Vanity Fair® Napkins and Our Favorite Green Smoothie

Thank you Vanity Fair® Napkins for sponsoring this post. Take on everyday messes with Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins!

We have a tradition. Almost every morning, Teddy pulls up his step stool to the kitchen counter and we make green smoothies together. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day, and I think it’s his as well. He relishes in the opportunity to be a “big kid” and takes his job of putting spinach, mango, and bananas in the blender very seriously. (Amidst sneaking bites of each individual component before it hits the blender.)

He loves that he’s drinking what seems to be a milkshake, and I love that he’s literally drinking several servings of fruits and vegetables in one tiny cup. It’s the best.

The recipe is actually something I got from my sister-in-law (she also introduced this awesome kale salad to me), and has now become a staple in our diet. (And helpful in my baby weight loss saga.)

I’m not a huge fan of smoothies made with any kind of juice. For one, they add WAY too much sugar, and two, they just don’t taste good to me. These are made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (my favorite is from Trader Joe’s, and the texture and taste is so much better). Plus, they’re healthier as well.

We also put in tons of frozen mango, pineapple, and a little bit of banana. To add a little bit more “health” factor, we usually sprinkle in some ground flax seed. Occasionally, I’ll also add in some chia seeds if I have them on hand – honestly, anything goes!

Also, if you like your smoothies on the thicker side, start with just a cup or so of almond milk. Same thing goes for the other side – if you want them a thinner consistency, add more almond milk.

Keeping messes to a minimum

The only problem with green smoothies? They are M-E-S-S-Y. Oftentimes, I find green smoothie splattered all over my white kitchen cabinets and, without doubt, find remnants of green all over Teddy’s face and hands by the time he slurps up the last drop.

Enter: Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins. We LOVE these! Obviously with a toddler and a baby, paper napkins are the way to go at mealtimes (and anytime really), and something absorbent is key.

It’s actually pretty funny, Teddy has this weird thing about being clean. So even though he’ll get food/smoothie/whatever all over him, immediately after making the mess, he’s asking for a napkin to clean everything up. Not only do these guys clean everything up, but even he can typically do it with just one napkin. Anything that keeps mess to a minimum and isn’t wasteful is a win in my book.

Other things these Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins clean up flawlessly??

• Baby fruit and vegetable pouches. Davis practically lives off of them, but just like smoothies, they make a MESS. A serious mess. While he can’t clean it up himself yet, I easily can, and do.
• When the dog obnoxiously smothers peanut butter all over your floors and table after snatching a rogue PB&J
• When husbands spill their coffee all over the counter top and leave the mess for you to clean up…

Cheers to keeping messes at bay and healthy green smoothies! 🙂