Spinach is one of those super foods we all know is good for us, but getting most kids (and adults - let's be honest!) to eat it can be difficult!
One piece of advice for moms-to-be: eat a lot while you are pregnant** and breastfeeding and when you start your little one on solid foods, start with vegetables! This will help the taste be familiar and your child will accept it much more readily.
**Bonus - spinach contains folate, which you need for the optimum development of your sweet baby!
We need to eat greens both raw and cooked every day for the nutrients they contain. When served on a regular basis, kids and adults will get used to them and learn to enjoy them.
Pro parenting tip: serve vegetables first - this has helped our kids learn to eat just about everything - although it can be a process. Set the healthy expectation that everyone eats the same thing and vegetables are required!
One of my favorite ways to get spinach in our diet is to put it in smoothies! These are total kid pleasers! One of our "rules" is that a handful of spinach goes into every recipe. I use a Vitamix blender - it will blend just about anything super smooth!
(This can also be juiced - if you prefer - add the essential oils at the end)
Use leftovers to fill popsicle molds for later - my kids go through these so fast! (I would recommend the Spinach/Kale smoothie to be consumed as a liquid.)
You may have noticed I use freckled bananas to sweeten them. Hard green bananas will not have the same effect.
If you are looking to transition gradually - sweeten the smoothies at first or add yogurt. Little by little lessen the amounts of those ingredients as your taste adjusts (and it will!).
Looking for additional reading material?
Super Foods Rx, By Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews is fantastic!
Close your eyes and imagine the smell of baking banana bread. You can smell it, right? Our noses (olfactory systems) are amazing! Could you see your mom's or grandma's kitchen? How did you feel? Our sense of smell is linked directly to the part of our brain that controls both memory and emotion. When we smell something familiar, we can immediately remember where we were and how we felt the last time we smelled that aroma (or stench!). Baking bread is something that takes me back to my mom's kitchen. I feel happy, and contented, and my saliva starts flowing in anticipation! I never get a picture of my bread because it disappears too fast! One day I will capture it. I added Lavender Vitality essential oil to my mother’s delicious banana bread recipe, so now, the scent of lavender fills my home along with the wonderful banana bread scent.
