On Eating more Vegetables: Green Smoothies my Husband will actually drink

Getting Josh to consume raw spinach and kale is really a big deal. A huge huge deal. When we were dating, I asked him if he never ate vegetables, he strenuously denied this. Then he cited the tomato paste in spahgetti sauce, and the slice of tomato and leaf of lettuce on his hamburgers....

The finished Spinach Smoothie, in all its glory.

 But after 5 yrs of only giving him frozen peas every now and then (at least we eat a lot of fruit) I finally decided to get serious about feeding him vegetables.
Mostly because I want him to be around the rest of my life.

 Recipe 1: Spinach Smoothie

• 2 cups VERY PACKED (I pack it down till I can't fit any more in the cup while holding it down with my hand) Spinach (I get the baby spinach from Sams Club, 1 of those pound containers gives me about 2-3 recipes worth)
• 1.5 cup milk
• 1-2 bananas (I like it better with 1-1.5 bananas)
• 1 pear (can substitute with 3/4 c. applesauce?)
• 1 T. Lemon juice (might need 2)
• 1.5 cup frozen strawberries (slightly thawed, like rinsed)

 

The picture on the left I'm cramming it into a 2 cup measuring cup. The picture on the right is it all fluffed out in a colander for washing. Its about 1/2 to a 1/3 pound of spinach (at least, its half of one of those 1 lb Sams containers).

The key to getting a smooth consistency is to pack the spinach into the blender first, with the milk, and puree only that. Only after that is all smooth and a pretty green (picture on the right), then add the other stuff (bananas, pear, lemon juice) and blend that for a bit more.
Last, I add the only frozen thing (the strawberries, which I usually try to thaw a little bit) at the very end, as that way its easier on the blender's motor. When I tried to freeze the bananas, the poor blender was unhappy.

Josh's verdict "not bad." Which is saying something.

Recipe 2: Kale Smoothie

• 2 cups VERY PACKED Kale.
• 1.5 cups milk
• 2 bananas
• 1.5 cups frozen strawberries (slightly thawed, rinsed)
• 1 c. canned pineapple (with juices, I buy the big can from Sam's then freeze them in 1 c. amounts in sandwich bags)

I think the kale is a stronger taste so it needs more "zing" to balance it. (Pineapple, strawberries)

Basically, in my brain, there's 3 components to a good smoothie.

• The green stuff (sometimes slightly bitter, alas)
• The smooth taste (bananas & milk)
• The zingy taste (pineapples, lemon, kiwis, strawberries, mangoes)

The trick is to balance them appropriately.

Kuzzles with a smoothie mustache. She was moody because she had to sit in her high chair while I made it. Now that she's out of her prison she is cheering up more. And trying the smoothie.