The longer I’m in DietBet games, the more I realize that the difference between what my kids and I are eating is growing wider. Last week I started to wonder: why am I making different meals for me, the kids and my husband? When did I morph into a short-order cook? And why am I letting the kids eat things that I won’t? Don’t get me wrong, we eat pretty healthy, but we can do better.

Last Sunday, I told the kids (ages 9 and 3 – hereafter referred to as Kid 1 & Kid 2*) that they were going to be judges of a smoothie-making challenge. The deal was, I would make smoothies for six days in a row and at the end of the week, they would tell me which ones they liked best. The caveat: they had to take at least one gulp of each smoothie to participate in judging.

* Just for the sake of privacy

The Six-Day Smoothie Challenge

Note: I did not give the kids only smoothies for dinner!

Day 1 – Mean Green. Here’s the amazing thing: Kid 1 tried it and didn’t like it. Instead of just saying “gross,” she told me why she didn’t like it. So we experimented (science in the kitchen!) and added more apple, lemon and ice. Voila! She said it was ok and *almost* finished her glass. Kid 2 made a sour face post-taste and said no more, no thank you. Recipe: http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/mean-green-juice/

Day 2 – SuperFood Power Smoothie: How do you get your kids to gulp down spinach? This. My version (pictured right) did not turn out beautiful and layered like the recipe photo (left), but I added chia seeds and pretended it was watermelon. The smoothies were gone before I set down the dinner plates and Kid 1 asked for seconds. Recipe: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/06/08/superfood-power-smoothie/

Day 3 – Glowing Skin Smoothie. Kid 1 hates avocado, but said this one was pretty good and downed two cups of it. Kid 2’s drank half a cup, then requested we add chocolate sauce (uh, no). Recipe: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/08/18/glowing-skin-smoothie/

Day 4 – Strawberry Mango Breakfast Smoothie. On the plus side: I tried the layered look again and it worked! The negative side: I used a granola bar with chocolate in it for the middle layer. So what it turned into was a fishing expedition for the chocolate. The kids liked the top half best, probably because it tastes like strawberry ice cream. Recipe: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/05/07/strawberry-mango-breakfast-smoothie/

Day 5 – Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie. Have a craving for Reese’s Pieces? Here’s your substitute! Of course the kids liked this one, but it’s definitely not the most nutritious one and more like a dessert. Recipe: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/01/09/chocolate-peanut-butter-protein-smoothie/

Day 6 – Tropical Surprise. It was a long week and I didn’t have the energy to follow another recipe. I threw pineapple, mango, strawberries, banana, greek yogurt and two cups of spinach in the blender. And that’s how we came up with the second place finisher (yes, they liked this more than the Day 5 option!).

Takeaways

  • Nutritional Value. This week, the kids ate loads of spinach, bananas and mangos. Getting Kid 2 to eat more than one bite of spinach is a BFD. I call this a huge win for all of us. 

 

  • I’m a Proud Mama. Most surprising: The kids weren’t afraid to try new concoctions. They were brave and even after I told them what was in the smoothies, they kept drinking them.

 

  • More for less. We ate less of other things. Kid 1 usually eats as much food as my husband, but took it down a notch last week and actually said she was full after dinner…and didn’t ask for a snack before bed (a very unexpected/unintended result).

 

  • Meal Planning. It was terrifically easy to throw a bunch of things in a blender and as mentioned above, I didn't have to make as much of other things. Also, I was able to pack the leftover smoothie for the next day’s breakfast. Being ready for the next day felt really good.

 

  • Cost. It wasn't the brightest idea to plan so many different smoothies in one week, but I froze all the fresh fruit and have a ton of ingredients for this week’s smoothies.

 

  • It was Fun. Both kids said they want to do it again – but this time, they want to come up with their own recipes AND help me make them. Did I mention I’m a proud mom?

 

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Any thoughts/tips/tricks on meal prepping for a family? Or cost-saving things that have worked for you?