Bottling Caleb's Favorite Smoothie once again!

I often make a smoothie for my son to hand to him as soon as he gets in the car when I pick him up from school. At that time of day, he's typically ready for something to eat, so the smoothie is a tasty, healthy alternative and a nice distraction from something not as healthy at that time.

One day this week, after making Caleb's smoothie and heading out to pick him up, it occurred to me that I should have also made one for Tyler, a friend of Caleb's who has been interested in trying a BottlingHealth.com smoothie. However, I wasn't sure if I would see Tyler when I picked Caleb up, so I kind of let the thought go. But, of course, as soon as I pulled up for Caleb to hop in the car, who should be standing right next to him? So, I quickly pulled the mason jar out of the cooler bag and said, "Caleb, I made this for you, but if you want to give this one to Tyler, I can make another one for you as soon as we get home." Caleb was happy to share with his buddy, and so we did.

"Shake it before you drink it," I called out to Tyler as I was driving away.

By the time we arrived home, Caleb noticed Tyler had called. When Caleb returned the call, Tyler told him that he enjoyed the smoothie. "That's the one I drink the most," I heard Caleb say.

"I drank the whole thing," Tyler said to me when I spoke to him. He had let his parents sample it, too; they said they really enjoyed it as well. I told Tyler that not only did the smoothie have bananas and strawberries in it, but Mila, too. "You got a whole lot of nutrition in that drink," I said.

The recipe:

~ 2 bananas

"Of the soft fruits, bananas are second only to strawberries when it comes to overall mineral content," says Jay Kordich in "The Juiceman's Power of Juicing," The high potassium in bananas benefits the heart and muscular system, he says.

~ 5 strawberries (with stems)

Wonderful source of "vitamin C and natural sugars that cleanse the system," Kordich explains. They are also "high in potassium and iron, which is good for strengthening the blood. The sodium content makes them a valuable tonic for nerves and for keeping glands healthy...What I value most in strawberries," Kordich continues, "is the presence of elagic acid, which reduces and often neutralizes the damaging effects of the carcinogen PAH found in cigarette smoke." So Kordich says that if you should happen to find yourself exposed to secondhand smoke, to pop a few strawberries in your mouth to help dissolve the PAH.

~ 1 scoop of Mila

3,000 Omega-3's and 5 grams of fiber per serving as well as an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) of 844 per serving.

~ A little water

~ Ice

~ Honey, to taste

Bottle this Strawberry/Banana/Mila Smoothie

If you have seen the Smoothies/Juices page of BottlingHealth.com, you would have read that my son's favorite smoothie is strawberry/banana. Or, if you read this article, you'll have read the same. I wish I could say my boy is in love with the Green Smoothie like his dad (and his friends, Christian and Dalton), but that's just not Caleb's reality at this time. If I make the Green Smoothie sweet enough, however, yes, Caleb will drink it, but it's simply not at the top of his smoothie choices the way it is for his dad. So, I just try to work with him where he's at...

In any event, when I really "nail" a smoothie (any kind) for Caleb, it certainly warms my Mommy heart. And even though I can't always successfully disguise the greens in smoothies I make for him, I can disguise Mila very well, folks. And, when you learn the amazing nutritional content of Mila, an all-raw whole food, well, that's enough to send any Mommy into Mommy-bliss land after your child consumes it. It has:

"700% MORE OMEGA-3’s than Salmon
500% MORE CALCIUM Than Whole Milk
200% MORE IRON Than Spinach
100% MORE POTASSIUM Than Bananas
1400% MORE MAGNESIUM Than Broccoli
100% MORE FIBER Than Bran Flakes
500% MORE PROTEIN Than Kidney Beans
300% MORE SELENIUM Than Flax Seed
800% MORE PHOSPHORUS Than Whole Milk
MORE ANTIOXIDANTS Than Blueberries
MORE FOLATE Than Asparagus
MORE LIGNANS Than Flax Seed
MORE DIETARY FIBER than Flax Seed"

After adding a full 13-gram scoop of tasteless-Mila to Caleb's strawberry/banana smoothie today, he said, "This is the best one I think you've made in a while. My mom's really becoming a raw-vegan chef," he exclaimed as he walked by with the mason jar in hand. Now, it's not that he tasted the Mila, because that has no taste, however, that was his way of saying the strawberry/banana/Mila smoothie was just that good. To really test the quality of the smoothie, I asked, "Should I make one like this for Tyler (his friend from school)?" "YES," he answered with great emphasis. Oh yeah, that was confirmation this was an "on fire" type of good. ;-)

Tyler? Caleb had mentioned that Tyler had visited BottlingHealth.com and, at school, asked him if the smoothies really do taste good because his mom was going to make one for him. Caleb told him that most of them do, but I should have had my husband telling Tyler about the Green Smoothie -- not Caleb. ;-) At work, my husband has turned several folks on to the Green Smoothie. Caleb's more so my strawberry/banana advocate. In any event, since I also want Caleb to have the opportunity to share his favorite smoothies with his friends (instead of always my favorites), we'll start Tyler off with the strawberry/banana one. (It's coming soon, Tyler, and your mom may just win a bag of Mila to add to smoothies she makes for you at home. I see she entered the contest.) ;-)

The recipe I used today for Caleb's Strawberry/Banana/Mila Smoothie:

~ about 5 or 6 strawberries (with stems on; I've got to get the greens in when I can)
~ 2 bananas
~ a little water (not too much --just enough to get the ingredients to mix around)
~ 1 13-gram scoop of Mila
~ a couple handfuls of ice, which then made it need....
~ a good squirt of honey (to taste)

Delicious! I even poured myself some in a fancy glass for myself!

Enjoy!


P.S. My friend, Melissa, over at LoveRawLife.com has a Sun-Sational Smoothies recipe e-book special going on until March 15. Check it out!