tropical green smoothie

My 5th grader is a SUPER picky eater. He has been forever. It’s tough for me to digest (couldn’t resist), given my own love of food + cooking. Plus my own health journey has taught me so much about nutrition and the importance of what you put in your body, so my passion is real AND really thwarted by my son’s rejection of just about every vegetable known to this Earth. However, undaunted as strong mamas are, I persevere and sneak boosts in wherever I can. A few scoops of flax seed here, a little collagen there (I put it in pancakes, muffins, hot chocolate, smoothies…pretty much anywhere I can).

FORTUNATELY he’s always been game for a big cold smoothie and I can jam a ton of nutrients in there without his knowledge. Somehow he won’t eat a green vegetable, but a bright green smoothie doesn’t register as a problem. I don’t ask, I just feel grateful that it’s not a thing and pour him another splash. This Tropical Green Smoothie is one of our go-to after school or summer day snacks. It’s sweet and refreshing, but packs a pretty good punch of vitamins, protein and fiber that are totally undetectable. There’s quite a lot of fruit in there, so def some sugar, but it’s worth it to me to get the other stuff in there. So if you need to hide some good stuff inside something that tastes like yummy stuff, give this a whirl. Put everything into a good blender and whiz until smooth. Enjoy with your favorite picky eater. xo

INGREDIENTS

1 cup OJ
1 banana
1 giant handful of baby spinach
1 cup fresh or frozen mango
1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1 heaping scoop collagen
1 heaping spoonful of flax seed
1 heaping spoonful of hemp hearts
big handful of ice if using fresh fruit