Not Your Mother's PB & J

Pumpin’ Fruit Punch! Blastin’ Berry! Awesome Orange!

The brightly colored packages practically jump off the shelves and demand our attention as we walk through the grocery store.

“Look mama, it says berry! It’s juice!” Nicholas helpfully informs me.

Poor little guy hasn’t learned about marketing yet. So, I explain to him that the liquid inside the pouch decorated with frolicking fruit really isn’t juice. It’s more like juice’s delinquent cousin who breaks his toys and blames it on the neighbor’s kids.

These “juice” drinks do contain some juice, it’s true. Where that juice came from, how it was obtained and how long it’s been sitting around are mysteries I’d rather leave unexplored. Because, you see, as far as the ingredients go, the nutrient-deficient juice is as good as it gets; it’s a quick downhill trip from there. A sampling of typical additives: high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors. And let’s not forget the “natural” flavors which, apparently, need to remain nameless.

Kids love these drinks, and over even a short period of time, their palates become accustomed to the exaggerated sweetness, so that natural, whole foods seem bland in comparison. And busy parents appreciate the quick and easy prep time – stick a straw in it and it’s ready to go! But, if we take a moment to consider that growing bodies need vibrant nutrition and that healthy habits are best built early in life, we realize that these drinks are really doing a disservice to our children.

It’s just as easy to make a quick, nutritious and fresh drink as it is to open a package of mystery goo. Well, ok, there is a bit more clean up required, but it’s a small price to pay for a healthy family. You can even make use of children’s natural curiosity and “I want to do it” attitude to help make the prep time fun and easy. Here is a recipe for a drink our family adores. We sneak in that nutritional powerhouse, kale, and our taste buds never even know the difference. Have your kids help pick out the berries, wash the produce, scoop out the peanut butter, even rinse the glasses when you’re done.

Do you have a “secret” family recipe that’s yummy and healthy? Please tell me about it in the comments section. My expert team of flavor scientists (my kids) will test your recipe and I’ll share their honest, uncensored reviews here, in a future post.

Happy Juicing!
Tamera

NOT YOUR MOTHER”S PB & J RECIPE

1 cup mixed dark berries blueberries, blackberries, you can also add a few strawberries and raspberries
2 stalks of kale, stems removed
1/3-1/2 c water
1/2-1 tsp of natural peanut butter

Blend all in high speed blender until kale is completely pureed and liquified

Serve and enjoy!

Here’s a fun video by Dan McDonald of http://www.regenerateyourlife.org. He shows us how fast and easy it is to make a Brain Power Smoothie. Way to go, Dan!