Green Smoothie

So my older son, who is going to be five at the end of July, has such a distaste for vegetables.  No matter how hard I try, he spits it out.  I can not even get him to try corn.  I thought that all kids loved corn.  As any mother, I get nervous that he is not getting all the major nutrients.  His diet is very limited and I am ashamed to admit this, but all he will eat is pizza, macaroni and cheese, french toast, french fries, pancakes, oatmeal, and hot dogs ( I try to buy the all natural ones, no nitrates or other artificial ingredients).  He does however eat fruit, he loves all types of fruit.  He is not picky with his fruit.

So what is a mother to do?  The only thing left to do is to trick him. With desperate times come desperate measures.  The only way to get him to eat his greens is by hiding them in his food.   The question then became, how do I hide it in his food?  I tried greens in powder form.  I once tried to mix some in his juice.  Oh boy, that did not go well at all.  I have to admit though the face he made when he tried it was priceless. 

Than I was at the expo for the More/Fitness half marathon in New York City, and there was a Vitamix demo.  The demonstrator was showing how you can make green smoothies with the Vitamix.  The smoothie he made had spinach and fruit in it, but the taste was fruity and so rich and creamy. So, of course, I had to get one.  Unfortunately, I had to shell out $499 for this machine.  I did have some buyers remorse after the purchase.  It is a pretty hefty amount of money for a glorified blender.  However, it does have a great reputation and a great warranty. 

With fingers crossed, I made my first green smoothie, and gave it to my son. He took one look at it and would not drink because it was the green color.  So what is a mom to do?  I put it in a sippy cup!  Viola, that did the trick and he drank it all.  Now my only concern is that he may have to go through therapy when he finds out how I tricked him into drinking his greens.  I guess that is chance I will have to take.

Here is the recipe:

• 1/2 Banana
• 1/2 Orange (remove outer skin, leave the pits)
• 1/4 Apple
• 1 sliver of Lime
• 1" slice of Pineapple
• 1-2 cups of Baby Spinach
• 1 cup of Ice

Directions
Load softest ingredients first. Always put ice in last.

• Here are some Optional Ingredients:
• 1tablespoon Honey or Agave
• 1 cup of Green Grapes
• 1/16th Cantaloupe
• 1 cup of Baby Kale
• 1 bunch of Parsley
• 1 raw Beet, cut into quarters
• 2 cups of Water, Almond Milk, Soy Milk, or Rice Milk
• Seeds/Nuts: Flax, Chi
• Protein Powder