one as a snack because he is growing and needs more calories than I do on most days...lucky!!

Logan no longer cares if his smoothie is in a green cup and he is a lot better about eating veggies but he still loves his smoothies! Ryan got us a vitamix a few months a go and that has made smoothie time a great and easy experience!!