Smoothies!

We all know that we need to increase the amount of fresh fruits and veggies in our diets, and today I want to talk about a super fun way to do just that - the smoothie!  Think about your day yesterday...how many servings of greens did you get? What about your kids? I know if you have picky eaters in your house then it's a struggle to get any greens into them at all. Enter the smoothie! :) Smoothies are a great way to pack in nutrition, and they are delicious! You can even get in a couple servings of greens in a way that those picky kids will love (and, shhhhh, they'll think it's dessert!).What do you need to make an awesome smoothie?A blender of course! I started with just a basic blender from Target, and it worked just fine. I have since upgraded to a Vitamix and it works AMAZINGLY.There are endless recipes and combinations for smoothies, and it can be overwhelming (I could spend hours on Pinterest just looking at all the smoothie concoctions).  How do you find one that you (and your kids) will love? Let's start with the basics of building a great smoothie - and you pick your favorite things from each category:

• Greens: spinach, kale, chard, etc.
• Base: water, almond/coconut/cashew/rice milk
• Fruit and/or Veggies
• Raw nuts or nut butters
• Omega 3s (chia or flax seeds)
• Protein Powder

A lot of my clients tell me that they are afraid to add greens to their smoothies (because of taste and texture). I always suggest starting with spinach because it is a very mild green and most of the time you can't even detect it's taste.  To further "hide" your greens there are couple tricks I tell them - 1. if you have a food processor, give your greens a good grind before adding to your smoothie.  Get them really fine and they won't alter the texture. 2. Blend the greens with your liquid first and then add the rest of your ingredients. (but as you get used to your green smoothies, you can do these less and less - it's actually really good for you to kind of chew up your smoothies!)Using frozen fruit is a great way to get a creamy texture, but fresh fruit is great too.  Avocados are super good for you and they really add to the creaminess! I add some ice if using fresh fruit. Once you've chosen your favorite ingredients, it's time to build the ultimate smoothie! I am going to use some of my favorite ingredients here to give you the basics of putting it together.Chocolate Banana Smoothie:

1. Blend a handful of kale with 8oz of cashew milk.
2. Add a frozen banana, and a tablespoon of nut butter, flax seeds, and a scoop of Chocolate Complete protein.
3. Blend it all together until the texture is smooth (adding a little more liquid as needed to your preference.)

Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie:

1. Blend a large handful of spinach with 8oz of almond milk.
2. Add a lot of frozen cherries, chia seeds, and a scoop of Vanilla Complete protein.
3. Blend it all together until the texture is smooth (adding a little more liquid as needed to your preference.)

The best part about smoothies is getting to experiment!  I recommend the Juice Plus Complete over any other protein on the market! It's vegan, gluten-free, low glycemic, plant-based and DELICIOUS - all things that I can feel amazing putting my name behind! Create your own superfood smoothie and your body will thank you for packing in the nutrition!