Kefir Smoothies

If you haven't heard of kefir before, you can read more about it briefly here. Basically, it's fermentation that results in really great probiotics for optimal gut health. I bought a start and grew them into the grains they are now. They look like little cauliflowers or popcorn and I put them in milk to grow, and then you use the "milk" in your smoothies. I can't find the place that I originally purchased mine from, but apparently, you can get them on amazon.com (there's a great pic of them there too).

The hard part about kefir, is that it really tastes like sour milk. I'm not a fan, and neither is my family. So, I hide it in smoothies--or, as Mary Poppins says, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." I have come up with two different smoothies so far that adequately mask the sour flavor.

Strawberry Kefir Smoothie

Pour about one cup of the kefir into your blender (I use a VitaMix, but whatever you have will do).
Fill blender with frozen strawberries (or less, but my family is large), 3 packets of Super Orange or Tangerine Emergen-C (I love this stuff--it adds some really nice "kick"), and about 6 spoonfuls of sugar (I'm sure there's an easier way to measure this, but I'll let you figure it out). Blend well and serve in cups. :)

*Note: I also use some sort of high omega oil in this...I blend it alone with the kefir for a minute and it actually helps your body utilize it better. There's a book about it, but I don't know what it's called...sorry.

Tropical Kefir Smoothie

Follow the same instructions as for the strawberry smoothie, except use the tropical blend frozen fruit (usually has something like mango, papaya, pineapple and strawberries), and use Tropical Emergen-C (I found mine at Costco in a box with raspberry and super orange). This hides the sour taste even more so than the other, and is almost like drinking a piña colada.

You can also do other recipes that go with your tastes. Kefir is also sold ready-made and sweetened/flavored somewhere in the milk/cream/yogurt section of your grocery store. Smoothie are a great place to hide healthy little morsels from young and picky taste buds. Don't be afraid to experiment a little! You can also do this with yogurt, but kefir has scad loads more probiotic strains.

© Wendy 2013