“Hey Mom!”
“What?”
“Could you make me a smoothie? But I don’t want it to taste all powdery and pasty with all that health stuff you put in it?”
“Oh…okay, thanks for letting me know.”
So, I do admit when I make a smoothie for myself I often add protein powder and flax powder and other “healthy” ingredients. I’ve been trying to pass those off on my boys too. I figured why not up the protein level of their snacks. They will be more full and will stop eating the other “not-so-healthy” snacks I bought them. Makes sense right? I knew you would agree.
Anyway, their taste buds are soooooo sensitive they can pick out almost anything, especially flax and vanilla protein powder…apparently. However, they CANNOT pick out the quinoa, or chia seeds or wheat germ I’ve added. They have no idea it’s even there.
So basically I have been beefing up their smoothies with a few undetected health items. Is that so bad? Oh, I’ll tell them about it one day, but for now they are drinking quinoa and they are loving it.
The reason I love this whole grain is that it is high in protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids…making it a “complete protein”. It’s also full of magnesium and fiber…more good stuff. I also add chia seeds, which I learned about when I visited Dole for a healthy blogger summit.
Did you know chia seeds are the richest plant source available for Omega-3’s. In fact, they contain more Omega-3 than salmon, a true superfood. I also add wheat germ for B vitamins and more fiber. It seems this healthy trifecta doesn’t make the smoothie taste “healthy”, even though it is. It’s the perfect after-school snack and fills the kids up until dinner is on the table. Much better than sodas or cookies.
Just try it! And here are the cute lids for the jars.
Strawberry-Banana Quinoa Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 (6 oz) low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 Tablespoon wheat germ
- 2 cups frozen strawberries (if you have fresh, freeze them first)
- 1-1/2 cups vanilla almond milk (such as Pacific brand, much less calories than others)
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 teaspoon xantham gum, optional (for a thicker smoothie)
Directions
- Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth, about 45 seconds.
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