Helwig - Smoothie-licious

Copyright 2015 by Jenna Helwig

Photography 2015 by Lauren Volo

Designed by Alissa Faden

eBook design by Jessica Arnold

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

www.hmhco.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-0-544-37008-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-0-544-50573-5 (ebk)

v1.0615

As a mom, I know that parents want to feed their children well. We want to give our kids a protein-packed breakfast before school and a healthy snack when they get off the bus in the afternoons. We would love to incorporate more whole foods into our families dietsif only there were an easy, foolproof way of eating that we knew our kids would love.

I am here to tell you that a solution exists, an answer so easy and healthy its almost magic. That solution, of course, is the smoothie.

Not many kids will be choosy about a sweet, creamy, cold drink, regardless of the ingredients. Smoothies come together in five minutes or less and require approximately zero cooking skills to blend up. They may just be the perfect food for children.

But that doesnt mean that smoothies are just kid stuff. We adults need protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals just as much as our kids. And as movie stars and fitness gurus will attest, produce-rich smoothies are a fantastic way to up the nutritional ante of a meal. The fact that all of this good stuff can be blended into a crave-worthy beverage is just the icing on the cake (so to speak).

Lets face it, smoothies are fun. In creating smoothies, you are only limited by your imagination, and thats where this book comes in. Smoothie-licious features 75 healthy, delicious recipes for smoothies and whole fruit juicesnone of which contain refined sugars (well, just one, but its optional), only a little honey, pure maple syrup, or agave if the recipe needs a bit of sweetening. Because entire fruits and vegetables are blended, and not merely pressed for their juice, the resulting beverages are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which is lacking in most juices and contributes to satiety and digestive health. The addition of seeds, yogurt, and nut butters provides protein and other essential nutrients. And best of all, each of these recipes can be prepared with a common blender, no expensive professional-grade blenders or juicers required.

My conversion to smoothies as a family-friendly power food is relatively recent. When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Denver, my mother would make a homemade Orange Julius on special occasions such as my birthday or Christmas. It was made with milk, frozen orange juice concentrate, water, sugar, and ice. Cold, thick, and creamy, it separated if you didnt drink it fast enough. But that wasnt usually a problem. The sweet drink was a highlight of any holiday breakfast.

As I grew up, smoothies were always a special occasion treat. Even as a teenager, it never occurred to me that I could blend up a smoothie any old time. (In fact, smoothies are a perfect food for teenagers to make for themselves!)

As an adult I occasionally whipped up a plain-Jane smoothie with a banana, milk, and ice. It wasnt until I participated in a 10-day detox that I realized all that smoothies had to offer, especially where kids are concerned. During this period I cut out caffeine (eek!), alcohol, sugar, gluten, and dairy. I strove to incorporate vegetables into every meal, and in doing so realized that smoothies were the perfect way to veggify my breakfasts. Not only could I blend up all sorts of nourishing foods, but with a few smart additions I could ensure they were absolutely delicious and satisfying. My culinary pice de rsistance was a thick, creamy concoction of coconut milk, avocado, spinach, and frozen mango chunks. Morning after morning I happily sipped away at this subtly sweet and almost decadently smooth drink. I was hooked.

But what really caught my attention is what happened next.

Unsurprisingly, my then-six-year-old daughter, Rosa, wanted in on the fun. It looked like I was having a milkshake for breakfast, after all. But, picky kid alert: Rosa detests avocados. (She has declared that the worst foods in the world are a tie between asparagus and avocado.) Nevertheless, I gave her a sip of my smoothie and held my breath. She promptly asked for her own glass.

Since I am not one of those moms who generally believe in hiding foods from children, I reluctantly disclosed the smoothies ingredients. Rosa was surprised, but undeterred. After all, you cant argue with yummy. This celadon-green smoothie () is still one of her favorite breakfasts or snacks frozen in ice pop molds.

Since then, our ingredient repertoire has expanded to include dates, frozen grapes, frozen strawberries, blueberries, apples, cucumber, chia seeds, kale, flaxseeds, almond milk, Greek yogurt, acai, peaches, pomegranate juice, and more. And I blend up a smoothie nearly every day of the week.

The recipes in Smoothie-licious are our familys favorites. They have been served at breakfast, brunch, lunch, after school, at playdates, and as dessert. The smoothies are fast, easy, healthy, and delicious, and Im excited to share them with you.

Better yet, you can choose to highlight their flavors or, um, mask them, depending on the audience for your culinary creations.

Greek yogurt, nut butters, chia seeds, and hemp seeds, to name a few.

Pour them in a thermos and head off to school or work for an easy breakfast on the go.

They are also delicious frozen in ice pop molds (as youll see) or served in small glasses at a party.

While bringing kids into the kitchen can seem like asking for trouble (or at least a big mess to clean up), they cant do much damage with a smoothie. Put ingredients in the blender and push the button. Just remember to put the top on first.

Have half a banana, a handful of spinach, and a plump date? Bingo, smoothie time. This flexibility also makes smoothies budget-friendly.

Simply swap out cows milk and nix any honey in the recipe. And since they contain no wheat, most are also gluten-free. (A few of the smoothies include oats; be sure to buy gluten-free oats if youre on a wheat-free diet.)