Broccoli? Yuck.

Kale? Isn’t that seaweed?

I’ve never been a big supporter of veggies. Growing up I only liked the green beans that we picked fresh from the garden. But once Mom cooked them, I turned my nose up.

I literally had to plug my nose to eat Brussels sprouts. And broccoli had to be smeared in Cheese Whiz. Don’t even get me started on Lima beans.

But when I became a parent myself, I realized that my little ones needed these healthy vegetables. How would I ever get them to eat them when I wouldn’t?

Introduce the blender. The food processor. The Bullet.

This fabulous invention can turn even the most vile of veggies into a yummy, delectable smoothie.

I’ve discovered the one (and possibly only?) way that I actually love to consume vegetables.

I start with 4 cups of frozen berries — raspberries, blueberries and blackberries — in a 72 oz blender.

Then I add the greenery: kale, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussel sprouts. I buy a bag of mixed salad with these ingredients and store in the freezer.

Hemp seeds, chia seeds and ground flax seeds stored in mason jars in my fridge.

For good measure, I add 2 tbsp each of hemp seeds, ground flax seed, and chia seeds. I’m told these are all good for me.

Because I have a sweet tooth I used to add maple syrup. But recently I’ve changed it to 2 tbsp of coconut oil (because my son kept drinking from my syrup jar).

2 cups of whey protein are added before I fill the remaining ounces with water.

Blend together.

I make one full blender every week and take a thermos full to drink at lunch every day.

I love that I’m getting the important veggies that I would otherwise never give the time of day to.

And a bonus is that my 2.5-year-old granddaughter loves to help me make my smoothie and she loves to drink it too — with a fancy straw, of course.

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(First featured on Medium platform May 12, 2019)