Spinach Smoothies

Popeye the Sailor Man popularized to the world the strength-giving benefits of a disgusting dark green leafy vegetable called spinach. For me, and probably all the children in the world, Popeye's greatest act is swallowing an entire can of that horrible stuff. Can you imagine the willpower needed to do that?

Sure, eating that green clump gives a person superpowers, but is it really worth it?

For mothers everywhere, the answer to that is yes, unfortunately. Thus begins many a meal where children do their best to avoid spinach. The creativity involved in avoiding that hated vegetable can dwarf the creativity involved in creating Beethoven's Ode to Joy. But despite unending protests, Mothers still insist in feeding spinach to their children.

And why shouldn't they? Spinach is one of healthiest vegetables in the world. It's dense with nutrients, most of which I haven't heard of but are apparently very good for you. There's vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, pyridoxine, tryptophan, vitamin E, fiber, copper, thiamin, protein, phosphorus, rubiscolin and zinc. It can protect people from arthritis, heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, and others. If you feed your child everyday, he could probably turn into Superman.

Except Superman would never eat anything that disgusting. So what should a mother do to feed her child the vegetable equivalent of ambrosia, if ambrosia simultaneously made the Greek gods puke?

She can mix spinach in smoothies.

Smoothies are drinks with fruits or vegetables, mixed with a liquid like yogurt, milk or juice. Sweeteners and additional flavors are added and all these ingredients poured into a blender and blended until smooth. It's a great snack with lots of energy and nutrients. It's also very easy to make.

By mixing the spinach inside a smoothie, the other sweet tasting ingredients hide the wretched taste of the vile vegetable. Your child will happily drink the colorful smoothie, unknowing of the vileness hidden within. He'll even get more nutrients from spinach because blending releases more nutrients than chewing. This little white lie of feeding spinach smoothies to your child shouldn't traumatize him. Much.

Remember to choose the freshest spinach you can. It's got the most nutrients available. Buy them in season and, if possible, locally. Look for crisp leaves that are free of blemishes. Store them immediately in the refrigerator, and not the freezer.

Before mixing all the ingredients to make a smoothie, it's best to blend the spinach and the water first for at least 30 seconds.

Now the following are some smoothie recipes that have spinach.

Spinach-Mango Smoothie

½ cup spinach
1 stalk celery
2 mangoes
1 cup water

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Spinach-Peach Smoothie

½ cup spinach
¼ cup parsley
2 peaches, chopped
juice of ½ a lime
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup water

Combine all the ingredients and blend until fully incorporated and smooth. Serve immediately.

Drinking spinach smoothies allowed me to make my peace with spinach. I can now look at spinach without nausea. Hopefully this works with your kids too