Fairy Very Berry Smoothie

Fairy Very Berry Smoothie

Do you have a very finicky little eater in your house? I am the granny-nanny to two of my grandchildren and they are both picky, but act out in different ways. My grandson, Logan the toddler, pitches unsavory tidbits over his shoulder to the tune of, Yuck, Yuck, and Yuck. These sometimes end up glued to his bottom in the highchair.

The other child is a princess who has become a little more sophisticated at almost four years of age. She turns up her tiny nose and says, “No, thank you.” But sometimes bribery works. (If you try this new vegetable you can have a lolly-pop.) That’s rather self defeating when the object is to try new foods and get nourishment into their little bodies. I have discovered, however, that subterfuge works best. Make a Fairy Very Berry Smoothie. You can vary the ingredients and just the name alone will have the princess in your life slurping down wonderful vitamins and antioxidants—she will, no doubt, be dressed in her royal robes. She might even put her wings on for this one. The prince, however will have it devoured before he can deliberate whether or not there are any unsavory chunks that the dog would like.

You know those tiny black spots that appear on banana peels after about a week? They might as well be chicken pox because kids won’t eat bananas with spots! This is one place where stealth comes in. At the end of the week when you discover that you bought too many bananas (and the kids aren’t watching) remove the peels, wrap them in plastic wrap and stack them like logs on the freezer shelf. They will last up to a month or so. Ka-ching! The money you would have thrown away is now the sweetener and thickener for your drink.

The princess refuses to help with this recipe because she’s scared of the loud blender, so I am on my own—te-he-he-he—unless I ask Logan for help. He loves noise and loves to push buttons.

1. I quickly remove the plastic wrap from the frozen banana and toss it in the blender.

2. Then I add 1 cup of plain organic yogurt.

3. Next clean and remove stems from 1 cup of fresh organic strawberries and toss them in.

4. Now add 1 cup of juice, preferably pink or purple (grape or cranberry)

5. Look around and, if the kids aren’t looking, toss in a couple leaves of kale—honest, I really do that and they don’t even know the difference! Just make sure it is thoroughly blended. (If there is a milk allergy you can substitute soy milk and a little ice for the yogurt.) It tastes great and doesn’t need sugar, Mother Nature already sweetened it.

6. At last it’s time for Logan to push the buttons. Go Logan!

Fill a princess and a prince cup with this wonderful drink and be sure to save some for yourself. Now Granny Nanny, you can rest in peace knowing that you just fed your descendants two servings of fruits and vegetables, and a serving of dairy. Nothing got tossed in the floor and none of it was fed to the dog or hid under the couch cushions. Don’t you feel like a real sneak? Now go put your cloak and crown on. Don’t you know you are supposed to play the part of the Queen Mum?

Now folks, do you have a recipe or something you do with your children or grandchildren that gets them to eat nourishing food? If you do, be sure to leave a message, a recipe to share, or a link so we can join forces. Thanks!