Last week I had the pleasure of doing a nutrition talk for a local Girl Scout Troop. Great timing since it’s National Nutrition Month! The girls are in middle school and have been learning about body image, food advertising, and stereotypes, which I think is so awesome.
I wanted the workshop to be as interactive as possible but also to relate to the theme of National Nutrition Month, which is Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right. I love this theme because I find that most people know how to eat right, but don’t always do it because the foods that are good for us don’t taste as good as those that aren’t so good for us.
I wanted the workshop to be as interactive as possible but also to relate to the theme of National Nutrition Month, which is Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right. I love this theme because I find that most people know how to eat right, but don’t always do it because the foods that are good for us don’t taste as good as those that aren’t so good for us.
I needed to figure out an interactive way to show how eating right can be delicious. I didn’t have to think long before I had the perfect answer: smoothies! A few weeks ago, I redeemed a Christmas gift card and some birthday money for the famous Nutribullet. I love this machine! As advertised, it doesn’t blend or juice but extracts, so you get all the vital nutrients without any chunks (juicing leaves out good-for-you fiber and blenders sometimes leave chunks). For the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with smoothie recipes and thought it would be fun for the Girl Scouts to make smoothies too. It’s the perfect way to up your intake of fruits and vegetables in a tasty way.
First, each girl drew what their dinner plates look like, and we compared them to MyPlate, which shows what a balanced plate looks like. These girls were impressing me left and right - eating quinoa and fish for dinner and learning about lipids in science class!
First, each girl drew what their dinner plates look like, and we compared them to MyPlate, which shows what a balanced plate looks like. These girls were impressing me left and right - eating quinoa and fish for dinner and learning about lipids in science class!
Then it was time to get down to business. I first made a surprise smoothie and had everyone taste it and try to guess what was in it. They were pretty good at figuring it out!
Here's the recipe!
(adapted from Nutribullet recipe book)
Spinach Berry Blast
2 c fresh spinach
1 c frozen mixed berries
1 c water (to desired consistency)
Optional: Add ½ banana to thicken
Nutrients (no banana):
90 calories, 2 g protein, 7 g fiber, 0 g fat
Then we split into groups of 3-4, and each group got to create their own concoction for everyone to try.
Here’s the spread of nutritious foods they could choose from - might I add I bought all of this, plus plastic cups, napkins, straws, and bananas for $40! And more than half was left when we were finished.
(adapted from Nutribullet recipe book)
Spinach Berry Blast
2 c fresh spinach
1 c frozen mixed berries
1 c water (to desired consistency)
Optional: Add ½ banana to thicken
Nutrients (no banana):
90 calories, 2 g protein, 7 g fiber, 0 g fat
Then we split into groups of 3-4, and each group got to create their own concoction for everyone to try.
Here’s the spread of nutritious foods they could choose from - might I add I bought all of this, plus plastic cups, napkins, straws, and bananas for $40! And more than half was left when we were finished.
The first group wanted a little guidance, so I suggested two of my favorite mixtures:
Kale Pineapple Punch
2 c fresh kale
1 c frozen diced pineapple
½ banana
1 c water
Nutrients:
200 calories, 6 g protein, 6.5 g fiber, 1 g fat
Banana & Peanut Butter Smoothie
Try 1 banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter for a snack smoothie and 2 bananas and 2 tbsp peanut butter for a meal replacement.
2 fresh bananas
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 c low-fat 1% milk or almond milk
3-4 ice cubes
Optional: 1 tbsp chia seeds
Nutrients (w/ 1% milk):
500 calories, 18 g protein, 8 g fiber, 18.5 g fat
Nutrients (w/ 1% milk & chia seeds):
570 calories, 21 g protein, 14 g fiber, 23.5 g fat
Nutrients with 1 banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter, ½ c low-fat 1% milk, ½ tbsp chia seeds:
285 calories, 10.5 g protein, 7 g fiber, 12 g fat
Many of the girls had never tried kale, and they loved it! The next group decided to throw some avocado in the mix and blended avocado, mixed berries, pineapple, and a banana. This smoothie was delicious!
When the last group was up for making their concoction, no one had touched the cucumbers, so I persuaded them to toss them in. They threw them into the blender and then decided why don’t we just throw everything in! That smoothie ended up being a mix of cucumbers, kale, mixed berries, bananas, peanut butter, almonds, and almond milk. I have to admit it wasn't the best tasting of them all, but it was the most interesting looking! I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get a photo because it was the first grey smoothie I’ve ever seen. All in all everyone had a great time, and it was the first time many of the girls had tried kale and avocado. They loved avocado - no surprise there! And the Kale Pineapple Punch won the award for the best tasting smoothie.
Kale Pineapple Punch
2 c fresh kale
1 c frozen diced pineapple
½ banana
1 c water
Nutrients:
200 calories, 6 g protein, 6.5 g fiber, 1 g fat
Banana & Peanut Butter Smoothie
Try 1 banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter for a snack smoothie and 2 bananas and 2 tbsp peanut butter for a meal replacement.
2 fresh bananas
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 c low-fat 1% milk or almond milk
3-4 ice cubes
Optional: 1 tbsp chia seeds
Nutrients (w/ 1% milk):
500 calories, 18 g protein, 8 g fiber, 18.5 g fat
Nutrients (w/ 1% milk & chia seeds):
570 calories, 21 g protein, 14 g fiber, 23.5 g fat
Nutrients with 1 banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter, ½ c low-fat 1% milk, ½ tbsp chia seeds:
285 calories, 10.5 g protein, 7 g fiber, 12 g fat
Many of the girls had never tried kale, and they loved it! The next group decided to throw some avocado in the mix and blended avocado, mixed berries, pineapple, and a banana. This smoothie was delicious!
When the last group was up for making their concoction, no one had touched the cucumbers, so I persuaded them to toss them in. They threw them into the blender and then decided why don’t we just throw everything in! That smoothie ended up being a mix of cucumbers, kale, mixed berries, bananas, peanut butter, almonds, and almond milk. I have to admit it wasn't the best tasting of them all, but it was the most interesting looking! I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get a photo because it was the first grey smoothie I’ve ever seen. All in all everyone had a great time, and it was the first time many of the girls had tried kale and avocado. They loved avocado - no surprise there! And the Kale Pineapple Punch won the award for the best tasting smoothie.
If you’re having trouble getting those 2 cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables into your diet each day, try making a smoothie, either as a snack or a meal replacement. Smoothies that are about 200 calories make great snacks. If your smoothie is closer to 400-500 calories, use it as a meal replacement. If you're not sure how many calories is in your smoothie, measure what you put in it, and then type the ingredients into a website such as www.calorieking.com or www.myfitnesspal.com.
To ensure your smoothie holds you over until the next meal, add some fill-you-up fiber and protein. Fruits and vegetables provide great fiber, and you can boost protein by adding nuts, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, cow’s milk, or a protein powder.
You don’t have to own a Nutribullet to make a great smoothie. Most blenders will do the trick just fine (mine just happened to be broken and leaking everywhere, which is why I invested in the Nutribullet).
Enjoy experimenting and comment below with your favorite smoothie recipes!
To ensure your smoothie holds you over until the next meal, add some fill-you-up fiber and protein. Fruits and vegetables provide great fiber, and you can boost protein by adding nuts, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, cow’s milk, or a protein powder.
You don’t have to own a Nutribullet to make a great smoothie. Most blenders will do the trick just fine (mine just happened to be broken and leaking everywhere, which is why I invested in the Nutribullet).
Enjoy experimenting and comment below with your favorite smoothie recipes!