In the classic love stories section of your local bookstore, you will undoubtedly find the tale of Becca and her beloved kale shakes.

We courted, we fought, we divorced, we reconciled, and now we are an old married couple. In fact, we spend every night together.

But, because I am not a chef, nor am I a health food specialist (I was recently told to lay off the gummies; and, well, this)

I have never written specifically about what goes into my shakes and how I make them.

Last night, as we were doing the dishes, my husband and I were talking about how out of any product we have ever bought for the kitchen, our Nutribullet has been the absolute best. I believe I used the word “amortized”, and he said something more business-y like, “we’ve gotten a return on our investment many, many, many times over.”

I first heard about the Nutribullet when I was teaching a Toddler Group and the moms were raving about it; how they were using it to make smoothies and cashew milk and so I bought one with the generous gift card that my class gave me at the end of the year.

We literally use this thing at least three times a day.

But this weekend, things were taken to a whole new level. I mentioned before that my husband has been sick (still haven’t gotten to that story, yet), and my best friend was also ailing with the flu.

The Jewish mama in me kicked into action and I made two different pureed veggie soups, feeding them to him and dropping them off to her. I called my sister, a vegetarian, this morning to tell her how easy these things are. And the thing is, I am not a spokesperson for Nutribullet. I just really, really, really love it.

If you were a reader of these site about 3 years ago, you may remember that I used to post “Family Dinners” every night, with a photo and recipe of what I had cooked for my family. I took off that feature because a) the direction of my blog has shifted and b) I am no longer in quite the same groove when it comes to making amazing, well-rounded meals for four. I will get there.

But, because I do love food, I can share with you a few things that I did this weekend that were very yummy, very healthy, and seem particularly appropriate as this is the first month of the new year when people resign to being healthy and “clean” and such.

So first, my Kale shake. This is what is in it and I am listing the items in the order in which I put them into the Nutribullet (and wait until how scientific I get here):

A big handful of kale. More like a whole fistful.

Vega Protein Powder (my very health-conscious cousin introduced this to me and I am hooked. He says that he likes the chocolate the best but I stick with the berry and tropical flavors, as I am still not OK with the idea of drinking avocado or mixing spinach with chocolate.)

A banana. This is good because I don’t like bananas, but I hear that they are very healthy, so I hide it in my shake.

Frozen Fruit (usually mango, sometimes pineapple, and a berry or two if I’m in a pinch.)

Water.

Ice.

Voila. I blend it and it is all smooth and cold and yummy. Actually, I have gone from thinking of them as “drinking salad” to looking forward to these shakes.

Oh, and if you don’t follow @mommyeverafter on Instagram,

then you don’t know how truly genius I am, for the system I have worked out now is flawless.

So, while I pat myself on the back, in the scheme of health drinks, I am in, what you could call,

the Smoothie Toddler Class.

 I don’t know if this makes us really inventive or really nerdy, but my girlfriend and I spent a good period of time tonight texting rather excitedly about the Nutribullet. She is one of the original women who introdued me to it and it’s merits, and she is kind of a nutritional expert.

And that is really what I did. For one soup I roasted Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Parsnips, Carrots and Ginger and blended with Veggie Broth and for the other I slow cooked Cauliflower and Potatoes (this was for a particularly picky eater that we have on our hands…I am not naming names) and did the same. For the potato soup, I served it with shredded cheddar cheese and mmmmmmm. Both soups were so good and creamy and healthy. And EASY.

So my girlfriend and I continued to talk about shakes and she got very excited and it was very cute, because she is very cute.

She gave me some of her own most coveted recipes (with ingredients that are still WAY over my head) to share with you:

Her go-to dessert smoothie:

Almond Milk

Cashews

Chopped Dates

1/2 Banana

Pumpkin Seeds

Old Fashioned Oats

This actually sounds pretty amazing. And, she told me that not only is it delicious but all of the ingredients promote good sleep. And you should see her face. She obviously gets good sleep.

The other recipe she shared is more similar to mine, but of course more inventive:

1/2 Banana

Frozen mango and pineapple

Scoop of Greek Yogurt

Coconut Water or Water with Fresh Mint

That one, to me, sounds so refreshing.

Finally, her favorite winter smoothie that she found from Well and Good  (used to promote good skin health during this dry season) is:

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

2 Cups Organic Spinach

1 Cup Organic Frozen Strawberries

1 Small Frozen Banana

1 TBSP Organic Peanut Butter

1 Cup Filtered Water.

(Note: I just had my husband read the ingredients to me and he followed the last one with a lovely and melodious, “and a partridge in a pear tree.”)

I have shared before my New Years Resolutions on here

which include being a better person and friend, but I also want to get a handle on my health,

and in case you are one of those people who are in the majority of and have similar health related goals for the new year, I hope that this gives you a little inspiration.

And on that note, it’s smoothie time.