Green in the morning...or any time of day

I truly believe the adage "you are what you eat." As a mom, I am forever trying to find ways to include more healthy foods into our diets at home. At times it can be a bit discouraging. Life gets crazy sometimes and good nutrition can take a back seat when the family is running around in survival mode.  I do try to make home cooked dinners a priority in our house, but life happens. So I decided to look for ways to get more of the "good stuff" in all of our diets.  I've found green smoothies to be the easiest and best way to do just that.

For me personally, drinking green smoothies every morning after a workout makes a huge difference in how I feel all day.  It's an easy way to get lots of the greens, vitamins, etc, that can be so lacking in our diets. I make sure every smoothie includes protein, omega 3s, greens, probiotics and coconut oil.  (I finally caved and bought a Magic Bullet http://www.buythebullet.com/, which my friend, Becky, told me about several years ago but I never wanted to spend the money.  Sooooo worth the money, seriously!!!!)  I've found that I don't get sugar cravings like I used to and I don't have the blood sugar drops mid-morning or in the afternoon.  It really, truly makes a big difference in how I feel on a daily basis. Plus, the protein I use has lots of fiber...but we don't have to talk about the benefits of that :-).

Here is a pic of the basic things we use to make smoothies.  Each of us has our own little "recipe" that we like, so what is in each smoothie is pretty much a matter of preference.  One thing that isn't in the picture is fruit, which we all do use.  My girls love to use frozen fruits like berries and peaches. Kyra and I like to use the Kefir, while Maddy prefers the cultured coconut milk.  Either one is great...full of probiotics that we all need for our digestive systems.  I also include coconut oil in mine which has so many health benefits. The possibilities are endless for smoothies...all kinds of green veggies and fruits.  It's all just a matter of taste.