Have You Had Your "Green Smoothie" Today?

I often struggle getting my 3 year old to eat his vegetables. It was easy when he was younger; he loved to snack on peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Now that he has a taste for other foods, it is harder and harder to convince him to eat his vegetables. With our 13 month old now eating those same foods, I am trying to find creative ways to have those important greens in all of our diets.

We have found green smoothies to be a solution to our anti-vegetable dilemma. There are so many delicious recipes for green smoothies, but I like to keep it simple with organic yogurt, juice, and a selection of our favorite fruits and vegetable.

• First, add 1 cup of yogurt to your blender. We like StoneyField Farms Organic Low-Fat Plain; but you could use vanilla or any other fruit flavor.
• Add 1 cup of orange juice and 1 cup of low-fat milk.
•  Next, add your fruit. We love to use frozen fruit because it is always fresh and it makes the smoothies ice cold. I recently found a few different varieties of organic frozen fruit at our local Costco including 3 Berry Blend, Mango, and an Ant-Oxidant Blend. We love the anti-oxidant blend because it includes the super-fruits: blueberries, cherries, and pomegranates. 
• Now add your vegetables. We usually switch between organic baby kale or baby spinach. With the kale craze these days, organic baby kale is readily available at most grocery stores including Wal-Mart. My baby boy loves when we add the kale and refers to them as "leaves" (I don't think he qualifies them as vegetables at all.) If I have baby carrots on hand, I will add them as well. You could really add any vegetables you like.
• It is time to put your blender to work. I usually start mine on the "crush ice" setting to crush the frozen fruits and then switch to the "stir" option. Blend for about a minute.

If you have a picky eater like I do; they will not be disappointed. The berries and juice provide the perfect cover-up for the vegetables and is an icy, sweet, refreshing treat. This recipe is not recommended for younger babies because it has a few ingredients not suitable for babes under 1 year (orange juice, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat milk). However, you could easily adapt the recipes so your baby could enjoy the green smoothies as well.

My family enjoys eating our veggies this way and I hope you will too!