We have “fruit drink” at our house everyday at 3 PM.

It serves as an afternoon snack for our family. It’s so nutritionally power-packed that I don’t have to worry about whether my kids eat their dinner veggies or not.
Raw, uncooked foods provide our bodies with live energy and enzymes, which help everything to work better. And this is the most convenient way I’ve found to make it happen.

Creating fruit drink only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.

“Fruit Drink” Instructions

Start with water or juice. I’ve even used rice milk on occasion.

Add a cup of yogurt. This is optional if you’re avoiding dairy. We actually use goat yogurt made by our friends.

Add 2 cups of dark greens, either spinach, chard or kale.

Kale is most power-packed nutritionally and is amazing for wellness, but it can be a bit heavy.

If you’re just starting, use spinach first in small amounts and then increase quantity or variety as your family adjusts to having “fruit drink.” Don’t worry! We balance it out so the kids hardly know it’s there.

Add 1-2 bananas, which add natural sweetness and smooth texture.

Then add one half pear or apple (or a whole for our size family).

I throw in whatever extra fruit is laying around needing to be eaten. In the summer I buy peaches in bulk and freeze them, so we sometimes use those as well. It’s a good idea to keep frozen ripe bananas in the freezer for days when you don’t have any ripe ones.

Then you need to have some kind of berries to give it good flavor and color. We use 1-2 cups of frozen blueberries or strawberries usually. If they aren’t frozen, then add a cup of ice.

Top it off with a dash of pure stevia extract if you have some. This gives it extra sweetness to hide the green, or if your kids don’t care, go without it.

We use a Blendtec with a pitcher that holds 3 quarts and can  handle this amount like a pro. Vitamix is another good brand that holds 8 cups at a time.

If you just have a regular blender, it won’t be as smooth.  Blend until no chunks remain. Adding some flax oil is a great way to get some omegas in too. I even put this in my babies’ bottle, when they’re old enough, of course (I’d say, at least over 8 months).

Here’s the basic recipe:

Power Fruit Drink

• 1-2 cups water or apple juice
• 1 cup yogurt (optional)
• 2 cups packed greens, stems removed (spinach, chard or kale)
• 1-2 bananas, ripe
• 1/2-1 pear or apple, or other fruit
• 1-2 cups frozen berries
• ice as needed
• 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract
• 1/2 TB flax oil (optional)
• 1 to 2 drops wild orange essential oil (optional)

Blend until smooth. Make sure the lid is on tight or you might get this.

Have you heard of the Green Smoothie Girl? She has a website all about green smoothies and whole food nutrition. I bought and love her book “Green Smoothies Diet” and her children’s picture book “The Adventures of Junk Food Dude.” My kids adore this book and it’s a great tool for teaching good nutrition through an engaging story.

As you increase the amount of raw, whole foods you and your family eat, you will have more energy and your family will be healthier and happier.

 If you’ve made smoothies, tell us what you put in yours!

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