With Hallowe’en around the corner, we’ve come up with a great way to get your kids to eat their leafy greens: making them slime smoothies.
We’ve written before about how much we love these green concoctions: in fact, there isn’t really a much better source of concentrated nutrients!
Green smoothies are great for two reasons: they hide the taste of the nutritious leafy greens, an ingredient that most people not only don’t really love, but wouldn’t associate with a sweet, refreshing drink… and they taste great, too!
Other ingredients, such as sweet fruit, tangy yogurt, creamy nut butters, and delicious maple syrup can easily hide the taste. And sure, it might look a little funny… but it tastes delicious. If you can get past the gruesome colour of the drink, you’ll realize how delicious it is and how great you feel after it… despite it’s uncanny resemblance of slime.
Yes, slime – perfect timing for Hallowe’en! And though you might not need to be tricked into eating something so fun, your kids might lap up the possibility of eating slime for breakfast.
Leafy greens are an excellent source of many vitamins and nutrients, notably vitamins A, K, as well as iron. [read more] These our bodies need and thrive on, and if we aren’t keen to get them in our meals, we have to get them a different way.
So how do you make your smoothie so deliciously slimy? Here are some of our top tips:
- Start with just a handful, and work your way up, adding more greens as you get used to the new flavor.
- Add other ingredients, preferably over-powering ones, which will mask the taste. Try lemon juice, extracts, and nut butters, or a bit of cocoa powder.
- Use the whole fruit instead of fruit juice. You don’t even need to peel most of them – other than, of course, citrus fruit. The whole fruit will help fill you up with a load of fibre, and thicken up the smoothie, too.
- Frozen fruits, especially bananas, make smoothies thick and creamy. We recommend freezing them in portions, first.
- Add creaminess without taste, using protein-rich tofu or a few spoonfuls of cashew butter.
- Keep it simple with a few flavors: try two fruits that go well together, with a handful of greens and a source of protein.
- If you want, add high-quality protein powder, like hemp protein.
- Add a punch of Omega-3 fatty acids through the use of hemp seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds.
- Use only natural sugars to sweeten it up, and only if needed after adding the fruit. Try dates, maple syrup, agave nectar, or dried fruits.
- Don’t try to make it gross. Putting 5 handfuls of kale in a blender won’t sell you on the idea. And when trying out different greens, collards and spinach are the most neutral in taste.
Okay, so now it’s time to get into the kitchen. And you’re wondering… what the heck to make? Here is a favourite seasonal recipe for the perfect Slime Smoothie.
Pumpkin Slime Smoothie
- 1/2 cup mashed canned or cookied pumpkin
- 3 cups greens
- 1 frozen banana, cut in chunks
- 1 cup frozen peaches, stoned
- 1 cup nondairy vanilla milk, such as Almond Breeze
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
Put all ingredients into a good blender. Whizz until smooth, adding additional nondairy milk if too thicken.
Need another idea? Check out our green popsicles, too.
If you’re looking for other family-triendly Halloween activities, how about some Halloween DIY or a visit to Fright Fest?