smoothies Archives - Page 2 of 2

Dessert for Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl

Ice cream is by far my favorite dessert. It’s the perfect blend of cold, creamy and delicious. I have often said if I could have one food wish it would be to eat as much ice cream as I wanted (French fries, too, but that’s a whole different story)!

Since I don’t recommend ice cream consumption on a daily basis, I love looking for ice-cream-like substitutes. Blended banana ice cream is one. Have you tried that yet? It’s super easy. You just blend frozen bananas with your high powered blender and voila, you have ice cream. I don’t always have frozen bananas on hand so it helps to plan ahead.

Smoothie bowls are another way to “ice cream” deliciousness. A smoothie bowl is super simple too. You just whip up your favorite smoothie combination (making sure to keep it thick) and eat it with a spoon out of a bowl, rather than slurping it up through a straw. An added benefit of a smoothie bowl is that you can add lots of fun toppings.

This Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is my take on the beloved favorite. Believe it or not, the banana split was invented over 100 years ago! Walgreens pharmacy in Chicago is credited with spreading the popularity of the now legendary banana split (as well as the malted milkshake and a few other ice cream treasures). Back in the 1920’s, your local drug stores also had soda fountains, serving ice cream and milkshakes while you waited to pick up your prescriptions. Once they started serving the banana split sundae, it quickly became a hit across all of their Illinois stores, and eventually nationwide, making the banana split a household name.

What I love about my Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is that it’s creamy and decadent, just like the real thing. It’s also super cold, thanks to the frozen Wild Blueberries and my keep-the-bananas-in-the-fridge trick. Wild Blueberries are frozen within 24 hours of harvest, when their flavor and antioxidant goodness are at their peak. Wild Blueberries contain less water than regular blueberries so when frozen, they maintain their shape, color, flavor and nutritional value. This makes for a potent dose of antioxidant power with every bite!

To keep this dessert nice and thick, I blend the frozen fresh Wild Blueberries with chocolate hazelnut butter and just a little bit of almond milk. The creamy, chocolatey, nutty flavored base pairs perfectly with the cold bananas and fresh berries. Instead of a chocolate syrup topping I opt for cacao nibs. The nibs provide a healthy hit of chocolate taste (and some crunch) in each bite.

Compared to a real banana split, this smoothie bowl is downright healthy. It’s low in added sugar and big on intense Wild Blueberry flavor!

How to Make a Healthy Smoothie Taste Like Dessert

Dessert for breakfast. It sounds too good to be true, right? But what if I told you that you could have apple pie, strawberry cheesecake or Wild Blueberry cobbler as your first meal of the day? When it comes to smoothies, anything is possible. With the versatility of smoothie making, you can transform your favorite desserts into your go-to morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-3

How do you mimic the indulgent taste of dessert in a smoothie while keeping it healthy? There are a few tricks of the trade to make a healthy smoothie taste just like dessert.

Keep it sweet. Be sure to add enough fruit, like Wild Blueberries, which have an intense blueberry flavor, to keep your smoothie sweet enough for a sweet tooth craving. For extra natural sweetness, add dates, bananas or spices like cinnamon that enhance a sweet taste profile.
Make it rich. We love desserts because of their indulgent taste and texture. The good news is you can add rich flavor to smoothies using healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado, frozen banana, soaked cashews, silken tofu, oats or canned coconut milk.
Capture the flavor. Think about the ingredients that give your favorite dessert its unique taste and add them to your smoothie! Not sure how this works?

Let’s create some dessert smoothies together and you’ll get my gist.

Apple Pie Smoothie

Apple Pie, a classic rustic dessert we all know and love. What goes into an apple pie? Apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter. How can we translate this to a smoothie using the checklist above?

Keep it sweet. Add apples! The cinnamon will also help to enhance the sweetness of the apples. If you need additional sweetness, add a date or two.
Make it rich. Add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for a creamy, indulgent texture. Dairy-free? Try adding soaked cashews, silken tofu or oats to do the trick.
Capture the flavor. We know that apple pie gets its distinct taste from those delicious warming spices so be sure to add cinnamon and nutmeg to your smoothie!

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-1

Wild Blueberry Crisp Smoothie

Let’s try another one. Wild Blueberry Crisp. Who doesn’t love a fresh fruit crisp during the summer months. How do you make Wild Blueberry Crisp? Frozen Wild Blueberries, lemon, flour, oats, cinnamon, nuts, butter and sugar. Let’s translate this to smoothie speak.

Keep it sweet. Frozen fresh Wild Blueberries have a more intense blueberry flavor than regular, cultivated blueberries, imparting a delicious sweet flavor for your smoothie. Not enough for your sweet tooth? Add a little more cinnamon or a couple dates to boost sweetness.
Make it rich. Once again Greek yogurt or cottage cheese is going to give you that creamy, rich mouth feel we crave. Vegan? Try soaked cashews or silken tofu! Since oats are a staple ingredient in fruit crisp, be sure to add them for extra thickness.
Capture the flavor. Don’t forget to add those distinct ingredients like lemon zest and cinnamon and for a nutty flavor, add almonds, walnuts or pecans.

Got the hang of it yet? It’s super easy to transform your favorite desserts into healthy smoothies you can feel good about. Now here’s another one: Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie. You get all the elements of a classic dreamy coconut cream pie with a sweet Wild Blueberry twist.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-2

Make Your Smoothies Taste Better With This Wild Blueberry Summer Blast

Over time, consumers’ appreciation for farming began to dwindle and the connection between the farm (our original food source) and our tables became more obscure.

Thankfully, over the last decade, the “real foods” movement has resurged, opening the eyes of consumers and encouraging us to ask more questions about where our food comes from and the impact it has on our bodies and health. How does overly processed food-stuff that’s created in a lab compare to wholesome, natural, unaltered foods? What effect does it have when it comes to our health, the taste of our food, and the pleasure of eating? Best-selling author and journalist Michael Pollan says it best: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”

Some consumers now regard certain food categories as mandatory: non-GMO, organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, no added sugar, natural, sustainable, wild, wild-caught, and more, and we will continue to see new categories emerge and flourish.

On the flip side, processed food manufacturers continue to inundate us with temptation and abundance. Fat, salt, and sugar are the trifecta for food addiction and food manufacturers know the exact ratio to keep us coming back for more. These flavor enhancers have overpowered our natural taste perceptions and triggered our cravings out of control.

The best way to fight this manufactured food addition is to find natural foods that satisfy these cravings, all while boosting our health. The intense flavor and vibrant colors of natural fruits, like lowbush Wild Blueberries, is a perfect solution for those pesky sweet yearnings. Wild Blueberries, for example, serve as nature’s candy, packed in a tiny package and frozen within 24 hours of harvest to retain the most flavor and nutritional value. They’re packed with more taste, less water, more fiber, and double the amount of antioxidants than the ordinary highbush blueberry.

Research shows that in as little as two to three weeks, our taste buds and taste preferences can change. After shunning the three main culprits – fat, salt, and sugar – for a short period of time, we become more sensitive to them and crave them less. This allows us to appreciate the simple essence of natural produce, like the sweetness of Wild Blueberries.

And yet, Americans consume on average 20-30 teaspoons of sugar a day. Overconsumption of sugar-laden foods and beverages, along with refined processed foods, can (and have) lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

But sweetness doesn’t have to mean sugar. You can find natural sweetness in a variety of foods, including fruits. Wild Blueberries are a low-glycemic food, registering only 53 on the glycemic index (GI) scale, a measurement of how food impacts blood sugar levels after eating. Compared to regular blueberries, Wild Blueberries contain only 10 grams of sugar per cup vs. 15 grams of sugar per cup. In addition, a smaller berry means you can have more per serving. More Wild Blueberries means more berry skins, and nearly double the amount of fiber, an indigestible component of plant foods that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

So, skip the usual store-bought smoothies, packed with added sugars and bombed with fruit. Try a homemade green smoothie, instead, which can offer a healthy balance of vegetables, fruits, good fats, and protein.

This smoothie recipe is bursting with flavor and packs a nutritional punch, perfect as a refreshing summer treat that’ll keep you healthy, maybe wealthy, and most definitely wise.

Smoothies Gone WILD with Nutrition

Join @NutriBulletUNI and @WildBBerries for a #WildYourSmoothie Twitter Chat on Wed Aug 3 at 11am PDT/2pm EDT

Smoothie-making was once viewed as a habit of the health and fitness crowd, but today they’ve become a central part of the American diet. Their portability makes them the perfect nutrition-packed snack or meal replacement for on-the-go lifestyles. Smoothies also make a great breakfast or post workout snack – even dessert – and they come in so many combinations they can win over the pickiest of eaters.

Making a great smoothie means having all the right ingredients and tools on hand to deliver ultimate taste and nutrition! That’s why the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) and NutriBullet University – a hands on Education & Healthy Eating Experience for Students with NutriBullet, the World’s Original Nutrient Extractor, have teamed up for this LIVE Twitter chat. If you’d like to join the discussion, follow the #WildYourSmoothie hashtag @WildBBerries and @NutriBulletUNI on Wednesday August 3^rd at 11am PDT/2pm EDT. You can also join the LIVE discussion via TweetChat, following #WildYourSmoothie.

Who should attend:

This #WildYourSmoothie Twitter chat is perfect for ANYONE looking to up their smoothie game or improve their family’s nutrition with healthy smoothies – great for moms and dads, kids, nutritionists, registered dietitians, mom bloggers and YOU! The back-to-school season is upon us and this Twitter chat is a great way to be inspired to help your kids start the new year full of the nutrients they need to grow and learn.

Some questions we’ll address during this LIVE 60-minute discussion include and MORE:

What are the hottest trends in building healthy (and delicious) smoothies?
How can parents sneak more nutrition into their kids’ diets with smoothies?
Why is nutrition especially important during back-to-school season?
How can a Wild Blueberry breakfast smoothie boost memory and concentration in kids?
How is NutriBullet working to improve nutrition among school children with the NutriBullet University program?

If you want to learn more about WBANA and NutriBullet, we encourage you to explore the links below:

Learn about our experts:

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) (@WildBBerries) is a trade association of growers and processors of Wild Blueberries from Maine and Canada, dedicated to bringing the Wild Blueberry health story and unique Wild Advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide.

WBANA is dedicated to furthering research that explores the health potential of Wild Blueberries. Every year since 1997, WBANA has hosted the Health Research Summit in Bar Harbor, a worldwide gathering of dozens of scientists and researchers whose work is leading the way in learning more and more about the health benefits of Wild Blueberries. Hundreds of studies have been conducted on disease and the extensive health benefits of Wild Blueberries.

NutriBullet Team:

Sarah Lefkowitz, R.D. is a dietitian living in Los Angeles, California. Her professional foundation was built in the healthcare field, where she learned about the physiology of disease, working with patient care teams, making rounds with doctors in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and trauma centers. These experiences highlighted the impact of nutrition on healing and recovery. Sarah honed her skills, providing outpatient counseling in a center for digestive disease, wound care and geriatric health. Working primarily with a population that was sick highlighted the power of prevention and nutrition education. Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

Krista L. Haynes, R.D. is a Registered Dietitian with extensive knowledge on the benefits of eating a whole food, plant-based diet. Her approach centers on holistic wellness—using real, unprocessed foods to help detoxify the body and maximize its natural functions. Krista also specializes in adult weight management, teaching non-diet strategies based on the principals of Intuitive Eating. As a vegan, Krista promotes the benefits of vegan and vegetarian nutrition, but also realizes that a healthy diet is any diet that provides optimum energy and confidence and helps individuals achieve their personal goals. Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

Gigi Kwok-Hinsley, M.S., R.D. DrPH, is a Registered Dietitian in the Greater Los Angeles area specializing in nutrition and public health research with experience in adult weight management. She graduated from Loma Linda University School of Public Health with an emphasis in preventive care and health care management, Gigi conducted her dissertation research in bitter taste receptors as it relates to a patient’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Outside of work and school, she serves on the committee of professional development through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

Wild Blueberry & Beet Paleo Breakfast Smoothie

Besides the jaw dropping color, this paleo Wild Blueberry beet smoothie packs a healthy dose of vitamin C and antioxidants.

I think for the most part, people assume paleo and smoothies don’t mix. Whether it’s due to the dairy, the sweeteners or even the sometimes-used thickeners, smoothies don’t naturally fit into the paleo world. But I beg to differ, and there is no better way to start off a paleo smoothie than by using a wild fruit. Wild Blueberries are a special crop that has grown for over 10,000 years in one special corner of the world (Maine, Eastern Canada and Quebec). They are unchanged by man, and you can’t get more paleo than that.

Here’s a Wild Blueberry and beet smoothie that’s not only delicious but it’s beautiful too. Have a look at that color, naturally derived from the roasted beets and frozen fresh Wild Blueberries! And if the color alone doesn’t entice you into wanting to make this dairy-, gluten- and grain-free treat, the fact that it’s packed with antioxidants, Vitamin C, fiber and potassium will.

When I make my smoothies I like to choose my base first. Since we’re keeping things dairy free here, coconut milk is a great choice. Not only is it creamy and indulgent tasting, using the light canned variety brings a healthy balance of good-for-you fats to the smoothie and also helps curb some of that earthiness from the beets.

After choosing my smoothie base, I like to decide on my sweetener. Since this smoothie contains both fruit and vegetables, a powerful natural sweetener is in order. Bananas are always a good choice since they have a strong sweet flavor and they work much better than maple syrup or honey when trying to counteract something like a beet. They’re also a great complement to the intense Wild Blueberry flavor. These smaller Wild Blueberries pack an unrivaled intensity of sweet and tangy flavors.

I want this smoothie to be more of a meal (rather than a snack), so the next step is to choose my protein. Since we’re not using dairy, adding protein powder or, in this case, collagen peptides is a great way to give the smoothie some staying power. Collagen peptides (my new favorite way to add protein without altering taste or consistency) are creating quite the buzz in the paleo community lately and rightfully so. Derived from grass-fed, pasture raised cows, collagen is vital to our overall wellness and one of the basic building blocks of healthy skin, hair, nails, bones and joints. Collagen dissolves in cold liquids (unlike gelatin) and with no taste of its own, it makes an excellent addition to things like smoothies, drinks, soups and stews when you want a boost of protein but don’t want to alter the flavor or consistency of the dish.

And to finish off your smoothie, don’t forget the toppings! Arguably the best part of any smoothie is the sprinkling of toppings. Toasted coconut flakes and a few frozen Wild Blueberries help highlight the flavors already in this smoothie but the world is your oyster with this step. For paleo options, think nuts, seeds, fruit or even a drizzle of nut butters. Coconut butter would be fabulous on top of this one!

All of these ingredients combined with tiny, flavorful frozen fresh Wild Blueberries make this Wild Blueberry & beet smoothie one heck of a start to the day!

NutriBullet RDs Share Their Favorite Smoothie Ingredients

As registered dietitians and health research scientists, we all love working with food and seeing the positive impact it can have on peoples’ health. That’s why the NutriBullet is an amazing tool — it helps transform health by increasing fruit and vegetable intake in the average daily diet. Sometimes, by simply changing the texture of a food, you can appreciate it in a whole new way.

As NutriBullet RDs, we get a lot of opportunity to play around in the kitchen and blend together new combos of fruits and vegetables. Over the years, we’ve come to love certain foods in our NutriBlast smoothies, not only because they taste delicious, but because they offer so many great and nutritious health benefits. Here’s a roundup of some of our very our favorite ingredients:

Sarah Greenfield, RD CSSD – One of my favorite ingredients to use in a NutriBlast are figs! They’re high in fiber and they’re so sweet that just a little goes a long way. They also play a beneficial role in digestion, which I love!

Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet lacks good sources of fiber. It’s recommended women consume 25g of fiber and men consume upward of 38g of fiber on a daily basis.. Fiber helps keep you full so you eat less overall, it helps balance hormones and blood sugar levels, and, most importantly, it helps promote regularity. When you eat more figs, you’re consuming more fiber! When they’re in season, I eat them almost every day!

While fiber is a good for you, make sure to eat figs in moderation. Too many can sometimes lead to excess bloating and upset stomach.

Sarah’s favorite recipe: Healthy Almond Fig Blast

Gigi Kwok-Hinsley DrPH, MS, RD – I like to look for ingredients with a variety of color. Right now, my absolute favorite smoothie ingredient is a beet. Beets contain iron, a variety of B vitamins and are packed full of phytochemicals, which have a wide array of health benefits.

What’s so intriguing about phytochemicals is their ability to protect the body. Researchers have examined the mechanism of phytochemicals within the body and have shown they help boost immune function, inhibit the progression of chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cancer and age-related macular degeneration,) and decrease inflammation. While more research is needed to solidify these findings and understand the right amount needed to attain these health benefits, it’s clear that—no matter which research article you read—phytochemicals are an asset to your daily diet.

Gigi’s favorite recipe: Beet and Wild Blueberry Surprise

Susie Rockway, PhD, C.N.S. – Although I’m not a dietitian, my passion has always been nutrition. My degrees and my work have led me to like-minded people whose goals are to achieve long and vibrant lives though healthy eating. I’ve developed supplements, worked in labs conducting research and have always been fascinated by the impact real, whole food can have on health. That’s why I love using Wild Blueberries when I make my smoothies – the perfect high-antioxidant, low-glycemic fruit with tons of flavor. And like beets, Wild Blueberries are high in phytochemicals.

Wild Blueberries contain 2 times the antioxidant power of regular blueberries and are great for the brain. They can protect the body from inflammation, which is thought to be a main cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. I love to mix Wild Blueberries with a generous amount of greens, like spinach and celery, and I use coconut water as my base. These truly are some of the healthiest foods you can eat!

Susie’s favorite recipe: Wild Blueberry Celery Blast

Krista Haynes, RD – I really like almonds, because they contain healthy fats and can help keep you full. Smoothies are the perfect meal replacements, so I love ensuring that I have the right balance of nutrients to fuel me through to my next meal.

Contrary to popular belief, “Fat on the lips does not necessarily mean fat on the hips!” When you eat foods containing dietary fat, you do not signal insulin secretion and, once fat is absorbed, it goes through a metabolic process that turns its components – glycerol and free fatty acids – into energy, hormones, ketone bodies, or triglycerides. Triglyceride is the storage form of fat. When dietary fat is reduced and replaced with carbohydrates, then insulin levels raise and this “storage” hormone most likely will increase. Replace those carbohydrates, especially junk food carbs that don’t energize your body long term, with foods containing healthy fats, like almonds! That’ll help reduce the fat stored by your body and keep you fuller, longer.

Krista’s favorite recipe: Berrylicious

Wild Your Smoothie Summer with Wild Blueberries

Summer is officially here and with it come those endless days relaxing by the pool, the lake, or at the beach. For many of us, summer is also a time to get more active, take on a new exercise routine, and spend more time on our bicycles, walking or pushing the lawnmower.

As the temperature heats up, it becomes increasingly important to stay hydrated and replace those electrolytes you lost through exercise. Delicious healthy smoothies are a great way to replenish yourself and ramp up your nutrition at the same time. Smoothies are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack; they’re also great for outdoor entertaining as a beautiful, unexpected dessert.

Here in the land of Wild Blueberries, we love the creativity and the health potential of smoothies. We also get excited when we have the chance to help consumers step up their healthy smoothie making game. In celebration of summer, we are officially kicking off the Wild Your Smoothie Summer – a summer long smoothie extravaganza with new recipes, tips and giveaways for the next 9 weeks.

In order to capture the extraordinary range of ingredients and combinations, be sure to follow us on social media and visit our new Wild Your Smoothie website. Each day, you’ll discover:

Exciting NEW smoothie recipes
Exceptional smoothie recipe videos and e-recipe books
Tips and Twitter Chats on the latest smoothies trends from health and nutrition experts at NutriBullet, our favorite nutrient extraction company
Weekly giveaways of limited edition NutriBullets and on-the-go 20 oz. smoothie cups

Here’s how the Wild Your Smoothie Summer weekly giveaways work:

Each Friday from July 1 to August 26, Wild Blueberries will host a giveaway on Facebook and Instagram.
Prizes will rotate between a limited edition NutriBullet or a Wild Blueberries smoothie cup.
To enter to win, participants must follow the directions on Facebook and Instagram.
- On Facebook: Follow link in the weekly post to submit your email to enter.
- On Instagram: Answer the question posed about Wild Blueberries and include #WildYourSmoothie in your comment or post a photo of yourself enjoying your favorite Wild Blueberry smoothie. Don’t forget to tag @WildBlueberries and include #WildYourSmoothie to be entered to win.
One winner on each platform will be selected the following Monday at the discretion of Wild Blueberries. Winners will be contacted via email, Facebook or Instagram. Winners will have 24 hours to respond or forfeit their prize.
These giveaways are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook or Instagram. No purchase necessary. Entrants do so at their own risk. All decisions are final.

Smoothie Tip of the Day

Pick ingredients that deliver essential nutrition and great taste.

For example, there are two types of blueberries but only one can change your smoothie. When compared to regular blueberries, frozen fresh Wild Blueberries offer:

Join the Wild Your Smoothie Summer conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and be sure to share your smoothie making success stories with us in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to include #WildYourSmoothie in your posts!

And remember, healthy smoothies start with a half-cup of frozen Wild Blueberries. Find them in the frozen aisle.

Happy Summer and Let’s Get Blending!

Make Dad Smile with this Delicious Protein-Packed Father’s Day Breakfast Smoothie

Father’s Day at our house is usually met with fun and fanfare. I think Norah looks forward to both Father’s Day and Mother’s Day more than her own birthday! She typically has her gift ready and card made weeks in advance, in full anticipation of the big day.

On the morning of each big day, she is the first to wake up and is always eager to whip up a delicious breakfast extravaganza, with a little help of course. This Father’s Day she’s excited to be able to make breakfast all by herself, because this year her Dad is getting his favorite breakfast smoothie.

My husband normally enjoys a more decadent Father’s Day breakfast. In fact, he adores nothing more than a decadent high-carb breakfast – croissant French toast or fluffy pancakes drizzled with way too much maple syrup are his holiday go-tos. But this year he’s been on a bit of a health kick. There hasn’t been much of anything decadent or sweet on his menu for a while, as he’s been in full training mode for the last two months. The occasional splurge here and there happens, but for the most part he’s been living lean.

His routine of late is to wake up, drink a protein smoothie, and then hit the gym. If you’ve ever lived with someone who’s in training mode of any kind, it can be stressful when you ask them to veer off-plan. Since we don’t want a stressed-out dad on Father’s Day, we are sticking to the plan.

Norah will be thrilled to deliver to him his favorite Wild Blueberry smoothie. This recipe is a blueberry triple threat. His smoothies always start with a heaping cup of frozen Wild Blueberries. He loves the intense Wild Blueberry taste and looks forward to his morning dose of antioxidants. To his frozen Wild Blueberries he adds vanilla flavored Greek yogurt for a creamy effect and blueberry flavored ground flax seed for a dose of fiber and healthy fats.

Of course he also adds a scoop or two of protein powder, but not before a few drops of vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon for natural sweetness, and a frozen banana are mixed in.

This protein smoothie is the perfect pre-workout breakfast or post-workout recovery meal. It’s low in sugar, big on delicious Wild Blueberry flavor, and a healthy, nutrient-dense way to start the morning. Especially if it’s delivered to you in bed…with a big hug and a home-made card.

Surprising Smoothie Ingredients and Combos from Health & Nutrition Experts

A passionate crowd joined the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (@WildBBerries) Twitter chat on Wed Feb 17^th. They were eager to learn about Wild Blueberries and share their favorite smoothie ingredient combinations. Registered Dietitian, Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT (@karalydonRD), helped lead the #WildYourSmoothie discussion. Kara shared some of her favorite smoothie making ingredients including Wild Blueberries, great smoothie making tips and a little bit about her visit to Maine to see the miraculous world of Wild Blues.

During the chat, we learned about a smoothie ingredient that intrigued all of us — ginger. Many commented it adds a spicy contrast to the sweetness of a smoothie. Kara said it’s a perfect addition to a Wild Blueberry smoothie because it adds an extra flavor kick. Kefir and protein were also hot topics of conversation. Kefir is a fermented milk beverage that is packed with probiotics. It is a great addition to a smoothie because of the protein it contains. And adding protein to a smoothie either through kefir, dairy or powders helps keep you full and satiated longer, which is a plus when you are using smoothies as a meal replacement as part of weight loss regime.

The crowd, mostly registered dietitians and healthy food bloggers, also came prepared and asked some great questions! Some of our favorite tweets from the chat are below. To explore the entire conversation be sure to check out the Storify Archive.

And, of course we wanted to let everyone know about our #WildYourSmoothie contest for registered dietitians and healthy food bloggers and remind everyone to submit their entries before the contest wraps up on March 1, 2016. To see some of the amazing entries follow the hashtag, #WildYourSmoothie. Stay tuned. We’ll announce the winners soon!

Thanks everyone for joining us for our first Twitter chat. And thank you Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT, The Foodie Dietitian, for making this chat even more special! If you have questions about smoothies or Wild Blueberries, just give us a tweet at @WildBBerries. Be sure to include #WildYourSmoothie in your tweet.

Read the original blog post about the #WildYourSmoothie Twitter Chat

How to Sneak Your Toddler Superfoods

By Hannah Richards

Before I became a parent I always used to shake my head at the kids menu at local restaurants. Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Cheese, Pasta with Butter and Cheese, Cheese with Added Cheese… you get the idea.

Now, as a parent, I totally get it. That’s pretty much all toddlers will eat: carbs and cheese. And at a restaurant, where you’re already expending every last drop of caffeine-induced energy keeping your kid from crawling into the kitchen and turning all the stove dials, or playing tic-tac-toe in pen on the white tablecloth – I say let ‘em have whatever they want. Take the path of least resistance. Just be thankful they’re eating something. Unless it’s crayons. In which case, no.

But when you’re at home, and you have access to earplugs for the screeching meltdown that will inevitably ensue when you tell them that, no you cannot have French fries for breakfast – that’s when you pull out all the stops to get them to eat something with at least a semblance of nutritional value.

She’s not happy about the lack of french fries for breakfast.

Now, if your toddler is anything like mine, they won’t eat more than one or MAYBE two foods per meal. You put three or more ingredients on the tray and she is O-U-T out. Or in her words, “All gone mama,” which is ironic considering all of her food is literally untouched.

Because of this I’ve learned to be extremely efficient. I’ve chosen a number of well-known superfoods like Wild Blueberries, kale, beans, and yogurt – all of which are packed with vitamins and nutrients – and devised sneaky strategies for including them in foods she thinks are fun. Then I try to contain my (probably disproportional) excitement as I watch her toss back a – gasp! – fruit or vegetable without knowing it.

So without further ado – my four favorite toddler-friendly superfood snacks.

Wild Blueberry, Banana and Kale Smoothie

In my opinion smoothies are far and away the easiest way to get nutrients into toddlers. My daughter Mia is absolutely enamored with straws, so I can pretty much put anything I want into a blender and as long as she’s allowed to drink it through a straw, she’s excited. This recipe is my favorite because it uses frozen kale (fresh veggies are always going bad in our fridge so frozen kale is PERFECT) and frozen Wild Blueberries, which not only completely mask the color and flavor of the kale, but are also full of antioxidants, fiber, and manganese, which is essential for healthy bone development. I use Wild Blueberries in just about every smoothie we make because they are nutrient-rich, and the perfect vegetable-disguiser!

Ingredients:

½ cup frozen kale

¼ cup Wild Blueberries

¾ cup milk (you can also use almondmilk, coconut milk or any other non-dairy milk)

½ medium banana

Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you use a frozen banana, you may need to add a little water to thin it out. Makes about 2 servings depending on your toddler’s appetite. I refrigerate the extra for use later in the week.

White Bean Macaroni and Cheese

Photo courtesy of lifelibertyfood.wordpress.com — Photo courtesy of www.lifelibertyfood.wordpress.com

Mac and Cheese is a staple in our household. I keep some in the fridge pretty much at all times, in case all else fails. But since Mia ends up eating it SO often, I felt like I should try to get at least something substantive into it. Spinach is a no-go because it’s green and she can see it. Way too easy to for her to pick out! Then I found this recipe online that substitutes cannelloni beans and skim milk for the traditional whole milk and cream, and I thought – that’s genius! Sure enough, Mia can’t see or taste the difference – and to be honest, neither can I, so it’s perfect for the whole family.

“Spoonable” Fruit and Yogurt

Ok so this isn’t so much a recipe as it is a strategy for getting healthy food into a stubborn toddler’s mouth. I found this “Easy Squeezy Spoon” at Babies R Us when Mia was just starting solids – and I thought it would be perfect for traveling with baby food. It probably is but I’ll never know because it disappeared into the abyss of my kitchen cabinets, never to be found until last week. I pulled it out to try and low and behold – Mia’s a big fan! She loves being able to squeeze the food onto the spoon herself (she hasn’t quite mastered traditional spoon feeding), and since she’s able to do it all on her own, she doesn’t even mind the pureed fruit and yogurt I stuffed into the squeeze pouch. Score!

Do you have a finicky eater on your hands? What are your favorite recipes or tricks for getting them to eat healthier?

Hannah Richards is a Maine based writer, blogger and content marketing strategist as well as the face behind the Facebook posts for Wild Blueberries. She lives with her husband, Dan, and daughter, Mia, in Cumberland, Maine and shares the crazy train they call motherhood on her blog OhBabyRichards.