It’s the epic battle of parent versus child. There we sit, separated by three short feet of kitchen table. The red-brown stains are already setting in….oh wait, that’s just the sloppy joe mess. I can see the tears welling up and I prepare myself for the final battle – the dreaded vegetables. Not the vegetables!!! It is two pouting little faces against me and just when all seems lost I realize I have already won. They already ate the vegetables! They were IN the sloppy joes. What’s better is that their fruit will be called….wait for it….dessert!! Can it be true?
Yes I understand all the arguments. My top favorites are “Children need to learn to like vegetables. Put it on the plate 483 times and they will eventually like them.” Better yet, “I am the parent, you are the child, obey or suffer the consequences.” What about MY suffering? Does anyone care about MY suffering? I don’t wanna fight them to eat, I whine. I just want to sit with them, talk about the day, laugh and be happy. I think I am a pretty intelligent person and yes I can lay down the law or…..and this is what I am most proud of….I am willing and capable of outsmarting a 6 year old and a 3 year old. (applause) I’m not saying the parental drill sergeants are wrong. I’m just saying that I would rather save my threats and yelling for when they are running toward the street rather than over a carrot down the hatch. If the nutrients get in there somehow – success in my book. Here’s your popsicle. After you fall in love with the flavor, I will teach you all about the nutritional benefits of eating whole foods and skipping the fillers, preservatives, refined sugars, etc. For now, it’s yummy.
I will share the sloppy joes recipe another day (packed full of veggies my children would rather eat dirt than consume like carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, and more). Today I share the “Grass Smoothie” with you. We use it as dessert, treat, and breakfast sometimes. It is versatile. My 6 year old’s mission in life is to not eat anything with nutritional value. We have spent much time discussing “too much sugar” and “you need to eat more fruit and veggies.” One night as he was clearly on the verge of starving to death (or so he would have you believe) he very pathetically said to me, after being denied any more before bed snacks, “Mom I just wish I could have a protein or a grain or something.” No son, chocolate is not a grain and you cannot have any but I actually do love you very much so stop looking at me like that please.
Back to the point – my little veggie hater BEGS for Grass Smoothies, most often in popsicle form, nearly every single day. Here is his most current recipe. He varies it a lot but he loves to put in as many different colors and shapes as he can (score one for the parent!) Grandmom has one of those high power blenders – someday I will have one – and they make everything perfectly smooth and delicious. Fortunately for us, Grandmom lives right next door so getting a smoothie every day is a cinch.
“Don’t forget the grass!” he says. UPDATE: He now calls it kale. Point for the parent!
The Grass Smoothie
As many different fruits as you can get your hands on – variety is great
Spinach and/or Kale (this is what was once referred to as grass)
Coconut Oil (a teaspoon or two)
Small container of yogurt (your choice of flavor)
Ice
Juice or water
Pile them in, liquid on the bottom, and blend until smooth. We put them in popsicle molds (by the dozens) and then my kids eat/drink at least some of their fruits and veggies every single day. There are a million ways to make a healthy smoothie. Try a few!
Even little brother loves his grass smoothies!
Share your healthy smoothie recipes here with us. 🙂
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