I tried going GREEN

No I'm not going green using organic fabrics exclusively. I recycle as much as I can already so that's not the big change in our house. I went green in the kitchen! Green as in I tried the green smoothie recipe I'd pinned a while back. Like any household, we go through spells of resolving to add in more veggies and make an overall attempt to eat healthier. My kids are decent eaters but they definitely stay in the predictable zone of veggies they'll try. Corn, peas...you know the easy starchy ones. We've been on a smoothie kick lately ever since we got THIS kitchen gadget. Love it, works great!! Since we've been on this kick, I figured, that'd be a great place to mix things up and sneak in those things they'd normally never try.....spinach!


I grabbed all of the ingredients shown below found originally on this Skinny Taste website. but will throw in my own notes or substitutions. I didn't use Greek yogurt. I used the Yoplait light and fit vanilla yogurt just to cut down the overall calories. Love the creaminess of Greek yogurt but wanted to save on calories. I also ended up buying a can of pineapple chunks. I just have to be realistic about my shopping tendancies and buying the canned pineapple that can go on a shelf so it's there anytime I need was just a lot more practical. My grocery store didn't have anything that said light coconut milk so I just grabbed the lowest cal stuff I could find.

Skinny Green Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light coconut milk
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
1 ripe medium banana
1 cup spinach - tightly packed
2 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/4 cups ice


I have to say, it was a great smoothie!!! It might look like split pea soup but it was great. Not quite as delish as ones we typically make filled with a lot more yogurt, using V8 splash juice for my liquid and naturally being overall sweeter but this is definitely something I'll make again. Considering how much spinach is in it, this gets 2 thumbs up. I did end up adding more ice, it wasn't the consistency I like so wanted to thicken it up. I know I'll have to get my kids over the fact that it's green but I'm certain they'll love it and I'll consider it a success we are all taking in that much spinach.

I kept a calorie tally of everything I put in. The recipe makes 2 servings, each 200 calories. Satisfying and takes the edge off the hunger pains that hit me hard mid-afternoon. When the kids get home from school this will be one of my new snacks I'm going to put into rotation to keep me from grabbing the bags of salt and vinegar chips I love so dearly!


My 2 youngest kids came home so I could get little people reviews. They seemed unenthusiastic as they asked what all was in it. I knew the color would throw them off. Happy to report, we got 2 thumbs up!

Enjoy and if you have any substitutions or additions you've used, please comment. I'm always interested in mixing things up in new ways.