Easy fruit (and veggie) smoothies!

Ahh...everyone knows a kid who is a super picky eater, right?  I believe that I've got one of the most stubborn of the bunch!  I often joke that he lives on yogurt and sunshine...seriously!  I guess if your kid is going to be picky, at least I've got one that does like healthy things like fruit and yogurt.  But vegetables?  That's another story. 

I've become an expert on sneaking veggies in whenever I can...pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc.  After I got an immersion blender, I decided to make smoothies for Daniel for breakfast every few days.  But not just ANY smoothies...fruit AND veggie smoothies!  I've come up with two recipes that have passed the strict taste test of a VERY picky 4-year old boy.

Strawbanana (and Sweet Potato) Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/4 cup organic milk
(more or less depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be)
1/2 cup organic French vanilla non-fat yogurt
1/2 ripe banana (cut super ripe ones in half and freeze them)
1/2 cup strawberries (I use organic frozen)
1 cube frozen sweet potatoes
(steam and puree sweet potatoes, freeze in ice cube tray, pop out, store in freezer bag)
Drizzle of light agave nectar to taste

Bluebanana (and Spinach) Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/4 cup organic milk
(more or less depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be)
1/2 cup organic French vanilla non-fat yogurt
1/2 ripe banana (I cut very ripe ones in half and freeze them)
1/2 cup blueberries (I use organic frozen)
4 medium fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
Drizzle of light agave nectar to taste

The directions are the same for both recipes listed above. 
Blend all ingredients until smooth.  :)  It's that easy! 

The strawberries disguise the sweet potatoes nicely, and the blueberries do an awesome job of disguising the spinach!  *Insert evil laugh here!*  ;)

One quick note, I put all of the ingredients in the plastic mixer cup that came with my immersion blender in the fridge the night before with a plastic baggie over it...that way the frozen ingredients are thawed out and ready to blend easily in the morning when you've got a hungry kid tugging at your legs!

Enjoy!  :)

Denise

iPhone blogging and a bit about a ritual...

Just wanted to test out blogging on my iPhone...hope it works okay. I'm going to try and include a photo. :)

I think everyone has certain daily rituals...I have one in particular that I'd like to share. It's nothing fancy or super exciting but it really makes my day. Each night after Daniel is in bed and I've had a moment to decompress, I head straight to the kitchen, grab my trusty "grill" lighter (you know those long, bendy lighters?) and I walk silently through the main floor of my home and light candles...five on the mantle, one on the kitchen counter, one on the breakfast table, and one in the bathroom. Not one is overpowering in scent...all a light vanilla fragrance that, to me, symbolizes the warmth of light...of love...and of home. It's a relaxing end to the day and beginning of the night.

Then, before heading back upstairs to drift into slumber, I retrace my steps and extinguish each lit candle. Until tonight I didn't realize it, but I silently sing a little tune in my head..."Fly Me To The Moon"...a song I sing most nights to Daniel before he drifts off to sleep...where I'm sure he dreams of gigantic Lego robots, The Grinch, and of course, of those four gummy bears he'll get if he stays in his room until 7am! ;)

Merry dreams to all, and to all a good night. :)

Denise

Here it is!  My first official blog!  :) 

Here's an overview of what you can expect during your visit:

-musings on motherhood
-thrifty tips and tricks on interior decorating and organization
-creative crafts for the whole family
-super easy meal ideas
-my Paper and Posies crafts for sale
-whatever else happens to be on my mind that day!  ;)

So please, bear with me as I get the hang of this, and I hope you'll visit again soon!