Drink Green

Sara at Happy Foody turned me on to the idea of Green Smoothies. I had previously read this article at Vegetarian baby and child, but hadn't implemented the idea of drinking your greens.  It's actually very easy and quite tasty. Elena (my 18 mo. old) eats a green smoothie every day for lunch. I'm so excited to have found a way to get some greens *RAW GREENS!* into my little girl, as she is too young to be able to chew them. Here are just a few reasons to drink green smoothies:

• Green smoothies are very nutritious. 
• With a ratio of about 60% - ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% - organic green vegetables, they taste like sweet fruit, but also have all the nutrition of dark green veggies.
• Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients.
• Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber. 
• By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated.
• Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. 
• Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies. 
• When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet because you are essentially having a salad without the dressing. 
• Regular consumption of green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens and helps curb cravings for sweets. 

This video from "green smoothie girl" helps to explain how to make them. You can find some recipes here.  So, drink up!  The health benefits are amazing.

photo courtesy of Jemnifur on flickr

mmm... Salad

I've rather recently become literally addicted to salads.  I eat one every day for lunch and have for months.  Believe it or not, I look forward to it every day.  It's incredibly good for you - everybody knows that, right?  It leaves me feeling full, yet light.  That is not the case with just about any other meal I eat.  Anyhow I thought I'd share the love and my current favorite salad combination: Thai Style

- any baby green (spinach, herb mix, romaine - anything)

- organic thompson raisins - for sweetness (and they're a good source of iron)

- raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews - all of these are good)

- chopped carrots

- raw broccoli

- chopped avocado

- celery

- About a teaspoon of Trader Joe's spicy peanut dressing (Although I would like to start making my own.  It would be easy, since I eat it every day.  Plus I just read the label the other day and sugar is the second ingredient listed - so unnecessary)

Delicious, delicious I tell you.  You should try it.  Yum yum.

The Magic Sippy Cup

After months of having issues trying to get our daughter to drink from a sippy cup, we finally found one that is PERFECT, so I just had to pass along the recommendation.  First, we bought a Born Free sippy and immediately returned it.  They aren't kidding when they say this sippy allows for free-flowing liquid!  we might as well have given her a regular cup and let her dump it all over herself.  So, that didn't work out.  I still wanted to get her a safer, BPA-free sippy, but the only other one I knew of was Kleen Kanteen.  My issue with Kleen Kanteen is that it doesn't even look like a sippy cup.  It's a water bottle for older children that you can use an Avent sippy lid with.  I didn't think she'd be able to hold it at one year old and I was probably right.  So, I broke down and got her two Avent sippy cups.  She never really took to drinking from them. I don't blame her. The valve on those cups ends up putting a lot of air into whatever you're drinking and consequently would make her gassy sometimes. I also had issues with the cups leaking from the lid while she was drinking.  I don't have any of those issues with the new cup. So, in case you're wondering by now, it's the Foogo sippy cup made by Thermos.
Here's a list of it's benefits:

• Spill-proof valve prevents messes and is easy-to-clean
• Soft spout is easy and comfortable to sip (I was told the spout is made of silicone)
  
• Kid-proof design - unbreakable stainless steel interior and exterior withstands daily wear and tear
  
• Dishwasher safe
• Exterior stays condensation free
  
• Non-slip, scratch resistant base
  
• Keeps beverages cold for up to 6 hours - for cold contents only
  
• BPA-Free!

For those of you in the Bellingham area, i purchased the cup at Portable Kid (on Chestnut, downtown).  I think it was $14.99.