Smoothies

Smoothies are a great place to start when using garden produce. Not only do kids love smoothies, you can also put almost anything from the garden in them, from spinach and strawberries to sweet potatoes and carrots. There are even smoothie recipes for cabbage. No kidding. Google it. Plus, smoothies are super simple to make. All you do is let your students measure, throw ingredients in the blender, press the button, and voila you are eating fresh garden veggies. Delicious and nutritious.

Disclaimer: Many smoothies call for almond or soy milk. if it is easier to get a milk carton from the cafeteria, feel free to substitute. Our smoothie drinking friends promise us it is okay.

• Spinach Banana Smoothie
• Not Easy Being Green
• Green Day
• Banana Orange Collard Green Smoothie
• La Isla Bonita
• Channel Orange
• Sweet Potato Smoothie
• Sweet Potato Smoothie 2
• Oatmeal Sweet Potato High Fiber Smoothie
• Carrot Cake Smoothie

Custom Green Smoothie

Of course, you don't have to use a recipe at all. I perused several basic formulas for building a custom green smoothie. none of them were quite what I was looking for, so I melded them into one. If you are interested in seeing the originals, the links are below.

To make a green smoothie, you will need to blend greens with a liquid base, then add fruits and/or vegetables and blend again.

Greens (1/2 to 2 cups):
Spinach, Kale, Lettuce, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Collards

Liquids (1 to 2 cups):
Yogurt, Water, Coconut Water, Fruit Juice, Milk, Alternative Milk Products (almond, soy, coconut)

Fruits/Veggies (1 to 2 cups):
Apple, Avocado, Banana, Berries, Grapes, Kiwi, Mango, Melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber

Sources:
Simple Green Smoothies
The Perfect Green Smoothie Formula