Real Food: Kefir Smoothie

This post is part of the blog carnival Real Food Wednesdays with Cheeseslave.

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Kefir Smoothie Recipe

Cut up a banana and toss into the blender.  Put in a handful of blueberries (or whatever berries are in season), one ounce of apple juice, one ounce of orange juice, and six to eight ounces of plain unsweetened kefir.  Blend for a couple of minutes.  This can be shared since it might be too much for one person.

That’s easy and child-friendly, right?  It was really nice for my daughter to have creative license with this smoothie.  She wanted to make a snack before dinner and we came up with this recipe together.  We both liked the taste, but my husband would have preferred it with strawberries as he is not a fan of blueberries.

I save money in other areas so that we can have more money in our budget for food.  One example is when doing the laundry.  I don’t use the hot water in our washing machine.  I use cold water for most things, and use warm water for the sheets once a week.  By using powdered laundry detergent (the 14 pound box of Arm and Hammer) and putting in less than the recommended amount, I think I am washing our clothes wisely.  I use about 3/4 the scoop for a large load instead of a level scoop.  I use dryer sheets, but I cut them in half or even in thirds so that one box of 200 sheets lasts an entire year.  Your usage of water, detergent and dryer sheets will vary depending on the size of your family, but the point is to be aware and careful about how much money you make available to spend on good food.

I want to mention the book that most influenced my decision to spend a little more money on food while reducing the amount I spend in other areas of our life.  Holy Cows and Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin is quick and fun to read.  I found it at our library.  Joel Salatin is a local author (his farm is about 50 minutes away from where I live).  If you can’t find this book at your library, you can order it from Back 40 Books or Amazon.  I liked how I felt as a consumer after reading this book.  He didn’t belittle me for living in a city or occasionally eating at McDonald’s, but he did educate me about the importance of seeking out real local food.  This book is why I chose to go to the Farmers’ Market this summer rather than Wal-Mart, even though the food cost me about 3 times more.