Mornings are still a little bit wild at our house, so to get ready for homework time, we make a good breakfast! The smallest person at our house loves running the blender because she gets to push the buttons, and I love smoothies because there are NO RULES! We do have some suggestions to keep you on track to a healthy and delicious smoothie though!
Just pick something from each category in our Smoothie sheet and blend it up!
This morning we mixed up a chocolate, banana, peanut butter smoothie with milk.
Which group is milk in on MyPlate?
Do you know how many servings of dairy you need each day? MyPlate recommends that kids and adults over the age of 9 get at least 3 cups of milk or milk products every day. When you consume three cups a day, you are getting the nutrients your body needs that the dairy group provides.
The first thing we usually think of from the dairy group is calcium. Calcium is known for building strong bones and teeth and keeping them strong your whole life. If you read the label, someone has added vitamin D to it! Why? Vitamin D helps your body make the most of the calcium in milk.
What if you can’t drink milk, or don’t like how it tastes? There are lots of other ways to get calcium into your body from your food.
- Rice or almond milk
- Canned fish (sardines, salmon with bones)
- Soybeans and other soy products
- Beans (white beans, black eyed peas)
- Leafy Greens (collard and turnip greens, kale, bok choy)
- Look for “calcium added” on labels for juice, cereals, and bread.
For more ideas to get calcium and make good dairy group choices, click here.
How will you get your dairy today?
We put one serving of milk into our smoothie!
Want to know a secret smoothie recipe? An “Elvis smoothie” has a special ingredient that Elvis used to put on his favorite sandwich…. It has peanut butter, bananas, and bacon in it! Just add a stick of bacon to stir your smoothie or sprinkle some tiny bacon pieces on top. Then put on your blue suede shoes and dance the day away. Dancing is a great way to stay active when you’re in the house!