Nutrition

This post is all about how to make kid friendly green smoothies. Key word being “kid friendly!”

These blended, frozen drinks are definitely my “go-to” whenever I want to give Eli and Georgia something that’s quick, healthy and drama-free.

Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes for a nutritious and tasty green smoothie that I hope your kids (and you!) will love. I’ve even included some simple tips on how to make green smoothies kid friendly. They’ll forget they’re drinking kale in no time!

Green Smoothie Recipe aka “Little Greenie”

1 cup packed kale (discard stems and tear into pieces)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup mangos (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon raw honey (or agave nectar)
3/4 cup orange juice

Blend until smooth, serves 2

*Coconut water is a great alternative to orange juice and makes the drink that much more tropical. My kids prefer the taste with orange juice because it adds sweetness, but I opt for mine with coconut water. If you’re using fresh fruit just add a few ice cubes to your blender.

How to Make Kid Friendly Green Smoothies

Add a Little Flair
Fancy straws are a big hit in my house, especially with my four-year old daughter. I got the ones above at Target and I only break them out when I have something I really want them to drink. With these straws, my nutritious green smoothie instantly becomes a special treat. You can also try floating fruit on the top or serving them in a new, fun glass.

Give it a Name
I called this one “Little Greenie”. I got the name from one of our favorite books, I Love You Stinky Face. In the book, the imaginative son turns into all sorts of undesirable creatures and questions his mom about her unconditional love. When he pretends to turn into a Green Alien from Mars she reassures him she will still love him, feed him green grasshoppers, and call him “Little Greenie”.

Sweeten It!
Pineapple and orange juice both add sweetness to your smoothie and soften any bitter taste of the greens. Bananas also help neutralize and sweeten bitter flavors. A touch of agave, raw honey, vanilla extract and cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder will also do the trick.

Make your Green Smoothie Purple
If all else fails just change the color of the smoothie. Red and purple fruit will take the green out of your smoothie without draining it of its nutrients. Fruits such as red grapes, cherries, raspberries, or blueberries work wonders. The recipe below is a must try for any kid (or adult) that has an aversion to green food/drink.

Purple Smoothie Recipe aka “Berrylicious”

2 cups frozen fruit (I usually go with a blend of berries)
Blueberry greek yogurt
1 banana
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 splashes of milk

Blend until smooth, serves 2

If you’re looking for more tips on how to adjust the flavor or consistency of your smoothie click here. Vitamix’s website has all the answers on easy smoothie fixes.

Enjoy!

Happy first week of March! Spring is definitely in the air (can you believe it was almost 90 degrees here last week?!), which has got me thinking about dusting off my gardening gloves and sharing a few ideas on gardening with kids.

Now, I would love to say that I’ve mastered the art of gardening and I have a bounty of fruits and vegetables in my backyard every summer, but that would be a complete lie.

The truth is, I was NOT blessed with a green thumb and gardening has always felt more like work than fun to me. It wasn’t until the last few years that I really started to enjoy it, and I think that has a lot to do with getting my kids involved in the process. It’s so fun to see how excited they get when the first tomato grows or the rose-bush starts to blossom.

Here are a few things we’re going to try this year. Wish us luck!

Plant a pizza garden

Last year, we got hooked on grilling our own pizza. It’s so easy and the kids love to help ”decorate” the pizza with the their favorite toppings. This year we’re going to try growing those toppings. It seems pretty simple to do, just grab a creative, inexpensive container and grow tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, peppers, and any other container friendly topping. They also have pizza kits that can help simplify the process. How cute is this one?

Grow a sunflower patch

My daughter loves sunflowers, so I was so happy to find out that they’re one of the easiest plants to grow. All you need is plenty of sun and enough room to plant them 4″ - 6″ apart and 1″ deep. There are different types of sunflowers, but because we have limited space, we’re going to try these sunspot dwarf ones.

Check here for more tips on growing sunflowers in your garden. Other sturdy plants that are easy for kids to grow are pansies, daisies, snapdragons and zinnias.

Sprout your own snap peas and carrots

Everyone’s heard the phrase eat your peas and carrots. Well, one of the best things about getting kids involved in gardening is that once they put the effort into growing something, they’re much more apt to want to eat it. I’m picking these two vegetables, snap peas and carrots, because they’re easy to grow and great for snacks.

Next year, I may graduate to this kid’s garden bed and try growing a rainbow garden, but I’m taking things one step at a time.

Do any of you have gardening tips you’d like to share? What are you favorite “kid friendly” crops?

This is a guest blog by local OC mom Melanie, who shares with us 8 nutrients to boost your family’s immune system along with easy mom-t0-mom tips on how to get these nutrients into our kiddos!

“By now we all know this cold and flu season has been a doozy. We also know how scary and inconvenient it is when you or your children get sick.  If you are like me you are always trying to find helpful and simple ways to keep your kids healthy.  Besides getting the flu shot and washing your hands, to avoid getting sick, there are a number of foods you can eat to boost your immune system.

Did you know you can increase the number of white blood cells by eating certain foods? Yep, natural immune boosters can be found in everyday foods we eat.

 8 Nutrients to Boost your Immune System

Vitamin C

Boosts infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.  Can be found in guava, papaya, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, orange & grapefruit

Kid-friendly Smoothie Recipe:  One handful of spinach or kale, 1 cup OJ (the OJ cancels out any of the leafy green taste), any frozen fruit your kids like – berries, papaya and guava are best for boosting immunity.  If you add Greek yogurt or protein powder this makes a great complete breakfast for everyone.

Vitamin E

Helps produce cells that kill germ cells and boosts immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria.  Found in seeds, vegetable oils and grains.

Carotenoids

Increases infection-fighting cells and is an antioxidant.  These foods are carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, tomatoes (notice the theme of deep colorful foods)

Sweet potato fries are a yummy alternative to regular fries. Find them in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s or cut your own sweet potatoes and roast with olive oil and salt and pepper.  A great side dish to any meal!

Bioflavonoids

Protects the body against environmental pollutants.  Including berries, cherries, grapes, fruit skins, and true fruit juices, teas (not herbal), grains, celery, parsley, grapefruit, oranges, apple skin, onion, endive, radishes, tomatoes, leeks, broccoli and red wine

 Pink Lady Apples – my kids LOVE these sweet apples, great for lunches or snacks

“Dirty” Broccoli

(Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger – one of my favorites!)

1 bunch broccoli

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, preferably whole-wheat (store-bought or 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs made from whole-wheat bread processed into fine crumbs)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Cut the broccoli into spears and put in a large microwave-safe bowl with water. Cover tightly ad micro-wave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, drain the broccoli well, and set aside (or you can lightly steam or blanch the broccoli if you don’t want to use microwave).

While broccoli is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the bread crumbs, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, cook until the crumbs are toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli, toss to coat with bread crumbs, and serve.

Zinc

Increases the number of infection fighting white blood cells.  Foods include oysters, crab, beef, turkey (dark meat) and beans.

Garlic

Another food that increases infection-fighting white cells.  Garlic is a food that is easily incorporated into daily recipes.

Selenium

Increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells.  Including tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, whole grains, brown rice, egg yolks, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, garlic, Brazil nuts and lamb chops

Omega-3 Fatty acids

Increase the activity of the cells that eat up bacteria and protects the body against damage from over-reactions to infection.  Found in flax oil or ground flax seed and fatty fish (salmon, tuna and mackerel)

In addition, our pediatrician recommends that the entire family take a Vitamin D supplement to combat the flu.  Although we get vitamin D in milk and from the sun, we don’t quite get enough of it to fight off the flu so a supplement is helpful.

My family has been juicing lately.  We got a juicer from Target for Christmas.  This is such an easy way to get extra vitamins and minerals into your diet.  The kids really enjoy picking their own fruits and veggies to create their own juice recipes.

Remember- if you have any health issues it is always important to consult with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet.

Stay healthy!”

Melanie Meixner is a certified Dr. Sears LEAN Coach.  She also teaches Health and Nutrition to Middle School students at Capo Beach Christian School.  She also has 2 fairly picky eaters at home who inspire her to learn about healthy eating habits. All nutritional facts in this article were found at www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org.

Photo credit: Wylio

I am always looking for tips on getting kids to eat more veggies, and I have found one trick that works (sometimes) I wanted to share with you.  Can you share your tips with me below?

So here’s my tip on getting my kids to get more veggies.

In the 30 minutes or so before lunch or dinner when all of a sudden they go from playing to climbing up to the kitchen island exclaiming with intensity “Mommy! I’m HUNGRY!” I will put out a little plate of hors d’oeuvres consisting of a variety of pre-cut veggies and dip or hummus.

If they truly are that hungry, they will eat it, and mom is victorious.  If they are not that hungry, they will magically disappear and go back to playing until dinnertime. Most times however, they will eat at least some of the veggies before dinner.

I love to get the veggie consumption out of the way before dinner so I can go into the meal without stressing about getting some greens in them!

Like all things in parenthood, this works sometimes, not all of the time. But you have to take those times it does work for all it’s worth!!!

Your turn! Do you have any tips or tricks on getting kids to eat more veggies?  

Now this truly is one JUICY find! If the holidays have left you feeling a little BLAH from overindulgence, this Orange County organic juice bar is the perfect way to do a little sugar cookie detox.

Organic Tree Juice Bar in Dana Point offers fresh, organic, raw juices and smoothies that are made to order so you can kick start a clean 2013.

Founded by husband and wife team, Rachel and Brian Dunn, this dynamic duo believes in the power of consuming raw organic fruits, vegetables, live foods and wheatgrass for overall health and wellbeing. Proponents of this healthy living lifestyle, they inspire a holistic approach to life, but not a scary holistic, a relaxed and approachable OC type of holistic.

Located through the Pacific Asthanga yoga shala in the beautiful Dana Point Harbor, every item on the Organic Tree Juice Bar menu is made-to-order on the spot.

The locally-sourced ingredients are raw, meaning that once you get your tasty elixir, the shelf life is only about 24-hours because it is as fresh as you can get.

They use the Living Juice Extractor, which slows the juicing process and doesn’t oxidize the greens.

Chose from popular combinations like the “Emerald” which is spinach, kale, apple, celery, parsley and ginger or the “Oz” which is the “Emerald” with a little added cucumber and lemon.

And, because every juice is made to order, you can customize your juice to your taste, and really make it your own.

They also offer kid’s juices! What a cute outing to take your children to get an amazingly healthy treat.

If you are really wanting to make a serious change this year, you can explore participating in one of their cleanses.

Some people opt to do a 24-hour juice detox to kick start a health regimen. Others are fans of the 3-day cleanse to detoxify your body, mind and spirit to promote a rebalanced state.

I have not done one before, but I have heard the 3-day cleanse can be intense, so they offer complete Juice Cleanse Programs lead in collaboration with Pacific Ashtanga and lead by instructor Diana Christinson, where, in a private or small group setting, you can supplement your 3-day cleanse with a nutrition guide, support, yoga, exercise and meditation. These groups happen approximately once a month, contact Organic Tree Juice Bar for more information.

So, South OC friends, next time you want to meet up with your girlfriends for a coffee, consider meeting at Organic Tree Juice Bar instead and take a walk on the harbor for a fresh alternative to the coffee date!

 www.OrganicTreeJuiceBar.com

[Disclosure: Organic Tree Juice Bar is a juicy Tiny Oranges Sponsor!]