Jaxon Style: Our Daily Eats: Green Smoothies

I thought I would include a segment, "Daily Eats," which will include food/meals that we have on a regular basis in our home. You don't have to have allergies or be a vegan either to enjoy these!

One of the things that we have almost every day is a green smoothie! I wanted to be able to sneak some veggies in Jaxon's diet, especially now since vegetables seem to be more fun to play with than actually eat when they are on his plate. Thanks to Pinterest, I came across green smoothies! What makes these smoothies green? Spinach of course!! There is no way Jaxon would eat spinach on it's own but when it's whirled into a fruity, smooth concoction, who can resist?! I decided to give them a try to see if Jaxon would drink them. Lucky enough, he LOVED them! I try to give him one everyday that way I know he is at least getting some veggies in!

This was the first one we tried: "Green Detox Smoothie"
The recipe calls for spinach and kale but I don't always have kale so I just put in more spinach. It definitely is one of my favorites but I experiment and use whatever I have around the house. I use the banana and spinach as my base then switch out the pear for other fruits like mangoes, pineapple, nectarines, peaches or whatever you like! I do try to stick with more yellow or orange colored fruits though when I use spinach because berries make it a brown color. It doesn't taste bad but it just doesn't look as yummy! I also like to add avocado which makes it thicker and creamier! Sometimes I feel I get a little crazy with what I throw in there but Jaxon will drink it so it's worth experimenting to see what your kids will drink. I've done broccoli too instead of spinach and he gulped it down! :) Other good add-ins are ground flaxseed, chia seeds, or peanut butter.

Here is a basic recipe:
-1 banana
-1-2 cups spinach/kale
-1 1/2 cups orange juice (I've also used a tropical blend, mango juice, & coconut water. All are delicious. I've also started watering down the juice so there isn't so much sugar. Have to watch out for the kiddos teeth!)
-1 other fruit
-1/2 avocado (optional)
-1/2 cup ice cubes (optional)

Throw all ingredients in the blender and whirl away. Then enjoy!

(When I first gave Jaxon a green smoothie, I put it in one of his sippy cups so he couldn't see the color. I wasn't sure if he would drink it if it was green but he's seen the color and still drinks them so he doesn't seem to mind.)

He loves when I let him drink from my blender bottle