Eat Like a Rabbit

In reading up on how to get children to eat healthy, I learned that some foods should be given more creative or less scary names. I took this step when adding spinach to my smoothies. The spinach (green tops) reminded me of eating fresh mint or even the tops of organic berries in my drink when you aren't worried about eating the leaves. The bitterness of the spinach is non-existent; so, I have no fear of suddenly realizing that the "tops" aren't tops at all. I have fought "green smoothies" for quite some time, but the fruit hides the look, which makes me more likely to drink it. Also, the additional vitamin C from orange juice increases absorption of iron, which is just as important for my body as eating the iron to begin with.

Sadly, my fetal-brain-drain kicked in and sometime last weekend I failed to put my frozen bananas back in the freezer, and they weren't very acceptable for smoothies after spending the night in the fridge. I used frozen peaches (Yes, we have a variety of fruit in our freezer. Just wait until all the applesauce and squash come into season.) as an alternative. The downside was that the color came out funky. One person at work thought my drink was pasta sauce to go with my EMT's pasta, and another person thought I was drinking salsa. Well, no matter the look, it tasted just fine.

Clearly, the berry smoothie with raspberries yielded a prettier color, and Paul pointed out the benefits of the additional iron in the Stonyfield yogurt.

Recipe for Berry Banana Smoothies

Serves 2

• One frozen banana
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.

As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.

Would you like to know what we're eating next?