Collard Green Juice

If I were a real blogger this post would be complete with amazing photos to go along with my little story. But, instead you just have words because this was a real life moment and I didn't plan it for blogging.

A few weeks back I came across the blog weelicious.com. It is basically a blog promoting healthy eating and providing family friendly recipes. I tried the beef stew recipe and it was wonderful. However, she described it as an indulgence which should have tipped me off because at our house beef stew is just dinner not an indulgence.

So flying high on the success of the beef stew I decided to make the Weelicious Super Juice. It is collard greens, honey, lemon juice and water. Simple, easy, healthy food for my sweet babies. Now before I tell you how it turned out. Let me say that my kids drink green smoothies at least a few times a week. I put spinach or kale in with fruit and yogurt and they love it. They think it is a treat.

So I get the Super Juice going in the blender and the kids are stoked. It is bright green and looking fun. I let the kids choose their smoothie cups and straws and poured the concoction in. I should say that I did not taste this first but the smell was not good.

First Jack took a sip. "I don't really like it momma," said my sweet boy. A little sidebar: when Jack first started preschool some of the boys were hitting and his teacher told me that Jack would respond to the hits by saying "no thank you". He is such a kind soul. So sweet Jack didn't spit it out or fall down in horror, he just didn't want to have to drink anymore.

Next was Grace who took a sip, made a face like I had poisoned her and said "NO!"I tried to get her to take another sip just for fun and she ran away screaming.

Finally I tasted the stuff. Oh my goodness it was awful. It was pulpy and bitter. Yuck!

I apologized to my children and let them choose a lollipop from the Halloween stash. Not only did getting collard greens into their diet fail; they also got extra sugar with the lollipops. Oh well, just an average day on the job.

So from now on I will stick to Southern collard green juice. You know? After you cook a mess of greens with a ham hock for about two days. Then dish them out with a big helping of chow chow on top. Proper collard green juice is the stuff left on your plate that you sop up with cast iron skillet corn bread. Yum! Sweet, salty, tangy goodness!