You may have read my post on green smoothies in which I promised a follow up on trying to get my teenagers to drink them. I have been working on the challenge, and this is what I've come up with so far.
Yes, dark berries cover up a bit of green, but I've got a teen who doesn't like the blue or blackberries, so I had to find something else.
Cabbage doesn't turn the smoothie green! Put a wedge of one in your smoothie. If you throw in a little fresh spinach, it'll even take that green out. But it also takes out the pink of the strawberries.
Need more pink? Put in a piece of beet. It'll add a bright magenta color. Cut the beet into 10ths or 16ths, then add one piece before deciding if you want more color. It doesn't take much. My first try was way too magenta (1/4 of a beet). But the smaller pieces work so well that I'm going to freeze them on a cookie sheet and then keep a bag in the freezer so that my bunch of 3 beets will last quite a while.
Another help has been to prepare my veggies in a container the night before so that I can whip them out and throw them in with the fruit with the least risk of getting caught.
But what has really made the difference with my teens (and little ones) is an investment in restaurant cups with lids and straws.This has worked great since they like to take their smoothie on the run. Besides, the travel cups we used at first have been lost, and I wouldn't want to see inside them now, even if what's now inside them would probably be greener than ever. The point is, the disposable, content hiding cups have been great. I like to use them myself. I don't know why, but a green smoothie tastes even better in the car.
Oh, I should probably tell you too that I have sometimes put in a dash of vanilla extract and maybe a little sweetener, if I felt it might need it. (I put in some Stevia, but use what you like.) The teens also like it plenty icy, like Jamba Juice, so I use as little liquid as possible to get it started blending. Then at the end I add ice cubes and blend it again.
Here is a recipe from Green Smoothie Girl's book, The Green Smoothie Diet that I consulted. She recommends it for those "converting." I haven't ever tried nutmeg.
Beet Blast
3 1/4 cups water/ice
1 medium beet, washed well and quartered
1/4 of a medium green cabbage, cut in chunks
Spinach, added until mixture reaches 6-cup line
2 Tbsp. honey
2 apples
2 bananas
2 cups pineapple, frozen chunks
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
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Straws do make a huge difference! We figured that out a while back and it’s amazing how much more my kids will drink!
and do you love it? Do your kids love it? I mean it’s one thing to gag something down and it’s another to absolutely love it and want more. I’m really wanting to convert, but I’m scared!!
My veggie reluctant husband says he can tell it’s there, but he still likes it. No gagging. Compared to what I’m drinking now, it’s closer to melted ice cream, so I’m not a good judge myself. The kids don’t complain and ask for more, when I don’t over do it. I would suggest just making a smoothie you love, then add in a few leaves of fresh spinach. The taste will hardly be different, the issue will be if the color matters. If you like it, put in a few more leaves the next time.