Hidden Veggies

If you've known me for some time, you probably know that I am a picky eater.  Though I am slowly growing out of it, there's a lot of things I won't eat.  I'm pretty sure that every tooth in my mouth is a sweet tooth. I grew up eating iced pop tarts covered in butter every morning for breakfast. The other option was maple & brown sugar oatmeal with a scoop of butter and a mound of sugar on top so that my oatmeal was crunchy when I ate it.  Mashed potatoes and corn were the only vegetables in my diet and I would eat them every night for dinner if it were my choice.  Actually, I would probably just eat dessert if it were an option.

I was bribed to try new things throughout childhood.  I remember when my mom paid me $5 to try carrot souffle, thinking that since it's sweet I might actually like it.  I gagged and nearly re-plated my digested dinner all over the Piccadilly table. 

Maybe it was nursing school or working on a transplant floor where many people were needing a kidney because diabetes had killed their native ones, but I started to realize the importance of what I'm putting in my body.  Our bodies need nutrients to function and I wasn't getting that from my diet based solely on processed food.  Over the last year or two I've been trying to incorporate more fresh fruit and veggies and less refined sugar and boxed food.

One way Matt and I have been getting a good dose of produce in each day is by making a smoothie.  While watching some cupcake show one day (yes, still have that sweet tooth constantly tempting me), I heard of this "shine from the inside out" smoothie that one of the girls drank each morning.  I started to research and found the Oh She Glows blog.  The girl behind this blog, Angela, started the "green monster movement" in which she drank fruit and veggie smoothies each morning. Over time she noticed a huge difference. She felt better, her skin was healthier, her nails and hair grew like crazy, and she had more energy.  Why not try it out!? So I did.

Mine isn't quite as green as the "green monster" but I have more fruit in mine. I have to ease myself into this :)

I absolutely hate the taste of carrots and celery but I thought I would try to hide some in the smoothie.

I bought a bag of each. I washed them, chopped them, and let them dry. Then, I stuck them in the freezer.  I do the same with fruit. We use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and a banana. Because we freeze the fruits and veggies, we don't have to add ice and they last longer.  We also add a little yogurt, a handful of spinach, milk, and OJ. It's really just trail and error. 

The first one I made had way too much celery and I could taste it. So I just adjusted it the next time.  We will start adding other veggies that we don't usually eat and just pile in the vitamins.  The options and combinations are endless here.

Will you try to hide some veggies? What will you put in your smoothie? I'd love to hear what combinations you try.