Pineapple Orange Banana Green Smoothie

I have really gotten into the green smoothie craze.  It is such an enjoyable way to get extra veggies into your diet.  I started out with my Purple Monster smoothie, but I began searching for, and experimenting  with other flavors.  When I was growing up, we would splurge every once in a while on a carton of orange pineapple banana juice.  I loved it.  I recently found a blend of almond milk and coconut milk by Blue Diamond in the grocery store.  A light bulb went on.  All of these flavors together would make a great tropical smoothie.

This smoothie is refreshing, sweet, and great for breakfast!  It has a light hint of coconut, which makes me feel like I'm drinking some fancy tropical drink on the beach instead of some green vegetables in my kitchen!

The Purple Monster (Green Smoothie)

Green smoothies are all the rage right now.  I was intrigued when I started seeing them pop up on Pinterest all over the place.  I, like many people, was wanting to start some new healthy habits at the start of the year.  I like vegetables, but I do find it difficult to eat enough throughout the day.  So I thought this would be a great way to sneak extra vegetables into my diet, as well as my kids' diets.

I decided to start with a smoothie containing strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.  My kids were already used to these fruits in a smoothie, so I thought it would be easier to get them to drink it.  To my surprise, the blueberries in this smoothie gave it a purple color instead of green (hence the name "Purple Monster"), making it even easier to get them to try it! Score!

I have to admit that I was skeptical, at first, about the taste of this smoothie.  I was sure that I would be able to taste the spinach.  To my delight, I didn't notice the spinach at all, other than a sweetness that it added.  This was also my first experience with almond milk.  I loved it, and my kids did, too!  Sweet success!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats (no marshmallows)

I am always looking for fun treats to make for my kids' lunches.  Rice krispy treats are so easy and tasty, but I am trying to feed my family healthier foods, thus using marshmallows less often (okay...every once in a while)!  I came across these on Pinterest, and I got the idea to make a healthier peanut butter rice krispy treat.  Here they are!

I used honey, brown sugar, and of course peanut butter as the "glue" to hold these bars together.  My kids were instantly hooked!  I know these still have quite a bit of sugar, but at least the ingredients in honey and natural peanut butter are healthier than those in marshmallows.  I feel a little bit better about my kiddos getting a small one of these in their lunches.  You could even make these with brown rice cereal for more nutrition.  The best part is that they are super quick to make!

Chewy (No-Bake) Granola Bars

I was on a quest to find healthy snacks/treats to pack in my kids' school lunches.  We love granola bars at this house, and we used to buy huge boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars.  But then I got on a kick to make as many things "homemade" as I could to avoid all the added junk that goes into packaged foods (you know, all the ingredients and preservatives that you can't pronounce).  So, I started searching for recipes.  I love the no-bake recipe from Krafrecipes.  It's simple and oh so yummy!  I have made a change in the recipe that my family seems to enjoy even more.  Instead of using plain oatmeal, I have used a combination of granola and plain oatmeal.  I make these almost on a weekly basis, because they just don't last long! 

Chewy (No-Bake) Granola Bars

I keep these granola bars stored in the freezer (originally so they would keep for a while--but that is never an issue!).  I still keep them in the freezer in the hopes that it will deter us from eating them so fast--because it takes more effort to get them out of the freezer.  I then pack them into lunchboxes in the morning. They thaw in no time, and my kiddos thank me every time they find one in their lunches.