Smoothie Time!

I posted a picture a few days ago on FB of the newest addition to my family smoothie regiment and some of you lovely ladies requested a smoothie post, so here goes..... Keep in mind, I am NO expert. In fact any "healthy" information I learn usually comes from one of my super healthy, in the know mom friends OR my sister in law who is BIG into nutrition. Usually they tell me things they've bought into and then I go and do some more research to decide if I'm going to jump on the bus or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't....  but here are a few things that I find beneficial to sneak into our smoothies especially since my son basically only consistently eats broccoli for a vegetable, I have to find other ways to get this boy his vitamins. Plus, truth be told, my husband could honestly take or leave a veggie, he's a meat and potato kind a guy. So smoothies are essential in keeping my family heathy! So here goes.... as far as sneaky ingredients, here are the basics----

1. Chia Seeds- from what I've read these little suckers are ridiculously nutritious. Packed full of nutrients and antioxidants and even better? they can be digested whole (unlike a flaxseed). They also help to fill you up. So,  while the smoothie is a "snack" for my kiddo, it's my breakfast and keeps me full until lunchtime. TIP- do not use more than a tablespoon of them in your smoothie or the consistency will get a little gooey. 

2. Flaxseed- contains a boat load of omega-3 essential fatty acids, often found in fish. Since we now live in TX, we don't eat seafood nearly as much as we did when we lived in Florida, so an extra boost of this? Why not? TIP- You've got to buy the "cold milled" otherwise the seed isn't broken down and your body will not be able to break down the nutrients (meaning it's of no use to you at all).

3. Blue Agave- this naturally sweetens up your smoothie, which for a picky toddler, works wonders. I alternate between this and Raw Local Honey. I tend to use more Raw Local Honey during allergy season bc it really seems to help reduce the sneezing and itchy eyes. Seriously! TIP- Agave goes a long way! You don't need nearly as much agave as you would honey. 

4.) Coconut Oil- I could go on and on about this. My friend Debbie is in love with this stuff and I learned quite a bit about this on our beach trip, if your friends with me on FB, you saw we dubbed it the "Eighth Winder of the World," because it's THAT good. There's a great article about the health benefits of coconut oil, here. TIP- The hotter the temp in your house the "soupier," more "oil-like" it gets. Which will dictate how much you use in your smoothie. When we were at the beach, the temp in the house must have been cooler bc it was sort of the texture of yogurt, but in my house in TX, it's very similar to oil. 

Alright enough about the vitamins, supplements, and oils, now on to the good stuff.... My basic smoothie ingredients are kale/spinach (one every other day), strawberries (the whole deal, stem included) , a whole banana, greek yogurt, and frozen blueberries. I usually always buy frozen blueberries bc its typically a better buy. you can get a huge bag of organic blueberries at Costco for 12 bucks! The bag pictured is only half full, so, in my opinion, that's a pretty good buy. Everything else is fresh.

What you don't see pictured are my "cast offs," which are any veggies or fruit that look like their going to turn before we get around to eating them,  so I'll just toss whatever in the smoothie. This could be a carrot, some leftover broccoli, a pear, a red apple (tried a green one and it didn't really jive well). etc. I haven't met a veggie or a fruit that I haven't liked in a smoothie, so I saw try whatever you've got! But there's my "go to" smoothie recipe. I'll give you an estimate of measurements below but keep in mind I make my batch for three people and honestly it's more of an eyeball thing, but this morning I tried to be more aware of how much of what I was putting in the blender, so here goes.....

1 Tbs. Chia Seeds
1Tbs. Flaxseed
1Tbs Agave
1 heaping Tbs. of Coconut Oil (if it's the consistency of yogurt) or if it's runny just fo 2 Tbs.
1 C. Greek Yogurt
3/4C Blueberries
3-4 Strawberries
1 Banana
2 Large handfuls of either Kale or Spinach
1 Cast off
1 12 oz. cup of water
1 12 oz. cup of ice

Enjoy!