SPINACH Popsicles?!

Just when you thought we couldn't get any crazier...we go and make spinach popsicles. I found this blog Green and Crunchy the other day, and it has inspired me to try new things. We do eat really healthy, I think, but there's always room for improvement. I've always been interested in making/eating more raw foods. (I've been SO impressed when I eat at raw food restaurants.) We do eat a lot of raw food (salads, fruit, raw veggies, nuts, etc.) by default, being vegetarians. Ryan and the kids are actually a lot better about this than I am because those are the things they snack on, especially late, when I'm not hungry. We jokingly argue about who the "better (healthier) vegetarian" is (he insists he is), which is funny because I can recall a certain debate he and I had in college about whether or not we were going to take our kids to McDonald's. Hee, hee...how he has grown. :)

I do love to cook, but it's really hard, as any mother knows, to find balance. I think "making meals from scratch" has really been one of the things that has slipped around here. We've started relying on "Amy" too much. Anyway, I needed a little push in the right direction, which is what Sheri, the homeschooling mother of five at Green and Crunchy , has done for me. I have been stocking my pantry and fridge with all the ingredients I see in raw foods recipes. I have purchased more storage containers because...it's more fun to cook or to eat raw if everything is pretty and organized. :)

My first foray was spinach popsicles and spinach smoothies. I'm not going to lie...when I first thought about it, it made me make a face. (Much like my dear mother who exclaimed something like, "Yuck!" when her excited grandchildren told her about their green popsicles...she quickly realized what she'd said and recanted with, "Oh, that sounds good!") The first day I poured myself a spinach smoothie, I used a tiny glass. However, the next day I used my tallest glass. It's good! It really is. I use almost a whole bag of frozen spinach with each batch. (I will try fresh kale next time; we just have a lot of spinach in our freezer from the 10 for $10 sale at Kroger.)

She was smiling and saying, "Mmmm. Yummy!" I knew that Tornado would willingly try them because that kid will try and eat anything (unless it's really spicy). I figured Sissy would give it a shot. I did not know what to expect with Dash, but he loves them, too. They ask for them all the time now. However, we call them "green" popsicles. One day, Dash wanted to make them with me, and I pulled the spinach out, and he said, "But I don't want spinach in mine." Oops. I put it back in the freezer and said we'd make them later (and I did when he wasn't watching). I think he knows there's spinach in them; he just doesn't want to face it - ya know? :) I've made them a little different each time...I think in these I used spinach, frozen cherries, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds, frozen acai berry puree, Green Superfood powder with cacao, and water and a bit of orange juice to get it to blend.

We've also experimented with chia seed "milk"shakes and raw "chocolate" pudding. (I'll post pictures and recipes soon.) One thing I've learned is my kids will eat anything if it has been frozen, and they can eat it with a spoon like ice cream. I just got back from the store, and I can't wait to try out my new food processor and food dehydrator. Let me tell ya, it's going to be an EXCITING night at our house. ;)