SMOOTHIE SHOPPING LIST... for all the WOC kids :)

Tonight I had the privilege of sharing healthy fitness and food tips with some energetic k-4th graders at the World Outreach Church summer FITNESS CAMP! My goal was to show them how to get healthy greens and other goodies in their diet in a yummy way. The best way I know how to do this is with smoothies!

So we had a smoothie bar with a lot of good looking food and quite a bit of questionable food – like spinach, kale, and parsley – on the smoothie menu.

I loved the looks on the kids faces as I grabbed handfuls of spinach and kale and dumped them in! WELLLLLLLLLL, I must report that every kids seemed to love their sample and lots of them left Fitness Camp asking their parent to go buy some smoothie foods for their home! WOOOWHOOOO!!!

If you want to make healthy smoothies, I hope this will make it easy for you.
I’ve put together a

SMOOTHIE SHOPPING LIST!

Have these foods in your kitchen
and you will have a world of variety for your smoothie bar!

FRUITS

bananas

apples

oranges

strawberries

rasberries

blueberries

blackberries

pineapple

mango

papaya

kiwi

dates

*If possible, choose ORGANIC and SEASONAL fruit. If not, consider frozen fruit. Also remember that fruit has a lot of sugar, so go easy and leave room for your green friends I list next!

GREENS

kale

spinach

parsley

cucumber

PROTEIN SOURCE

high quality chocolate protein powder

organic greek plain yogurt

almond butter

oatmeal

LIQUID

water

almond milk (we don’t have much dairy around here)

orange juice (if you use juice, don’t use much)

coconut milk/water

and yes, coffee and herbal tea

EXTRA GOODIES

coconut oil – click HERE to check out the best coconut oil! If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you!
honey

bee pollen

flax seeds

hemp seeds

spirulina

mint leaves

cinnamon

ginger

agave nectar

stevia

WHY I’M A FAN OF SMOOTHIES:

Blending food takes care of the first step in digestion: chewing! Food breaks down faster in the stomach. It’s like a mini-vacation for your digestive system 🙂
Smoothies offer a chance to “eat” food you usually wouldn’t eat. For instance, I dislike Kale… a lot! I’ve tried it different ways, it’s just gross to me. One day I got brave and put a small amount in a smoothie. Surprisingly I didn’t hate it! In fact, I kinda liked it. Slowly I began adding more and more kale. Now I’m to the point where I crave it. Yes, I’ve gone there!
Smoothies offer a chance to sneak food to your kids body that they would NEVER imagine eating! THIS REALLY WORKS! At first my kids had no idea what they were “eating”, but by this point, they know I put all sorts of stuff in. Both of my kids like their smoothie different ways, and I adjust them according to their preference.
They are easy.
They are fast.
They are yum.