Coconut water has been dubbed, “Nature’s Gatorade.”  It is full of potassium, electrolytes and is incredibly hydrating to the body.  It doesn’t have all the added colors and sweeteners that leading sports drinks usually have. After long runs or bike rides, I love to use it as the liquid base for my green smoothies.

But WHICH one do you buy?

There are three options when it comes to coconut water: pasteurized,  unpasteurized,  or from a young coconut that you get to hacksaw yourself and drain.  There are pros and cons to all three.

Pasteurized Coconut Water

Pros: This is an incredibly convenient choice.  You can find it at Costco (the Vita Coco brand), on amazon.com, at Asian markets, health food stores and some major grocery stores.  It is also cheaper than the other three choices.

Cons: To make the coconut water shelf-stable for longer periods of time they pasteurize it. The heat from the pasteurization kills a lot of the goodness in the coconut water.  I couldn’t find in my research how much of the nutrients are actually killed though.

Unpasteurized Coconut Water

Pros: Already packaged for you, this choice is a time saver for a busy mom.  Loaded with all the vitamins in tact, it hasn’t been heat treated and is completely raw. I did a taste test between all three to see if I could taste the difference, and this one was by far my favorite. I tried the brand Harmless Harvest.  It tasted a little less sweet and even a little saltier, but very fresh.  I bought mine at Real Foods Market, but Whole Foods carries it too.  One more perk is that you are supporting a small ethically run company.

Cons: Although this is an awesome choice for a busy mom, the downside is that it is expensive! Save up your grocery money because I spent almost 5 dollars for a bottle of it. I could taste a distinct difference  between the pasteurized and the unpasteurized though.  

Coconut Water From A Young Coconut

Pros: This by far is the most fun!  It fulfills my dream of surviving on a desert island.  I almost got to live that dream on my honeymoon to Thailand.  I am about to tell a story here, so if you want just the facts about coconut water you might want to skip ahead .

So true story, Scotty and I took all our wedding money for dishes and other practical  boring house stuff and spent it on a seven week honeymoon to Thailand!  It was the best money ever spent:).  My favorite place of the whole trip was to Koh Bulon a tiny magical island that we hear had sea gypsies on it. We took three local buses (a crazy experience) and a couple of boats to get there.  Oh my goodness, talk about paradise on earth.  There weren’t even roads, it was seriously magical.  While we were staying on the island we talked a sweet old Thai man into letting us rent his kayak for a couple of days.  We could see an island in the distance that was deserted, and we wanted to go see what was there.

So we packed a toothbrush and one or two things, and headed out!  The island was what I had dreamed of — vibrant snorkeling, huge dragon like lizards, and the funniest/most nerve-racking part of the island … a colony of rats that tried to attack us while we slept on the beach!  That is a story for another day … oh wow that was a crazy tangent.

This little adventure is the closest I will ever get to having survived on a deserted island. Now that I am a mom and a little more grounded, opening up a young Thai coconut is about as adventurous as I get now a days. Until September when we might take the whole family to Sri Lanka — we are still figuring this one out and what country we are taking the kids too.

Back to young coconuts and coconut water . There is something so fun and adventurous about cracking open your own coconut.  Another perk is you get to use the coconut meat inside, which is fun for making all sorts of creamy treats. Here is how you open the coconut … a three minute video of a girl trying it for the first time.

Cons: It requires time and a sharp knife, two things that are usually in short supply at my house. Another con is that to preserve the coconuts they dip them in sodium metabisulfite solution, a food grade preservative. Also a rumor has been circulating that young coconuts have been dipped in formaldehyde to preserve them.  I looked into this one more because I don’t want to drink formaldehyde water, thankfully the claims aren’t true.

I am not thrilled about dipping them in preservatives, BUT I did read that the coconut shell is impenetrable so it doesn’t actually affect the water or the young coconut meat. I am also very grateful they aren’t being dipped in formaldehyde. So rest assured, you can hack away to your heart’s content and reap the benefits of fresh coconut water.

The post The Low Down On Coconut Water appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

And, in light of your awesomeness… I have an ammmmmazing final giveaway for you! One lucky winner is going to take home around $800 worth of goodness so you can keep up the good work and keep loving all of that healthy food. Drumroll please…. you could win a Blendtec total blender PLUS a 1-year membership to my Real Foods Made Easy Program!!!

What is the Real Foods Made Easy Program?

In a nutshell, the Real Foods Made Easy Program is made for the mom who wants to get real food on the table real fast so everyone in the family is happy and healthy. It is all about empowering you with the information and tools you need to eat a real foods diet and enjoy a vibrant life!

We tackle topics like weight loss, natural sugars, picky eaters, meal planning, healthy fats, and more.

So, what’s in the program?

Each month you get access to:

• 3-4 hours of instruction by Desi that you can take at your own pace
• Lots of yummy, 100% real food recipes
• 3 Weekly meal plans complete with shopping lists
• Support from an amazing group of fellow participants of Facebook
• Fun giveaways with goodies for you and your family to enjoy!

You can read all of the complete details on the program here, or if you can’t wait for the giveaway, you can sign up right now at:  http://www.unconventionalkitchen.com/realfoodsmadeeasyprogram/

Real Foods Made Easy Participants

“I felt empowered taking Desiree’s course. Before the program I had struggled finding staple dishes that my family enjoyed. My husband is happy that I’m always making great meals, I’m happy that I can whip up healthy treats when I have a craving and my kids don’t even know the difference! I was mentally converted to the whole foods way of living, but didn’t have the confidence or knowledge to really make it permanent. Until I took Desiree’s course, I was intimidated and overwhelmed for no reason!”

Megan McGary, Utah

“I am a busy mom with three young children and I think making healthy foods for myself and family is so important. Before I started the Real Foods Made Easy program I was feeling frustrated with how much time it took to sit down and go through healthy cookbooks/blogs to find meals to serve my family. It was so much work and half the time the meals wouldn’t turn out well anyway. I love the fact that I can print off my weekly menus and shopping list and go on my way, and my family loves the food!”

Coleen Ward, Arizona

A BIG thank you to Blendtec for donating another awesome Total Blender for you! A high-powered blender is so helpful in the kitchen. You can continue your beloved green smoothies, make homemade dressings, creamy soups, and more. So you are going to LOVE having this puppy around!

Without further adieu…. GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Love Your Greens Challenge FINALE giveaway! You’re Going To LOVE This One appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

Just sayin’…

So anyway, I think we may have mentioned a little something around here about green smoothies, huh? Well our Love Your Greens 30 Day Challenge is in FULL swing and our challengers are rocking it out like nobody’s business!

We’ve talked about how to get your kids to drink them. Many people are having great success getting their kiddos on board and some have even taken advantage of our green smoothie chart for kids.

I guess it’s time to talk to you grown-ups now.  You know which ones I am talking about — those who can barely choke down their own concoctions, the big guys who can’t drink something green.  All those different types!

Well, let me let you in on a little secret about me … I do NOT drink a green smoothie that I don’t like.  I just can’t do it!  So rock on to those folks out there who do it anyway!  May the green smoothie force be with you!

But if you’re like me and you want your smoothie to always taste good while still trying out new combos here are a few tips:

1-THE STRAW TEST: I always, always, ALWAYS, (have I mentioned always?) test it while it’s still in the blender.  So while I still have all my ingredients out, while it’s still ready to go after I’ve blended it like crazy — I stick a straw in and taste it.  (Not while it’s blending!  Let me just put that out there.  That’s some lotta messy!)  If it doesn’t taste good enough then I add stuff until it does.  If my blender is getting too full … I pour some out and add stuff until it tastes good.  And then pour that out into jars and put the extra back in and make that stuff taste good.  I don’t stop until I am satisfied. I always do the straw test.  Do it!

2-BLEND IT RIGHT: There really is a finesse sometimes to make the perfectly blended smoothie.  I always tell people to think in thirds. A third liquid, a third greens, a third fruit.  You have to tweak it to your taste but I do it this way because I’m filling my blender as full as I can to make sure everyone gets one.  So here’s how I roll…

1- Add liquid
2- Add greens
3- Add any healthy fats and sweetener
4- Blend until it won’t blend anymore
5- Add in a bit of the fruit
6- Blend AGAIN
7- Add in more fruit and blend until you can’t fit anymore
8- Add in a bit of water at the top if things are too thick
9- If you added in more water blend yet again

In case you can’t tell … you gotta blend it.  If your smoothie has chunks of greens it’s not as yummy or as appealing.  I have a Blendtec Total blender so I don’t have to go so nutty, because that guy will chew up anything!  But not everyone has a high-powered blender but everyone CAN still strive for a smooth smoothie.  Remember what Desi said … you do NOT need a fancy-pants blender to make a good smoothie.

3-USE FOOD YOU LIKE:  You know if a recipe calls for a banana and even though I’m severely allergic, yep I’ll just put a banana in anyway because the recipe says too.  UM NOT!  Of course I don’t do that.  Why would I?  Ain’t nobody got time for that!  So if a smoothie calls for … say an apple, and you hate apples … leave it out. Throw something else in. The point is to like them while still reaping all the UBER awesome health benefits.  But at the same time, don’t be afraid to try new things, you might be surprised by what you like. Most greens you can hide the taste with fruit. Go easy on ingredients you haven’t used before and just play around with them.  No rules!!!  DOWN WITH RECIPE RULES!!  Except for the greens rule, you gotta put greens in a green smoothie.

I hope these tips help you grown-ups to not just choke down your smoothies but to LOVE them!

If you need too, just go ahead and download yourself a smileys chart. No one’s looking. We’re all friends here.  If you need to color in a smiley face to get you to drink your smoothies then you go rock that out friends!  Rock that out!

Oh and you want to know what’s super-duper fun?  Tricking your husband into flexing for the camera for the world to see.

Yeah that just happened …

Until next time kids,
Kristi

The post Green Smoothies for Grown-ups! appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

All you awesome challengers out there, we are so proud of you! We LOVE to hear all of the green goodness going on on the Facebook group page, you are all so inspirational! If you are just jumping on, you can sign up here to receive the daily recipes to your inbox (and to join in all of the fun!).

Little Green Pouch Giveaway

Okay, so we are so excited to offer our weekly giveaway this week! One lucky winner will receive the above starter pack from Little Green Pouch. These are perfect for on-the-go meals for you or your little ones. In fact, you know those baby food pouches and applesauce pouches they sell at the grocery store for $1.25/piece or more?! Now you can make your own nutritious food or even pack a green smoothie in there and take it with you.  Plus you’ll have all of the goodies to go along with it – the funnel, spouts, and cleaning brush!

With summer coming up and all, these little guys are perfect if you want to freeze a smoothie, let it thaw a little bit and serve it as a slushy smoothie. YUM! Love the convenience and also knowing that you can give you and yours good healthy options even on the go.

Enter To Win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Little Green Pouch Giveaway! appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

Hi friends!

Last post got quite the reaction!  Turns out that people are as passionate about their blenders as I am about mine! That’s awesome.  I just wanted to do a follow up post to the show down to clarify a few things.

The last post was in no means to make you feel like you can’t do green smoothies or smoothies in general without a high-powered blender.  Please blend on with whatever you have, the point is to get as many greens in as possible.  You don’t have to have a high-powered blender to make them.  I will say though if you have ever tried a smoothie from one of them, there is a noticeable difference.  I love my blender not just for smoothies, but to make healthy ice cream, almond butter, hummus, flour, almond meal to bake with, and the list goes on.  But by all means, blend with whatever makes you happy.

I also wanted to let you know I love Vitamix too.  It sounds like from the comments they have a new jar that is shorter and combats the problem of the Vitamix taking up more space.  If you read the post you will see that we love both companies and frankly are the only two high-powered blenders I would spend my money on.  For the video Marci had to reach around to start the machine and did get a late start.  In her defense it was hard to see from behind.  Vitamix still produced a beautiful creamy smoothie.

As far as the Ninja.  I personally would not buy it.  I know there are plenty of people out there that own one and love it.  For me though, I would rather save up and have a 7-year warranty and a more versatile machine.  I have a friend that has owned one for a few months and wants to buy a Blendtec now.  The texture just isn’t the same.  If you are a Ninja fan, please don’t ninja me, that is just my two cents and you can by all means get whatever blender makes you happy.

A lot of questions have come in about the Nutribullet.  I am so sorry I have never tried it and can’t give you an opinion on it either way.  I am curious to try it though.  I will try it and let you know what I think.

Again use whatever blender you love and focus on getting all the GREEN GOODNESS you possibly can!!

The post Blender Show Down Part 2 appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

Read the WHOLE post—–there is a sweet Mother’s Day surprise for you at the bottom of the post. Happy Mother’s Day – you deserve it!!

We have said a few times that you can pull off a green smoothie without a super nice blender. But if you are serious about wanting to make eating more greens and whole foods a lifestyle, then having a high-powered blender is SO worth the investment.

There is a great debate out there between Blendtec and Vitamix. In my opinion they are the only two blenders worth investing your money in. The mid-range blenders will eventually break down, won’t preform near as well, and in the end you will be out the money spent, wanting to buy a higher-powered blender. Just use up your blender you got for your wedding gift and save your pennies for a high-powered blender.

And with Mother’s Day around the corner it is the perfect time to drop not so subtle hints-(husbands don’t get the really subtle ones)- that you really NEED this blender.  If he isn’t going for it, gently remind him of his ever so expensive power tools in the garage that he NEEDS.  Actually, I was the one who couldn’t bring myself to spend the money on the Blendtec, but coveted it for a year.   My husband surprised me and bought it for my birthday one year, best present I have ever received!

Here a little video here for you guys, a blender show down to be exact! The competitors: Vitamix, Blendtec, and Oster!

Blend tec vs Vitamix Blender Show Down from Desi Ward on Vimeo.

The Results from the Blender Show Down

The Stats:

Blendtec

Pre-programmed buttons
1580 watts of power
2 prong blade
15.5 inches tall
7 year warranty

Vitamix

2 speed switch and a variable dial
1380 watts of power
4 prong blade
20.5 inches tall (with basic jar on)
7 year warranty

THE BLENDER SHOWDOWN: BLENDTEC VS VITAMIX

So between Vitamix and Blendtec what is the blender of choice? As you can see in the short video we put together, they both work ammmazingly well. Smooth. Tasty. Smoothies. No chunks here. So really it is really close between the two. As far as power, Blendtec’s motor has a slightly more powerful motor, but at the level they are blending at, it really doesn’t make a difference. But, I will say for me the Blendtec wins, with the Vitamix a close second…..and here is why.

Blendtec

My Blendtec is seriously the baby of my kitchen. Someone on the Facebook group wrote how they sometimes they loved their blender more than there children – I had to laugh, and agree. There is something so awesome about being able to put anything you want in the blender and have it pulverized to a nice, creamy smoothie!

One thing I love about the Blendtec is the size. For me this is the big seller. I am limited on space in my kitchen, so it is nice to be able to put the blender with the jar on under the counter top, and not have to worry about taking the jar on and off.

There are pre-programmed buttons which is also nice. So you can hit smoothie, walk off get your kids what they need and come back – smoothie done! Another big plus, you don’t have to watch it. The cool thing about the smoothie button is that it will go on low, suck the greens in, and then up to a high speed to start blending up the frozen fruit on top. The other variables are similar, they are calculated to blend soups the best way possible, or batters as well. I will even let my kids help me make them by pushing the button, which gets them involved and makes them more likely to drink it.

Sometimes I like to just hit the up and down button and control my own speed. So it is nice to have the option. I do like how fast the Vitamix speeds up though. You flip on the switch and it is moving fast. The Blendtec you have to keep hitting up and it will go from one to ten.

The one draw back for me with the Blendtec was the lack of tamper. I even made my own homemade tamper when I first got one, because it was so frustrating to have something thick that wouldn’t blend and you had to stop the blender and scrape it into the blade. Blendtec has fixed that problem now with one of my favorite features on the blender is the twister jar. Oh this baby is awesome. The jar has a lid that twists so it automatically pushes everything down into the blade without touching it. It makes the most amazing almond butter, hummus, and baby food for smaller batches.

Last thing I love (before I talk your ear off) is that it is easy to clean. Just put in some water and a little soap and blend it for a second and it is clean as a whistle.

Vitamix

Wow the  Vitamix machine is sturdy! This baby is not going anywhere. After we filmed the little video, I blended up the rest of the Oster’s smoothie in the Vitamix to try it out. It took me by surprise how fast the blade started moving. I do LOVE the tamper on the Vitamix and that is one definite perk with the Vitamix for hard-to-blend things. Although I do have to say Blendtec did address that with their new twister jar and also the wild side jar helps too with sucking it down better than the regular jar.  I have noticed a little bit of shaking with my Blendtec cranking it to top speed  blending really thick things. I haven’t seen that in the Vitamix.

Vitamix’s variable speed dials are nice and simple. You have two options faster or slower, and a pulse button. Nice and simple.

The Vitamix’s smoothie tasted really creamy, with the Blendtec it almost whips it. Just slightly different textures. Both good, just different.

Clean up on the Vitamix was not as seemless as the Blendtec, but still with not too much effort you are able to get it clean.

One draw back to the Vitamix is the height. If space isn’t an issue, then this is a non-issue. I did see however they are making a smaller jar. So that might help with the fitting underneath the counter top.

The bottom line:

Both blenders are going to do an amazing job of helping you get more greens into yourself, and your families (believe me if textures have been an issue, you need to try these blenders). If you want to make drinking your greens and eating other awesome whole foods a lifestyle, a high-powered blender is going to become your new best friend in the kitchen!

If you like clean design, buttons programmed for you (perfect for multi-taskers), and need to save space – the Blendtec blender is for you! (this one is my personal fav!)

If you want a bomb-proof blender, like simplicity and control, and want a tamper the Vitamix is the blender for you!

Want To Save Money?

Blendtec and Vitamix offer refurbished blenders on their websites for a discount! They still have the same awesome  7 year warranties and look brand new – my Blendtec is refurbished and I have never had a problem with it. It’s a great way to help out the environment, save money, and still get your hands on one of these awesome blenders, and couple it with the deal below and you are really going to get a steal!

BLENDER DEALS FOR MOTHERS DAY (SURPRISE!!)

Also, we have worked up some great deals for you guys in the spirit of the Love Your Greens 30-Day Challenge… and Mother’s Day of course!

BLENDTEC DEALS

FREE SHIPPING woot woot! To get your free shipping type in 292141 at the check out in the promotions box.

OR if you are dying for a Twister jar, seriously love mine, they are 30 dollars off right now.  Just type in TWISTER at the check out.

Note: Only one of these codes will work at checkout so make sure to choose the one you want most! And they will only work through the links on this post.  The free shipping is a special deal for our readers only!

VITAMIX DEALS

Our friend Brenda at Vitamix said that just for you guys, if you call to purchase a Vitamix for Mother’s Day, she will give you free shipping and cutting boards and spatulas to go with your new kitchen tool! How awesome is that?! Just call her at 800-848-2649 Ext. 2309 and she will set you up. Make sure you tell her the Unconventional Kitchen code: 06-008659.

The post Blendtec vs Vitamix (the blender show down!) appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

I want to introduce Kristi!!!

She is the newest team member here at Unconventional Kitchen.  You read that right, I am not flying solo anymore…..I now have a team of rockin ladies! Yeah!!  I got overwhelmed trying to be a mama, which comes first for me, and take care of my other passion this here website.  So what did I do?  I put together a team of some amazing mamas to help me out.    You will see more of Kristi around these parts on the blog and Facebook.  She is incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, and she makes me laugh.

Well hello Unconventional Kitchen friends. I’m Kristi who blogs at random over here. Sometimes I’m a bit of a drama queen…I apologize in advance for that.

Today I’m here as one of Desiree’s kitchen helpers to chat about our journey on the Green Smoothie path.

A wee bit of my history. I’ve been a little dragged down health wise for a while. And by awhile I mean since I was a baby…with a grip of health concerns.

Allergies, asthma, arthritis, fatigue…junk like that. I’ve been trying
to find a way to feel better since I was a teenager. This is when I
realized that it probably wasn’t normal to have stomach attacks,
need to sleep every day after school, and that sneezing my face
off in the midst of a math test wasn’t ideal. Well that one worked
out. I wasn’t that good in math anyway.

I have probably spent hundreds of hours maybe even thousands
of hours reading and researching trying to figure all this out.
There were many trials and doctor visits. Doctors that would
almost always say “there’s nothing wrong with you want some
anti-depressants?” There were diets, revelations, talking, crying,
punching pillows and many other researching strategies.

A couple of years ago I got word about this Green Smoothie.

The concept of these little gems really struck my fancy. You mean I can get all that nutrition in one glass? That those smoothies may help heal me? Uh…please let me catch a ride on that train thank-you-very-much!

I was hooked! Which then led to my new even stronger obsession with health and food. And I knew what needed to be done. It was time to wrangle with this guy…

Lets be honest for a minute here. I had gotten to the point with this child that I was crying tears of joy when he ate fries and Kraft Dinner! All because of his obscene pickiness! That kid only ate bread and dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, cheese strings, cream
cheese sandwiches, crackers and cereal to be exact. That was his diet. After all this newly found knowledge and passion I had gained, I knew that kid and I had to duke it out and get his eating on track.

How in the heck was I going to get this darn kid to drink a green smoothie?

I tried a few different methods at first. Playing dumb and just plopping it in front of him and hoping for the best. I tried to threaten his life. No not really…….ish

FINALLY after many trials and errors I came up with a few things that when combined, worked for this cute little punk.

First, I chatted with him about it. He was over 3 years old at the time and I really tried to talk up how he would get big and stronglike his Daddy. This was key for him because he adores that Dad of his. Then I made a deal with him that if he had his smoothie
every day for two weeks then him and I would go out – just me and him – to a park. No Daddy and no little brother. I wanted to provide a reward for him that wasn’t bringing in more toys in our house and I didn’t want to reward him with a treat – seemed counter productive.

He was on board. I made little boxes on our family calendar and let me tell you every day that boy was so excited to color in that box! But here’s the crazy thing that happened. After about a week…he stopped asking to color in the boxes but was STILL drinking the smoothies. In fact that two weeks went over a month! I finally decided that I wanted him to know that I valued a promise and we went on our date. He had no idea that he had
been doing it longer then we had agreed on. Now he’s older and it’s a requirement in our home. He understands what that means.

Obviously it means he can climb walls and make weird faces.

Oh and one other tactic that works with him is that I tell him that if he finishes his smoothie that I BET he could lift me off the ground. And with a little dramatics on my part…he lifts me up. I’ve even done this on little friends that have come over.

Works. Like. A. Charm.

Adults seem to think it’s strange when I tell them I bet they can pick me up. Go figure.

There’s so many encouraging ways to get your kids on board with smoothies. And you’ll find after awhile they are willing to try new healthy things because their pallets change.

Last year he was diagnosed with an uncommon autoimmune disease. It’s called Linear Morphea. Here you can see it…it makes his hair fall out and causes scarring. It’s a hard thing to describe.

With this disease, diet is key in keeping it under control and keeping him off of some nasty bad medications. Oddly enough those things he would ONLY ever eat. With his health issues he now rarely eats dairy or wheat and it was those green smoothies that allowed me to ease him off of those foods that were aggravating his disease. Um…awesome right? Stark raving miracle. Not that dairy and wheat are bad. Just not the best for his situation. And PS – his hair is almost all grown back! Holla!

He’s not a perfect eater…but he’s a ‘willing to eat healthier’ eater!

Now that I’ve written you a novel…if you’ve made it to the end we’ve got a FREE printable green smoothie chart for your kiddos.

PRINT OFF THE CHART HERE:

GreenSmoothieKidsChart

How you use it is pretty simple. Just have your kiddos color in the smiley face if they had their smoothie that day. At the end of the week there is a box for you to discuss with them how many they will drink the next week. And then they (or you) can fill in
the number.

I suggest framing it and using a dry erase marker to re-use over and over again. And I suggest one for each child!

Think of simple but effective rewards. Dollar store goodie bag, trips to the park, 15 minutes extra time before bed, a little extra screen time etc…

And let them “pick you up” off the ground. It works!

Oh and this guy…

He got them as soon as he could use a sippy cup. And now he’s a Green Smoothie clepto! I never get to drink all of mine alone!

Let us know what you have done that has helped you get your littles to drink their Green Smoothies! We all can use all the help we can get!!!

Until next time….

And a little reminder if you haven’t signed up for the 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge, here is your chance!

Join over 4,700 people in green smoothie drinking goodness!

GREEN SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE

The post How To Get Your Kids To Drink Green Smoothies Part 2 (with a really fun downloadable chart) appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

LOVE YOUR GREENS 30 Day Challenge starts May 1st.  Make sure you are on the email list for more details…….

My kids love everything I make, always go to bed right on time, pick up after themselves, never throw temper tantrums, prefer greens to potato chips, always play nicely with each other, and give me hugs and tell me I am the best mom in the world, like every day! HA!! I wish that was my reality. If that is your world, share with us your secrets. The truth is  some kids will hate green smoothies, and some kids will down them like they are a milk shake. You’re still a good mom if your kid won’t touch a green smoothie. But here are some awesome tips to trick them into lovin’ em.

All of these tips have come from the crazy awesome moms in my program, Real Foods Made Easy. In the program we have a private Facebook group, which I am totally loving and learning a lot from. There have been a lot of great questions asked, but this question spawned this post.

The question was asked (I am paraphrasing here) “Help! My kids flat out refuse to drink a green smoothie! They will eat a plate of salad fine, but will not touch a green smoothie!”

Here is what the intelligent group of ladies, that seriously inspire me, came up with:

1. Try juicing the greens instead. The texture of green smoothies is what sometimes bothers kids, but juice can be a little easier to get down.

2. Make a monster face in the smoothie.  I had to laugh when I read this one, I thought it was awesome! The smart mom wrote that she makes a face out of agave or honey on the top of the smoothie. Then, while her daughter is drinking it she screams, “No! Don’t eat me… aaah! Aaaah!” Her daughter laughs the whole time (while her mom is laughing on the inside), and downs the smoothie. See, smart mom!

3. Give them a reward.  One mom said that she let him pick a place he wanted to go and she would take him on a special date. He chose the park. After ten days of drinking smoothies she took him to the park. She also said that after a few days of drinking them he forgot about the park incentive, but she reminded him and took him anyway.

4. Make them into more of a milk shake then a green smoothie.  Making a smoothie with cocoa powder, milk (I used almond milk), bananas, and raw cashews makes thick, yummy milk shakes you can blend in spinach and they can’t even taste it.

5. Rename them.  Another mom said that it is all in how you sell it – so true. Marketers have known this for ages; they put characters on different foods to make kids LOVE them. She said her girls wouldn’t touch green smoothies until they saw them being demoed as Popeye’s Ice Cream at Costco. After that they begged for them.

6. Make them into popsicles. What kid doesn’t love a popsicle?

7.Tell them the benefits. That always works with Isaiah; I tell them that he is going to get big muscles or I call them “power smoothies.”

8. Make it a game, who can drink their’s the fastest. I always feel their muscles afterwards to see who’s got the biggest.

9. This was my advice along with a lot of the other moms.  Don’t feel like a bad mom if they still won’t.  If your kids will eat greens in other ways – which there are PLENTY of ways (in their eggs, juiced, as salad, in smoothies, in soups, kale chips, even in their ice cream) – try those other ways. And even then if they won’t touch greens after that, you are still a good mom. What goes a long way for me is to just notice what they will eat that is good for them. Tell them, “That is awesome! You just ate your whole plate of peas, let me see your muscles.”  You might not want to say that to your teenager, but you get the picture. Behavior that you want repeated, praise it. They will be more willing to try things if you aren’t harping on them for what they won’t eat. Don’t make eating into a battle, it will make your life miserable, seriously miserable. And if you have strong-willed kids like I do, you will lose every time.

Coming up….Part 2 a Green Smoothie Downloadable chart that one of those awesome moms I was telling you about used to get her little boy to drink and end up loving green smoothies.

The post What To Do If Your Kids WON’T Touch a Green Smoothie appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

This recipe and beautiful pics come from my dear friend Marcella, who got it from table for two blog (she just added veggies to it).  We studied Recreational therapy back in the day together at University of Utah and we have remained friends ever since.  We even worked at the same treatment center taking teen age girls skiing, camping, snow shoeing,hiking, and rock climbing.  It was a really fun job.

I digress, this curry is awesome!  If you like an easy-fast-put it in the crock pot and go- kind of recipe, this recipe is for you.  Watch the cayenne pepper if you are sensitive to heat.  My kids like it with just a pinch.

Here is the line up of ingredients (the list looks long but don’t be scared it is mostly spices).  Just dump all the ingredients in a large bowl and give them a stir (except for the cream or coconut milk and corn starch and peas those go in later).

Here is how you cut the chicken (those are Marci’s lovely hands not mine:)

For a vegetarian option omit the chicken and add in 2 cans of chic peas drained and rinsed and 2 potatoes chopped.

Then just cook it in your handy dandy crock pot for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  When When the chicken is cooked through, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream (or coconut milk) and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot.  Add the peas (frozen) at this time too, and gently stir the whole mixture. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.

Serve it over rice and enjoy!!!

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala {Crockpot recipe!}

INGREDIENTS:

8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, or about 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  about, 3 lbs. (preferably organic)

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 green peppers, chopped (optional)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 (29 oz.) can of tomato puree

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. Garam masala

1 tbsp. cumin

1/2 tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt, or to taste

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)

2 bay leaves

1 cup heavy cream, preferably organic ( I have used 1 C full fat coconut milk and it was Delicious!)

3 tbsp. cornstarch, preferably non gmo

1 small bag frozen peas (about 1-2 cups)

Chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put all the ingredients up to the bay leaves in a large bowl. Stir to combine all the wonderful spices and ingredients.  Make sure the chicken is well coated.
2. Pour the mixture in your crock pot (carefully!)  and add the 2 bay leaves.
3. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).
4. When the chicken is cooked through, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream (or coconut milk) and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot.  Add the peas (frozen) at this time too, and gently stir the whole mixture. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.
5. Serve hot over hot brown rice mmmmm.  Lundberg short grain or brown basmati rice are my favorites .
6. If you have any leftover store it in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

The post Easy Chicken Tikka Masala (Crock pot recipe!) appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.

First, Real Foods Made Easy is officially opening back up!!  We started the program in January and closed it after such overwhelming response to be able to adequately support all of the people in the program! Everyone has been loving it and I wanted to let you in on all of the fun!

The Blendtec! I’m so excited for you because it’s pretty much my FAVORITE kitchen appliance

I hope you win!! And if you don’t, I hope you beg your husband for one and get one anyway, and I hope to have you in the program! Good luck, and here’s to good health!

The post $798 Dollar Give Away, Real Foods Made Easy is OPEN!!!! appeared first on Unconventional Kitchen::.