Green Options

We are big on green smoothies in our house. We usually make them once or twice a day at least and I load them full of healthy, leafy greens and veggies. So even if my kids don’t want to finish the veggies on their plate at dinner I do not worry because they already have two to three servings in their bodies already thanks to green smoothies.

But since we are trying to get away from eating meat for environmental and health reasons, I find the need to get even more protein rich greens into their diet every day. With summer around the corner it seemed a no brainer to accomplish this with delicious warm weather treats. Our green smoothies become green Popsicles in just a few hours!

As the daughter of a dentists and a proponent of healthy eating, I have a reputation. I’m the mom who doesn’t buy her kid candy.

Nope.

I

Don’t

OK. So you don’t think I’m absolutely draconian, He does get candy in his Easter basket, I do let him eat a piece or two at birthday parties and yes, grandma, grandpa and even my DH buy him candy.

But I don’t.

You see, I grew up that way. We didn’t have candy in the house. Candy was something for holidays, other people’s houses and, of course, Halloween (though we gave out apples instead of candy to the disappointed trick-or-treaters that appeared at our door).

So Halloween’s a tough holiday for me. I cringe when I see the shear amount of candy he ends up consuming between Halloween parties, school events and even the candy bowl that magically appears at many of the stores we frequent around this time of year.

This time of year finds me furiously brushing his teeth and hoping for the best. Over time though, I’ve found a few tricks that seem to help reduce the amount of unrefined sugar he ingests.

1. Good Deeds Begin at Home – This year, instead of buying a bag of commercial candy treats consider giving out small toys instead. The dollar store often has trinkets that won’t upset your green soul too much – like chalk, crayons and notepads. If you tend not to get too many trick-or-treaters at your door, consider spending a bit more and buying little wooden toys or if you really must give out candy, make it organic.