Shrek Shake: Nutrient Rich Chocolate Smoothie.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... my #1 who once asked for Shrek Shakes now refuses to eat them. And now that she's 6, I really don't feel right about forcing her to eat them. And she doesn't take bribes anymore with her food. She's a stubborn one, enter the red hair.

I thought this would be a winner with the chocolate and the juice and the fact that it's not green... but no bueno. At least not for her... the rest of us loved it.

Ughhhh. And double sigh.

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate almond milk

4 ounces pomegranate juice

6 ounces baby spinach

1 banana, frozen

dates, to taste (i use 1)

3 tablespoons raw cacao powder or carob powder

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon flaxseed

Blend all until fully processed and smooth.

Unprocessed by Chef AJ

Shrek Shakes: REborn.

{I tried to make the Shrek Shake look a little more glamorous or enticing... did it work?}

Since my first post on Shrek Shakes - over a year and a half ago, I've changed them up a little. I highly recommend them... it's the best way to get greens into yours and your kids diets.

I've converted a few people to Shrek Shakes, which I am very, very proud of. I was going to make a flow chart of who I've converted - one of these days. It makes me so happy when someone else tells me they're eating them regularly. Or when I see my nephew gulp his down and ask for more. happy. Or when my old bishop's wife tells me she's taught her 10th graders in her health class how to make them. happy. Or when my son asks for them out of no where. happy.

Basically you want to get as many greens into the shake/smoothie that you can handle. In first starting out - have more fruits then greens - then gradually add in more greens.

a tablespoon of flax seed for each person that's going to drink it.

Blend in blender, until it's ground into a fine meal. Grinding it enhances their digestibility and therefore their nutritional value. Don't buy the already ground stuff - buy it whole. A lot of the nutritional value is depleted once it's ground and then sits. (Sprouts $0.79/lb) 1-2 bananas other then the greens, this is the key to the shake. I wouldn't eat a shake without the bananas. They give the shake the smooth, creamy texture you want... which combat the texture the pureed greens put off. 2 handfuls of berries strawberries and a berry blend are our favorites. If your kids are leery about drinking a green smoothie - put blueberries in them - and the color will be more of a purpley. Fill with enough water to cover and blend. Carrot. Helps sweeten it a little. Blend. Add in your greens. Any greens...and as much as you can handle. Blend after each bit, this is what'll take some work... breaking down all the greens. Unless you've got one of those covetous BlendTec's that I'm saving up for. But make sure you've got it good and blended... Spinach - enough to reach the top. Blend that down, and then do it again. (any, I get mine at Costco: $3.59/lb organic) Add 2 -3 big leaves of collard greens, blend. (any store $0.99-$1.29 - depending on season and size of bunch) 2-3 leaves of kale, blend. For a long time. Kale really needs to be broken down so the body can absorb all of it's nutritional value - and so it doesn't leave kale bits in it... so not cool to come across one of those in a bite! (any store $0.99-$1.29 - depending on season and size of bunch) a splash of vanilla. This is a new thing I've added since the beginning, and I love the way it tastes. I tried it after falling in love with the vanilla flavored protein powder I used while I was running a ton and training. Then add some sweetener, either: squeeze of agave nectar, or 1-2 med jool date(s) (Costco or Sprouts) and/or a scoop of Coconut oil is also makes it taste amazing and has great benefits... Then I add 5-6 cubes of ice, blend. I cannot stand a warm shrek shake, no bueno.

Then you're all done! My family will drink a pitcher full, Shayne and I drink big plastic cups full and the kids drink the little Ikea cups full. They're awesome and is the single greatest thing I have ever done for my family - nutritionally!

And yeah, you do get sick of them every once in awhile... so you go on a Shrek Shake Strike, which I did last week. But then you gain 5 lbs., and quickly get back on them... because I'm sure it all plays off of each other.