Smoothies!

ID-10097149When made with wholesome ingredients, smoothies boost your body with nutrients while also offering hydration.

Smoothies are a great way to start your day, or to simply add more nutrition throughout it – especially if you are always on the go.

Kids love smoothies too! Freeze them in popsicle molds for a cool treat that is full of many more nutrients than commercially made versions.

As with any recipe, there is always room for  individual creativity. Proportions can easily be modified to suit your taste and texture preferences.   For all these combinations, start with adding 1 cup of liquid (water is best but diluted juices work too). If you like your smoothies thick,  add less fluid, for a more liquid consistency add more.

Adding protein powders or other supplements can offer additional benefits, but remember, supplements supplement not replace!  Choosing only the goodness in these fruits and vegetables is a great place to start.

These are some of the favourite smoothie combinations from within the practice and within my own home. Give them a try and share your favorites too!

Kickstart

1 Banana + 1 Avocado + 5 Strawberries + 1 Carrot + Pineapple Juice

Morning Sunrise

1 Banana + ½ Mango + orange juice

Strawberry-Banana-Romaine 

1 cup strawberries   +   2 large romaine leaves  +  2 bananas    

Pear – Mint – Kale

sprig of fresh mint + 1 pear + 2-3 kale leaves     

Parsley Citrus

handful of fresh parsley + 1 orange + 1 banana

Red Devil

2 cups watermelon + 1/2 cup raspberries

Chocolate Monkey

1 banana +  1 tsp of cocoa powder + 2 tsp of honey

                      *this one works best with almond, coconut or rice milk

 

Ask Your Kids

Photo on 2012-09-30 at 19.53 #4Parenting is not easy. My sons teach me far more than I teach them, and I think I will be saying this for many years. They are also my greatest source of joy, and developing them into amazing human beings is by far the biggest accomplishment I am working on.

I believe we create independent children by giving them freedom to make choices, within limits of course, while providing them guidance, support, encouragement, and tons of love along the way. If we empower them to have some control over their lives, I believe they are more accountable for their actions and can feel more proud of themselves with what they achieve.

To start this summer, I decided to ask my sons for their thoughts about how they should spend their time.  My goal was to figure out what they wanted to do, rather than just imposing my ideas on them, and to give us a framework to plan our time.

I gave them this simple list of questions to answer.  To be honest, reading their responses moved me to tears.  Sure, I was reminded of their interests, and I learned a few new ones that had developed, but I was also completely inspired by some of their comments and very proud of the people they are becoming.

Obviously, it goes without saying that communication is the key in any relationship and the ones we have with our children is no different.  Giving them opportunities to express themselves with you will always succeed, and sometimes written communication  can offer different insights than verbal alone. If you’re connecting with your children, start now.

I mentioned this exercise to a few parents in the practice and they asked for a copy, so here it is…

school’s out!