Snack Spotlight: Green Smoothie

I made the girls a hearty smoothie as a post-nap snack the other day. One of the biggest challenges is making a smoothie thin enough that they can drink it out of a sippy cup. They aren't trustworthy enough to drink out of a cup yet! Lucky for me, I made a delicious and nutritious smoothie that the two of them happily drank from their leak-free sippies!

Here's what went into it:
(measurements are approximate)

• Large handful of broccoli microgreens
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
• 1/4 cup of my homemade ground nut and seed mixture (see below)
• 1 tbsp. raw honey
• 1/2 cup 9% fat plain Greek yogurt
• Almond milk (I have no clue how much - maybe 1 cup?)

I'm a big fan of microgreens. They are not the same as sprouts. Sprouts are grown in water only. Sprouts are nutritious but can go moldy very quickly so they should be consumed within days of bringing them home. Microgreens are grown in soil and are the in the youngest stage of the vegetable's growth. I love broccoli microgreens, in particular, because they're a great (absorbable) source of calcium and iron, among other vitamins and minerals. 

Raw nuts and seeds are a fantastic source of protein and fat. Even though the girls have teeth, they have trouble with bigger nuts like walnuts. One of my go-to breakfasts for the girls is a bowl of their almond "yogurt" with fruit. The problem is that this doesn't have very much protein or fat to sustain them through the morning. Enter my homemade nut mixture:

In a blender, mix 1/2 cup raw/unsalted nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds etc.), 1/2 cup of raw/unsalted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower etc.), 2 tbsp. flax seeds and a dash of cinnamon. That's it!

Sprinkle over yogurt or bake into cookies, muffins, pancakes etc. It will add a punch of protein, fibre and fat. Store the extra in the fridge or freezer (Why? Nuts and seeds go rancid very quickly. Storing them in the freezer keeps them fresh for longer.)

Enjoying their green smoothie

Q examines what she is drinking