Our society, and specifically the children are severely malnourished because of all the processed foods and lack of raw food in their diet, which is a big part of why kids these days are always so sick! Making smoothies helps solve this problem!
For years I have been wanting to jump on board the smoothie train, but could never make good ones that anyone would actually drink.... until now! I am so excited about all the nutritious things I have been putting into their little bodies, and they love them too. My husband even drinks them! A few smoothie staples that you must have on hand:
- Kefir (I like to use goats milk kefir)- Kefir is an amazing probiotic which helps increase gut health and build a strong immune system
- Frozen organic fruit (I use mostly berries because they are low in sugar and full of antioxidants)
- Coconut oil- There are too many benefits of coconut oil to list here, but for more info click here
- Chia seeds- Chia seeds are full of omega 3 fatty acids and are a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber
- Raw honey-Once again there are too many benefits to list here but if you want more info click here
With just the things listed above you can make a delicious smoothie, here is the base recipe (you can add more or less of each thing based on your taste preferences):
1 1/2- 2 cups kefir
3 cups organic frozen fruit
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chia seeds
raw honey to taste (if you want to use less honey, get a pure stevia extract and add a couple drops)
handful of ice cubes
1/2 cup water
To make my smoothies even more power packed with nutrition you can add any of the following foods to the above base (I always add at least one veggie):
Avocado
Kale
Turmeric root
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Carrots
Spinach
When doing kale, I prepare mine ahead of time and puree it with a little bit of water then freeze it in pre-made portions. You can use cupcake tins to freeze it, then just throw your kale pellet in the blender with the rest of your ingredients and blend! I haven't tried it with spinach yet, but I am sure it would work great this way also.
**As a side note, we could not feed our family of five as much organic and healthy foods if we didn't shop at Costco! You can get almost all the ingredients for smoothies there, for half what it would cost you anywhere else!
I make a batch for my whole family every morning and many times they don't want anything else for breakfast because they are too full! These smoothies are great for moms too, when I miss a morning I am always sleepy by the afternoon and have to drink coffee to get through the rest of the day without a nap. It is crazy how much of a difference it makes. My only regret is that I didn't start this habit sooner!
Please share any smoothie recipes that your family loves! I would love to hear from YOU!