Smoothies - for dummies like me!

So, I recently learned about smoothies and have started experimenting. However, I was afraid to try veggies in them. But when challenged with teaching a class at Relief Society on them, I found a little more info and took the plunge and embraced my inner Popeye! Now I have Green Smoothies (lots of spinach!) just about every day and have even convinced my kids to like them and request them! Tastes much guiltier than it is! So i don't forget it all and in case I have to give the info to others... Here is what I learned!


Smoothies
As I mentioned in class, I am far from an expert on smoothies and have only just recently began dabbling in the “art”! But, knowing they are a great way to get your veggies and vitamins in, we thought it would be good to introduce others to the idea with some basic knowledge. Please, don’t use my info as bible! You can do research on the internet (google smoothies and you will find a ton!) or talk to other more knowledgeable individuals in the ward (I have a few names if you want them!)

How to get started: Easy! Just a few basic supplies and the information below will be enough to get you started.

Supplies: Must have:

1. Something to blend with – it can be a regular size kitchen blender, or a personal single serving blender. I tend to make more than I need in the large blender since I don’t follow recipes, so I prefer my single serving one that I picked up somewhere for between $10-$20. But I also use my large blender and make some for my kids as well.

Supplies: Any mix of the following!

2. Fruits– I started with fruits because they were comfortable and I knew they would taste good with the yogurt! But good sources are blueberries, strawberries, bananas, mangoes, kiwi, pear, peaches, pineapple, etc. You can use either fresh or frozen fruits. Frozen just help give the smoothie an icier, colder texture without adding a lot of ice. Frozen Bananas work well if they are peeled and sliced before they are frozen. Bananas are also a great easy way to make thick creamy smoothies.

3. Vegetables– spinach (EXCELLENT source of vitamins, nutrients, and anti-oxidants and adds
more color than flavor to the mix!), carrots, kale, beets, avocados, etc.

4. Nuts– nutrients and protein! Almonds, cashews, peanut butter, almond butter, sun butter, etc. From experience, a SMALL amount of peanut butter goes a long way... so unless you like your smoothie to have a peanut butter taste, use sparingly! You can experiment to find how much is good, but I would start with less than a teaspoon per serving.

5. Vanilla Yogurt – you can make them without, but it is a great filler and helps give it a creamy texture. Low-fat variety of course is preferable if you are concerned about calories. Greek yogurt is supposed to be a good alternative because it has more calcium and less sugar. Freeze the yogurt first and it will be like adding ice cream to your smoothie!

6. Milk– also not required for all but helps to liquefy the more solid items in your smoothie so it is not too stiff and easier to drink. Stick with 1% or skim to cut the calories, but there are good alternatives such as soy, almond, and coconut that are non-dairy. (As we learned in our nutrition game, almonds are one of the healthiest foods!) and they come in non-sweetened and vanilla varieties as well and are higher in protein and lower in fat and calories than cow’s milk.

7. Juice– No milk? Add water or juice… like orange juice - just make sure it does not have a lot of added sugar.

8. Ice– add more or less depending on how many other items are frozen that you drop in and depending on the texture you want. Some like theirs more liquid, sometimes, I like mine thicker like an icee – makes me think I am drinking something guiltier than I actually am!

9. Other fillers and Nutritional options: Bee Pollen, Ground Flax Seed, Chia Seeds (high in omega fats and fiber), oatmeal, wheat germ, cinnamon, ginger, herbs, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla extract… most of these can be found in grocery stores like HEB, but may be cheaper in bulk or specialty stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods.

10. NO SUGAR! Do not sweeten with sugar. Honey if it is needed, but usually the fruits and vanilla yogurt are enough sweetener

Recipes

Do you need a recipe? No! I started by throwing whatever fruits I had in my freezer or fridge in with some yogurt, ice and juice or milk. Even if you don’t think too much about nutritional values in the beginning, just get used to making them and experiment with tastes and textures.
But there are a lot of recipes out there on the internet for free if you search. Just, play and experiment! Here is a couple to get you started (single servings):

Green Monster (we did this in class)
Channel your inner POPEYE!
1 frozen sliced banana
1 Teaspoon peanut butter
½ cup yogurt
1 cup milk
4 cups of spinach
Blend!
Other possible add ins: granny smith apple, blueberries, parsley, strawberries

Strawberry Smoothie
1 Banana
10-12 strawberries (1 ½ c)
¾ c yogurt
2 T honey

A cleansing smoothie:
Spinach
1 lemon
½ orange
5-10 strawberries

Red Smoothie (Kid approved!)
½ beet peeled
5 baby carrots
½ c Cashews
1 Date
10 Strawberries
Water/ice

Carrot, Mango, and
Herb Smoothie
2 cups frozen mango chunks
1 ½ cup baby carrots (diced for easier
blending)
1 c Orange Juice
¼ cup fresh herbs – mint, terragon or
basil

Banana-Peanut Butter
Smoothie
1 banana
1 cup milk
¼ cup peanut butter
2 T honey
½ c ice

Banana-Oat smoothie
1 ripe banana
½ c yogurt
½ c milk
¼ c old-fashioned rolled oats
1 T Honey
1 c ice
Optional: 2 teaspoons flaxseeds

Sources:
Some of these recipes and info were found at:
Wholeliving.com http://www.wholeliving.com/136305/25-quick-and-easy-smoothie-recipes/@center/136747/whole-living-action-plan-28-day-challenge#/42651

iowagirltreats.com: http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/

thekitchen.com: http://www.thekitchn.com/tips-for-delici-163742

Other places:

GreenMonstermovement.com

Livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/491042-weight-loss-and-green-monster-smoothies/

Fraction Day

Last Friday, Brianna's class held Fraction Day. They had so much fun. It was great for them to have the freedom to do something fun like this (made possible by the guidelines at thier new school - Gateway College Prep!). it would never have happened back in the regular Public school.

so Mrs. Zuckman's 2nd grade class had a fraction cookout for their fraction day. After fun activities in class to reinforce fractions, they came outside where we were cooking hamburgers on the picnic tables. While we finished up, they broke into 2 teams - Team Snickerdoodle (for the teachers pet) and Team Gus (school mascot). Each team then had a "Scavenger Hunt" where they had to determine how many parts of the whole were gone or remaining depending on the item # for the deserts. The parents had all brought in different pies and cakes cut into a predetermined number of slices. We had then removed a portion of the slices to leave the puzzle for them to figure out. They had fun counting the pieces and planning which deserts they were going to eat. I think it helped them to apply fractions in a great fun way! I only wish I had taken a few pictures!

Celebrate Winter

I have been having problems posting from my mobile phone. So i need to catch up! A couple Friday's ago, Ethan's new kindergarten class celebrated Winter with lots of fun activities like making snowflakes for Mom. Two of Ethan's favorites were the Ice Sculpture and Ice Skating.


For the ice sculpture, Mrs. Kelly had them find different fun containers to freeze ice in and bring them to class. Ethan used a heart shaped jello mold, his castle and dragon moon sand molds, and food containers like jello and applesauce as well as popsickle, hostess cupcake trays and more. I wish we had thought to color some of them with food dye like a few others did,
but we didn't. In class, Mrs. Kelly had them try to figure out how to make them stick together. After a few unsuccessful tries with peanut butter, tape and glue, she suggested salt. Of course the kids did not think it would work and so were surprised that it did! The sculpture was melted by
the time I saw it but Ethan was very proud of it.

For ice skating, Mrs. Kelly had them put wax paper on their feet. They then "skated" around the room and down the hallway. The kids were a little disappointed that they did not get to make the
floor into ice, but they still had fun!

Baptism Preview

Wow! I cannot believe that Brianna is almost 8! She has grown up so much all of a sudden. She is such an independent, strong willed, creative child. She loves to create and write stories and songs. She loves dancing. She is an excellent reader and smart child. She likes to excel and win. She loves being with her friends and playing with her new American Doll she named Bri because she looks like her twin.

So we went to her Baptism Preview last night along with the other 18 8 year olds in our ward that will be baptized this year! We found out about the Faith in God program they will work on from Sr. Jackson. Brother Talbot spoke about Baptism and the Holy Ghost. Sr. Melissa Contreras told us about the Activity Days program she will join. And Sr. Allyson Tack gave us all the details, what to expect, how to plan etc. for her actual baptism day. She recieved a great packet filled with journal type pages for her to complete as she prepares for her babtism and for her to record the special details of the day itself.

So currently we are set to have her baptism at the Austin TX Stake Center on May 19, 2012 with Caden Gilliam. What an exciting event to plan for! I wonder if she will want to wear my old baptism suit or if she will want her own. I wonder about the special dress that of course we will have to make for her. but most of all, I wonder if she is ready for this big step and if she will remain true to her commitments. Have I taught her enough to prepare her for this? and so on! So many questions! My baby girl is growing up too fast!

Brianna's Spelling Video

Brianna's new school allows for great creativity in some of its homework options. One option was to make a song using the spelling and vocabulary words. She decided to try a movie with her new camcorder instead. Look for the words: kisses, brag, classes, lunches, pushes, flashes, curled, tunnel, tease, and I think a few more! Here it is!

Video producer debut!

Driving home from Mom's yesterday we got a glimpse into a couple of career options for our kids....

Ethan "jammed" with his mp3 player for a couple hours... Head boppin' and air guitar jammin' and drums bangin'! Lead vocals too. Rockstar? Or at least some type of musician...

Brianna filmed a couple of movies complete with script writing and acting (with her feet! Creativity!) and voice inflection... Film producer?

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Monopoly mogul

Ethan loves to play games... Board games, computer games, wii games... Whatever! When friends or Brianna are not here, Ethan plays with his imaginary friend Marion. Today it has been UNO and jr. Monopoly. I have never seen anyone play Monopoly by themselves!



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