in the kitchen: peachy-green smoothie

I've been making smoothies for me and my son a lot lately.  They make the perfect post-nap snack without ruining his appetite for dinner, and they provide an excellent opportunity to hide stuff he wouldn't normally eat.  He would drink strawberry smoothies all day long, but you can't get him to eat an actual strawberry on its own.  Go figure.

Recently I've been adding spinach to pretty much every smoothie we eat.  You can't taste the spinach at all, and the green color doesn't seem to bother my son either.  Then again, he normally eats cooked spinach with gusto.  Either way, smoothies are an easy way to get some veggies in his diet (and mine!).

Here's a favorite of ours.  It's enough for two servings, thereabouts.  Keep in mind that I estimate the measurements of everything....feel free to increase or decrease wherever you want. 


Peachy-Green Smoothie

The Ingredients.

1 cup frozen sliced peaches
1 cup frozen cubed mango
1/2 to 3/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
Optional:  2 tablespoons wheat germ and/or 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

The Method.

Put the frozen peaches and mango in a bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds.  You want the fruit to only get partially thawed out, that way you don't have to add ice to the smoothie (that just waters it down).  Put the partially thawed fruit in the blender, and follow with 1/2 cup orange juice, the yogurt, and the wheat germ/flaxseed (if using).  Blend on high for a few seconds to make sure everything starts incorporating.  Add additional orange juice if needed.  Then add the spinach leaves and blend for 30 seconds or so.  If the spinach gets hung up, use a spoon to work it down a bit.  Pour into two glasses (or in our case, one glass and one sippy cup with straw) and enjoy!

All you taste is peach and mango goodness, I promise.  And the spinach can be added to other smoothie combinations too; just keep in mind that adding it with darker colored fruit (like berries) will result in a brownish-colored smoothie, not the pretty vibrant green of this particular smoothie.  :o)

So throw in some spinach next time you mix up a smoothie....work it in for St. Patrick's Day, and then keep that fun tradition going year-round.  :o)