I never thought I would do this. Seriously. My mom tried to get my brother and I to try some sort of zucchini drink passed off as “Tiger’s Milk” when we were kids. It was not a successful trial, and I never forgot it (obviously).
So now, decades later, I find myself subjecting my children to similar concoctions. But I have time, modern conveniences and a few extra decades of cookbooks on my side. By time, I’m referring to the fact that some of the “strange” things she wanted us to try were only available in health food stores back then. Now many of them are practically mainstream. So are a multitude of books loaded with tried and true nutritious, kid-friendly recipes.
As a result, asking one’s child to sample a spinach smoothie isn’t as much of a stretch these days.
Or is it?
You be the judge. We (including a 9- and 6-year old) adore this drink. As long as you use a well-ripened banana, it tastes like a banana smoothie. What a great way to get kids to eat their spinach!
If you’re serving this to adults, you can make a less sweet, lower-calorie version by replacing the sweetened soy milk with any of the following: nonfat milk, light vanilla soy or almond milk, or unsweetened vanilla soy or almond milk.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Shamrock Smoothie
Inspired by the book Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health
Makes 1 tall or 2 short drinks
1 cup vanilla soy milk (sweetened)
1 large handful of fresh baby spinach, rinsed (about 1 cup, packed)
1 frozen, well-ripened banana, broken into pieces*
Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.
* I store peeled banana pieces in a sealed bag in the freezer specifically for smoothies.
© Liesl K. Bohan | SavvyBaker.com
