I’m really excited to have author and herbalist, Kami McBride, share some of her favorite kid friendly herbal recipes to celebrate her newest book release, the Herbal Kitchen.
Don’t forget to comment on my previous post found here to win your very own copy of the Herbal Kitchen with over 250 recipes to bring lasting health to you and your family.
Herbal Smoothies that my Six Year Old Son Loves!
By Kami McBride
Kids love making smoothies and the great thing about smoothies is that you can add all kinds of delicious nutritious ingredients to the basic fruit smoothie. Empower your children with the blender and inspire them to make their own summer drinks. Have fun experimenting with what you have on hand. It is such a great alternative to replace all of the high fructose corn syrup popsicles, ice pops, snow cones and the endless onslaught of insulting snacks marketed to children.
Begin by making an herbal tea of choice so you have tea on hand to add to the smoothie. The teas contribute a kaleidoscope of nutrients and flavor that turns smoothie making into an altogether different experience than then normal blended fruit smoothie.
The teas that we add to our smoothies for the summer are hibiscus, peppermint, spearmint, lemon verbena and lemon balm.
How to make the tea for herbal smoothies
- Put 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried herb per every cup of water used
- Place loose herbs and water into a pot with the lid on it. I use stainless steel Revere pots; glass and enamel pots also work well
- Bring water and herbs to a boil and then immediately turn off the fire
- Let herbs steep for one hour
- Using a metal strainer, remove the herbs from the tea and pour the tea into a teacup or pitcher
Berry Blast
- 1 cup rose petal tea
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Handful of fresh rose petals
Blend in blender for a few minutes until frozen fruit is completely mixed in to the liquid. Rose petal tea is very cooling tea and can help to bring the temperature down in your body on those overheated days!
You can substitute fresh berries for frozen berries. When using fresh berries, add 1 cup of ice to the recipe
Lemon verbena Nectar
- 1 cup lemon verbena tea
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon honey
Blend the tea and honey together in the blender and then add the frozen fruit. This is a simple and delicious beverage that you can make in just a few minutes!
Children also love to freeze the smoothies in popsicle holders. This makes the perfect, delicious, healthy summer treat!
Kami McBride is the author of the Herbal Kitchen. For 24 years she has been teaching people to use herbs in their daily lives for health and wellness. Kami helps you to de-mystify the world of herbal medicine, and is fanatic about motivating people to use herbs in their gardening, cooking, skin care, stress reduction and caring for children’s home ailments. She lives with her husband and 6 year old son in northern California and loves helping people learn how to use herbs in the home setting for prevention and every day common ailments. She can be reached at, www.livingawareness.com or on her facebook fan page, http://www.facebook.com/LivingAwarenessInstitute.
The Herbal Kitchen can be found here:
No children at home ;-} but I’m tempted to try making some herbal teas.
Hi There, This is looking absolutely delightful. Loved the new combo of ingredients and the recipe is so nicely made and presented. Saving this recipe of urs and wud love to give ur version a try on the coming weekend. Have a great day….Sonia !!!
Beautiful recipes! Thanks for sharing, Kami.