In my last cookbook, I vowed to never drink a green smoothie. I also thought any child of mine would happily snack on spinach, broccoli, and every other vegetable under the sun. (I also thought I could contain all my daughter’s toys to her room. Are all new moms as delusional???)

Then my daughter went through a phase where the only vegetable she would eat for a month was salsa. Yup, I became that mom. The mom I never thought I would be, lamenting how my daughter’s picky eating. Granted, she ate at least a half cup of salsa a day, but I did have some major mama guilt. Add on to that my pregnancy and aversion to cooked vegetables, and I realized that I need to create a green smoothie that would appeal to us both.

Thank goodness for chocolate.

This smoothie tastes like a chocolate shake but is packed with superfoods: dates, chia seeds, ground flax, blueberries, bananas, and a generous handful of spinach.

Before you scoff at my chocolate concoction, let’s take a look at the ingredients:

Dates: Dates are a natural sweetener and great for the digestion system. They also contain Vitamin A and K, and are a good source for potassium.

Chia Seeds: Chia seeds help you stay full longer which is the main reason I included them in the shake. They are also packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Unlike flax seeds, they can be digested whole.

Ground Flax: This is another great source for omega-3 fatty acids. They are also a good source of manganese and Vitamain B1. Like dates, they aid in digestion.

Blueberries– The real reason I added (frozen) blueberries is that it makes the chocolate taste chocolatey-er. They are also a great source of Vitamin C.

Bananas– Like the blueberries, I added bananas for taste: frozen bananas give the shake an ice cream like quality that can’t be beat. They are also a good source of potassium and for Baby G, they can counteract all these “aid in digestion” ingredients. Let’s just say she has never had that problem.

Spinach: Spinach is packed with Vitamin A and K. It also contains some folate, iron, and calcium. And let’s be honest, I feel a little better as a mom (and a pregnant woman) knowing that all of my babies are getting some spinach each day in addition to the copious amounts of salsa. 

 
shake pack 1

To make mornings run smoother, I have started creating shake packs that I keep in the freezer.

After my morning run, my daughter and I dump our pack in the blender, add spinach and almond milk, and voila! Breakfast of champions.

 shake pack 2

I am going to give you the recipe below per pack. In a perfect world, I would make up to 2 weeks worth at time, but in reality, I am usually short on at least one ingredient, so I just make as many as I can.

 

Chocolate and Greens Smoothie Pack
A nutrition powerhouse disguised as a chocolate shake.

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Pack
1 TB cocoa
1 TB chia seeds
1 TB ground flaxseed
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup ice
1 date, pitted
1/2 frozen banana

Additional ingredients
1 cup almond milk, milk, or non-dairy milk of your choice
1 generous handful of spinach

Instructions
Combine cocoa, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, date, frozen blueberries, frozen banana, and ice to a freezer zipper lock bag.
When ready to make the shake, dump contents of bag into blender. Add handful of spinach and cover with almond milk (or milk of your choice). Blend and enjoy!

Notes
I recommend spinach for the shake. I tried kale, but for me, it tasted too green.

Badger Girl Learns to Cook by Kimberly Aime https://learntocookbadgergirl.com/
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 These shakes are a great way to start your day. I mean, how many people can say they had spinach for breakfast?

shake 1 shake 2
 

Add on to that, how many toddlers can say they had spinach for breakfast? Okay, even G can’t say that. How many moms can say their toddler had spinach for breakfast?

 
shake 3

 

And the best part? When I do ask G about what she had for breakfast, she tells me “Chocolate.”

I can live with that.

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Green Smoothies: Yay or Nay? Do you have any favorite sneaky veggie smoothies?

 

Disclaimer: Thought I talk about ‘hiding’ and ‘sneaking’ veggies in this smoothie, I am very open with G about the ingredients and repeatedly tell her how it’s the spinach (not the chocolate) that makes the smoothie taste good. I even have her help me put the spinach in the blender. I would never condone being sneaky about putting vegetables in any dish. I do condone getting veggies into any and all dishes that we can as moms, and as people who want to lead healthy lives.

 


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