We all want healthy kids, right?
Some of us have picky eaters. Some of us just are not consistent with the amount of vegetables we are providing for ourselves and our children. And some of us just don’t like eating vegetables in general.
When my first child became a toddler, he started becoming picky. And I will personally take some of that ownership and admit that I probably was not providing the vegetables on a daily basis for him as I should have.
However, I did know that I wanted to have healthy kids, and was all about efficiency. So, after doing some research, I came to the conclusion of trying something I’ve never tried before.
And this conclusion has been ongoing now for over eight years. This is how I intentionally keep my family healthy on a daily basis.
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will get a small commission if you purchase items through my site. You can read my full disclosure here.*
That one secret to daily having healthy kids is…
Making a sweet tasting vegetable juice!
Yes, I said, it… SWEET tasting VEGETABLE juice. I had experimented with, I don’t know how many, different recipes that would include lots of nutrients from the vegetables plus adding in fruit to make it sweet. After trial and error, I finally hit jackpot! My two year old son drank it like it like a champ! He acted as if it was normal juice I had given him in the past. Once my son and husband like it, I knew this was something I had to consistently make to keep my family healthy with only eight ingredients.
The Veggie Juice Includes…
2 small honey crisp apples
25 globe grapes
1/2 lemon (squeezed by hand into the Vitamix)
1/2 celery stalk
2 large carrots
handful of spinach
handful of kale
small piece of beet
And you can adjust this recipe as needed according to your family’s taste buds.
Eight ingredients, that’s it! This juice is packed with nutrients!
Here is the other secret…
Don’t use a normal juicer. The best way to use up every nutrient from the fruits and veggies is to use the famous Vitamix.
These things are amazing! This has been one of the best purchases we have ever made!
A Vitamix is one of the most powerful blenders you can buy. They are on the more expensive side, but well worth the investment for your ‘health’. You can easily purchase one here on Amazon. A Vitamix allows you to ground seeds, make butters, smoothies, create purees, juices, and you can even make soups- simply by throwing the ingredients inside it and blending it for a few minutes till the steam comes out.
Another reason I like this Vitamix is that I’m not wasting all that left over stuff that comes out from a juicer. All the kale that I throw in there gets completely used up- not just a small portion that a juicer would use.
Directions:
Chop up all the produce and place into the Vitamix.
Pour water up to the 3 cup line in the Vitamix.
Blend on high, then add 1 pint of ice cubes.
If there is still room, I usually add water till it fills the top of the Vitamix container.
Blend on high for 3 more minutes.
One batch creates about half a gallon.
With our large family, one batch provides us juice for one meal. My goal is to create this juice once a day. (And busyness does happen, so I will at times go 3-4 days without making it.) I truly believe this is a game changer to keeping healthy kids! Plus, since I started making this juice years ago, it has kept my husband from getting ulcers in his mouth. The times I do go 3-4 days without making it, my husband will approach me, and ask when I’m making it again because he can tell that ulcers are creating. So, the moment I make it again, they most times go away instantly.
Over the Summer
You can be creative with this juice and over the summer make them into frozen veggie pops. It then becomes an even more enjoyable way to get those nutrients inside your kids.
So go ahead and give this a try and see if this simple trick would help get those nutrients inside your kids!
Purchase your own Vitamix right here –} Vitamix 5200 Blender (Remember, you can even make hot soups just by throwing all the ingredients in and blending it for 5-7 minutes! Plus, it makes amazing smoothies and shakes!)
Do you have other tricks you use to get vegetables into your children? Have you already purchased a Vitamix and love it? Please share your comments with us below!
KellyRBaker says
This is brilliant! We give the littles a spoonful or two of berry barley green in the mornings and sometimes they will drink some green smoothie. I can’t wait to try the freezer pop idea!
deniserenae says
Thanks Kelly! Yes, you really should try them. It’s a creative way to get veggies in them over the summer.
Prairie Gal Cookin says
Hey, just wanted to drop you a note and say thanks so much for linking up over at Sunday’s Simple Homemaker on Prairie Gal Cookin! Please feel free to drop in and leave a different link or two on this week’s link-up, we’d love to have you! http://www.prairiegalcookin.com/sundays-simple-homemaker-3rd-weekly-link-up/
Cindy Magee says
I’m soo lucky my kids will eat veggies but I might need this for me! LOL 🙂
deniserenae says
Yeah, my husband and I take advantage of this too!
Lisa says
So good to know! Right now my son is pretty good about vegetables, but I’m always looking for another way to get more veggies in ALL of our diets! (I might use this more for my husband than my son, actually! Hah!) We are not big kale fans, but maybe with the right combination of fruit added to it …
My parents had a Vitamix growing up, and I LOVED it. Now that I’m on my own (with my own budget 😉 ), I’m having a hard time justifying the investment. I would be really interested to hear why a Vitamix is so much better than a blender, keeping in mind that I already have a food processor that can do things like nut butters.
deniserenae says
With the vitamix it blends all the fruits & veggies very fine. It can also blend the chunks of food thrown in there very easily. However, I haven’t experimented with different types of blenders, so there may be ones that can already do this that are much cheaper in price.
Wendi Rank says
I’ve been trying to convince my husband to buy a Vitamix for years – this will definitely help!
deniserenae says
Great! I hope it does!
Lizzy says
Some great ideas. My toddler eats her veges in soups, smoothies or juices. In Australia, our highend blenders are called thermomixes, they also cook and steam, and I was able to buy one a few years ago, once all the other kitchen appliances died. In saying that, I still love to have a few smaller bullet blenders around, and I found a 7 cup set at aldis for $34. They’re quicker and easier to clean than the thermo, and they are always dirty with the four of us in the house, though we wash up 3 times a day!
I’ll have to try this recipe sometime. My husband works at a pumpkin, onion, carrot and bean factory so we’ll get a few bits there, and we have fantastic local markets at the bottom of our street every two weeks.
deniserenae says
Yes, give it a try!
Andrea Marlene says
You had me until beet 😉 Seriously though, looks like a great recipe. And your blog is beautiful, by the way. I love your “REAL” slogan. We need more REAL people in the world and especially online!!
deniserenae says
Thanks, Andrea! Honestly, you don’t taste much of the beet since I only put a little sliver in it.
Carrie says
My kids love smoothies too! I love your idea about prepping them before hand and storing in bags! Very nice!
deniserenae says
Thanks, Carrie!
Stephanie says
Great way to get needed nutrients. I like juicing but do find it to be a lot of work and clean up so your tips on making ahead to simplify are very helpful! Looking forward to trying your recipe!
deniserenae says
Thanks, Stephanie! Yes, I completely understand the part in it being a lot of work!
Iva says
That’s a great idea Denise. I loved our blender for soups and all sorts of juices some of which were quite unsuccesfull so thanks for the recipe. Unfortunately we didn’t spend much on the blender and it broke, so I am with you on the investment. It’s a great way to have more veggies in the diet especially for kids.
deniserenae says
Thanks, Iva!
Amanda says
What a great idea! What is the texture of your juice and do you strain it?
deniserenae says
Thanks, Amanda! After I blend it, and let it set for a few minutes, I then scrap off the foam that sets at the top. Once it gets cold, the texture is just like juice, very fine. So, no, I do not need to strain it. (make sure you always shake it before pouring)
Kandra says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! This is a great idea that I will have to remember when my little guy fights veggies. Do you cook the beet first, or is it raw also? And I’d love to hear more about your vitamix. Can you do a post about it sometime?
deniserenae says
No, I do not cook the beet. Maybe next time you come over, I can show you what I all use the vitamix for. 🙂