SilverFish (or other Mommas)

[neonalee]

In the thread about toddler dinner you mentioned your healthy type smoothie/popsicles.  Can you post a few "recipes"?  I've been wanting to try this but don't know where to start.  My 12/13 yr old SD is coming to live with us this week and I'm pretty sure these will be a constant so I want them to be healthier.  I'm even buying a blender (haven't had one in 10 yrs!!).  I already have popsicle molds.  We bought a bunch of organic frozen fruit at Trader Joe's, but I don't think just fruit and yogurt is really going to cut it when she ends up eating that for breakfast on her way to school (which I just know will happen).

[P.J.]

Well, for popcicles we usually do a blend of yogurt (plain, I use soy), fresh or frozen fruit (anything goes really!), and if you need more sweetness we add agave syrup, stevia or erythritol. You can also add in pure juice or freshly squeezed OJ.

When we have breakfast smoothies, I do it differently. I do 60% fruit and 40% greens, with 1 or 2 cups water per serving. I never use a recipe I just buy what's in season and make it up. A typical smoothie (for 2) might look like this:

2 apples

2 peaches

1 pear

some fresh ginger

some lemon juice

a few mint leaves

a couple handfuls greens (spinach, lettuce, field salad, arugala, etc....)

3-4 cups water

I like to add the ginger and mint for flavor, and the lemon juice for more alkalinity, but you could leave those all out and do something much simpler, like:

2 apples

2 peaches

a couple handfuls greens

3 cups water

Remember, for green smoothies it's 60% fruit, 40% greens. It's a great way to get those greens in, you can't taste them at all in there! Our son (14 months) loves them!

[neonalee]

Thanks!  This is exactly the kind of thing I need.  You just throw the greens in there with everything else?  Rip or chop first?  I just bought a small blender that supposed to be good smoothies (and not much else) because the one I want is $100.  We'll see how it goes.

[nstewart]

We do fruit smoothies here too.  I don't think you need any recipes, just throw in what you have! Our standard would be:

1 banana

1 peach 

1 cup blue berries 

yogurt (maybe a cup?? I don't measure)

1 cup soy milk (or whatever you have.  regular milk, oj, etc.)

The other tried and true ingredients to add/vary with others are really ripe mango, a nice orange, raspberries, saskatoons (picked in the wild here on the Prairies of Canada), strawberries, watermelon, blackberries (although the seeds are kind of large on those)...no recipe, just whatever combos sound tasty and what I have on hand.  I buy or pick in season and then freeze berries and fruit (such as peaches).  You can also add protein powder, flax seed or wheat germ.  

My SECRET INGREDIENT is ripe avocado!  It makes the smoothies super creamy and it is so healthy!