Smoothies!

Total Prep Time: Approximately 5 minutes

Canada's Food Guide Servings:

1 Vegetables & Fruit (1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit)

1 Vegetables & Fruit (1/2 cup 100% juice)

1 Milk and Alternatives (3/4 cup yogurt)

Does your family need a health detox?  Mine is in desperate need of one!

This poor blog has lacked major attention lately, with good reason.  We have purchased a new home and sold our own home in less than two weeks.  Life has been been a tad stressful lately, and our diets have suffered.  Aside from some yummy, healthy meals at my parents house (thank you, thank you, thank you!), quick meals and takeout became the norm.

Now that the chaos is over, the fridge and pantry are packed and the fruit bowls are over-flowing.  Healthy, home-cooked meals are back!  But I still feel exhausted from weeks of nutrition abuse. Time to get out my blender and some frozen fruit.  It's SMOOTHIE time!

With the right appliance (a blender or Magic Bullet work best), smoothies are a quick and easy drink.  They can be used as a meal replacement for adults, a quick breakfast or a delicious snack for anyone.  Jam-packed with vitamins and nutrients, smoothies are a perfect addition to your family's diet.

The directions for the smoothie recipes below are very simple: Blend all ingredients until smooth, serve immediately.

Simple Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This is a family favourite in my home.  We always have ripe bananas in our fruit bowl, and I freeze whole Ontario strawberries in the summer to use throughout the winter.

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 1/2 cups fruit juice

1 cup or 3 small containers of yogurt (preferrably plain balkan-style)

Very Berry Smoothie
I love this recipe for it's high source of antioxidants, vitamins and fibre.  Berries are an ideal fruit for diabetics as well, due to their low glycemic index level.  You can find Ontario wild blueberries in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores.  Frozen fruit is almost always cheaper than fresh, especially when using in large quantities. 

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen berries (use only one type or a combination of your favourite berries)

2 cups fruit juice (I use Sun-Rype Fruit Plus Veggies Blueberry juice)

1 cup or 3 small containers of yogurt

The Fibre Monster

This high-fibre smoothie is also full of antioxidants.  I always make extra to freeze into popsicles for when the boys have digestive issues.

Ingredients:

1 cup mixed frozen berries

8 whole prunes

1 1/2 cups fruit juice

1 cup or 3 small containers of yogurt

**The directions for this recipe have one extra step: Blend the prunes and juice first, breaking up the prunes into small pieces.  Then add all other ingredients, blend and serve.

The recipes above are my own, created by adding my favourite ingredients and testing the results.  You can Google smoothie recipes and find thousands.  Specify your search depending on your needs (ie: high protein, low fat or detox).  Try them out, or make up your own.  Add tropical fruit like pineapple and mango, or citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit.  Let your kids get involved - they may surprise you with their concoctions!

I have two favourite juice brands when making smoothies.  Sun-Rype's 'Fruit Plus' line of fruit and veggie juices are delicious and full of vitamins.  President's Choice makes a line of 100% Purée & Juice blends that are thick and rich, making them perfect for smoothies.  In fact, both my boys call the PC Mango & Orange Blend "Smoothie Juice" and regularly request it when at Nana's house.

*Tips*

1. Play with the ingredients, adding more juice for a more liquid smoothie or more fruit and yogurt for a thicker smoothie.

2. You can cut down the sugar in your smoothie by using plain water instead of juice.  You can also find low-calorie juice that is free of artificial sweeteners (a no-no for children).  PC Blue Menu 100% Fruit & Vegetable Blend is a great option.
3. If the Very Berry Smoothie is too tart for your little ones, add 1/4 cup of honey for some sweetness.  Just remember not to feed honey to any child under 12 months of age, due to botulism risks.
4. Double the recipe, drink your portion and pour the remaining mixture into popsicle molds and freeze.  You will have the most delicious, homemade fruity pops for the kids.  They're handy at snack time, but my favourite time to pull them out is when the kids are sick.  It can be impossible to get any nutrients into a sick child, but most would never turn down a popsicle!


Click here for a printable version of this recipe!

Snack - Banana Muffins

Last night after the boys went to bed, I felt a sudden urge to bake.  I first thought of baking chocolate chip cookies, but instead I started flipping through my recipe collection.  I was pleased to find my favourite banana muffin recipe folded up on a small piece of paper.  I have been using my banana bread recipe to bake banana muffins lately, but they don't come out as light and fluffy as the ones I made long ago.  I raided my pantry and got started.

These delicious muffins are packed full of bananas and also contain yogurt, making them light and moist.  They are a perfect breakfast on-the-go and make an ideal school snack for your children (just don't add nuts!).  Your little monkeys will just love them!

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted margarine

1 egg

4 tbsp plain or banana yogurt (one small container)

4 overripe bananas, mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.  Stir in mashed bananas using a fork until you have a doughy mixture.  Don't over mix - there will be loose flour in the bowl.
3. Cream sugar, melted margarine, egg and yogurt in a small bowl.  Add to banana mixture and combine using a spatula.
4. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Allow to cool completely.  Store in a covered container at room temperature for one week.
6. Recipe makes two dozen muffins.

My 5-year old loves them at school, and my toddler loves them at snack time.  They are just sweet enough, and are very filling.

*TIPS*

1. For a sweeter treat, add 1 cup of blueberries or 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
2. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts for added protein.  Just make sure not to send these to school!

3. Add 1/4 cup of flax seed for an extra kick of fibre and omega-3.  You can also use whole wheat flour in the recipe in place of white flour.

4. For longer storage, place muffins in a freezer zip-bag and freeze for up to one month.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe!

It's Not Easy Being Green...Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard.  I had heard of it, watched numerous (hundreds, I'm sure) Food Network chefs prepare it, but could never, ever imagine consuming it myself in the past...until I read up on the incredible nutritional value of this super veggie.

Swiss chard is a good source of vitamins C, A, B6, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper and folic acid (attention all pregnant ladies!).  You can find swiss chard with dark or light green leaves, and the stems vary in colour, from white to pink.

So there I was, in the store, searching for a different green to try out after my rapini fail.  Swiss chard, with it's dark green leaves and rhubarb-like stems, seemed like the next best choice.  The "PRODUCT OF ONTARIO" sign won me over.  Hours later, I find myself standing in my kitchen, not really knowing what to do next.  I find many different recipes online, good and bad (what is it with smothering all healthy green veggies in cheese?!).  I decide to try a recipe similar to the one I used for rapini.

I cut the stems away from the leaves and added them to my skillet first (they are tougher than the leaves and need longer to cook).  After a good soak in cold water, I chopped the leaves into 1-inch pieces and added them to the skillet, along with butter, salt & pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Once the leaves were wilted (but not soggy), I served immediately.

My husband and I instantly loved the earthy flavour of the swiss chard.  The boys not so much but they were willing to try.  We've been eating this veggie almost weekly since our first trial run, and I even served it at a family dinner on Christmas Eve.  We don't push and pressure the boys to eat it, we try to avoid doing that with any food.  Instead, I place some on their plates with the rest of their meal, and allow them to try it themselves.  Big-A will happily eat the stems, and ate all of the leaves during our last dinner.  Lil-J spits it out but I still offer it to him, hoping that one day he will also enjoy it.  I'm sure it will happen with time.

I never thought I would ever say that I love swiss chard...but I do!  This vegetable has a permanent place in our refrigerator and in our diets.  Give it a try, don't be afraid.  If this extremely picky eater can do it, so can you :)  And remember not to force new foods onto your children.  Offer it to them and allow them to make their own food choices.  If they see a new food on their plate each time that you're eating it, they will eventually give it a try.

If you have a favourite swiss chard recipe, I'd love to hear from you!

Bon appetit!

Desperate Mornings Call For Desperate Measures...Treasure Mills

Christmas is over, we've all rung in the New Year and the kids are back to school this week.  Back to early mornings, show-and-tell prep, and homework.  And back to school snacks.  Cheese and crackers would be an easy choice, or a piece of fruit.  But we all have those 'desperate' mornings where there is barely enough time to throw a store-bought snack into your child's backpack.  If you find yourself in this situation, remember that there are great options out there that won't leave you feeling guilty.

Introducing...Treasure Mills, a 100% Nut and Peanut Free manufacturing and baking facility.

• Treasure Mills is a Canadian owned company specializing in the manufacture of Allergen Free, Health Based baked goods, as well as Hearth Baked Bread products.  (A hearth is a brick or stone-lined fireplace or oven used for cooking and baking.)
• Their manufacturing is done in a Nut and Peanut Free facility. 
• Treasure Mills manufactures foods free of GMO's (genetically modified ingredients), and uses natural and/or organic ingredients that are allergen screened. 
• Many products are trans fat free. 
• Along with being 100% nut and peanut free, many products are also sesame seed free, egg free and dairy free.

For Aidan's school snacks (or snacks on-the-go for both my boys), I buy Treasure Mills brownies, cookie bars and snack/loaf cakes.  With flavours like chocolate chip, banana raspberry, and lemon blueberry, it's easy to keep him interested and excited about snack time, while offering him a healthier store-bought choice.

For parents of children with food allergies, particularly nut allergies, take comfort in knowing that Treasure Mills products are manufactured in a peanut and nut free environment.  This allows the company to provide schools with safe snacks.  Below is a statement from their website:

The “School Safe” seal above, when placed on a product manufactured by Treasure Mills or any other manufacturer will guarantee that the product contained in that package has been manufactured in a 100% Nut & Peanut Free environment.
At Treasure Mills we take our commitment to a Nut & Peanut Free facility very seriously.
When a life can quite literally hang in the balance by what is consumed we are proud to offer not only the product, but the markings to clearly state that the product is safe for consumption by those with a nut and peanut allergy or sensitivity. 

Busy mornings shouldn't leave you feeling guilty about tossing a store-bought treat in your child's backpack.  There are healthy, nut-free options at the store that can help in any 'desperate' moment.  Check out Treasure Mills' products...you won't hear complains from your little ones!