I’m about 35 week pregnant and on Monday the 19th my pre-term labor started, also known as Braxton-Hicks. We weren’t sure if that was labor but after 24 hours of consistent and regular contractions my husband and I decided to go to the hospital.

It seemed we made the right decision. I was in labor but because my doctors wanted to keep that baby inside me for at least one more week they gave me a shot that stopped my contractions and advised me to stay in bed for the next few days.

Though, it’s really hard to stay in bed or sit on the sofa while there are still so many things to do and with the laundry basket is calling my name.

Since we came back from the hospital I’ve had a few minor contractions but nothing really big and painful. I try to do less. I try to be more lazy. I try to enjoy this time. (Even though I’m having contractions now and then while writing this post 🙂

The only thing that I haven’t changed in my schedule is making my morning spinach smoothie.

A month ago, my doctor prescribed iron supplements, and since then I’ve also increased iron in my diet a little. I tried to bring some of these changes into the family diet but my husband is too stubborn and spinach or beets are too much for his taste buds.

Some of you may remember my post about what a picky eater my daughter used to be. These days, she still has particular taste buds, like her father, but it’s nothing compared to what it used to be. She even likes my spinach smoothies. Sometimes she eats more, sometimes less. It depends on her mood and on the ingredients I use. They are not always the same.

Last time I made a spinach smoothie, I let her play around the table where I was taking pictures for my blog post. On the table was fresh spinach, my smoothie and a few strawberries.

She watched me for a while and after that she started playing with the spinach and feeding it to our dog.

When she saw that we both were interested in that spinach—me by taking pictures and moving it around and our dog by trying to figure out what to do with this green and tasteless thing—she wanted to try it, too.

She ate a few leaves and she shared her smoothie with me. I don’t know if she will do it again but I was really happy that my Little One enjoyed some fresh spinach and nobody had to force her to eat it.

I actually am quite liberal when it comes to her eating habits. She is 21-months-old but often I let her pick what she wants to eat and not having a sweet tooth she always picks a fruit, yogurt, milk or Cheerios, never things like cookies. From an infant who didn’t want to have anything to do with milk today she is a milkaholic…

Many times she does not want to eat what I cook but there is no special treatment for picky eaters in our home. With both her and my husband being a little bit too picky for my taste, the rule is simple:

“I try to make something that I think you’ll like but if for some reason you don’t like it… well… you have to get through it or make yourself a sandwich.”

Sometimes she goes hungry for a while if she doesn’t like what we are all eating at the dinner table and it seems like she is OK with that. After we are done with dinner she patiently waits for her next meal which is a fruit or a yogurt right before bed.

I’m happy to see then, since I’ve started making all kinds of smoothies for breakfast, that my daughter has gotten more open to different flavors, and I know that she gets the nutrition her little body needs to grow healthy and strong.

For moms who want to try to make spinach smoothie for themselves or their kids, here is the recipe:

  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (can be substituted with almond milk)
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 1/4 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1/4 chia seeds
  • handful baby spinach

Using blender mix everything together and enjoy!

Tip: The smoothie tastes better when chilled before serving. Both the almond milk and pomegranate juice can be frozen into ice cubes the night before using them.

How about your kids, do they like healthy food and different kinds of greens or do you have to use tricks to make them eat it?

This is an original post to World Moms Blog from Polish Mom Photographer from California. You can also find her blogging at Mom Photographer

The photographs used in this post are credited to the author.

Ewa Samples

Ewa was born, and raised in Poland. She graduated University with a master's degree in Mass-Media Education. This daring mom hitchhiked from Berlin, Germany through Switzerland and France to Barcelona, Spain and back again! She left Poland to become an Au Pair in California and looked after twins of gay parents for almost 2 years. There, she met her future husband through Couch Surfing, an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals. Today she enjoys her life one picture at a time. She runs a photography business in sunny California and document her daughters life one picture at a time. You can find this artistic mom on her blog, Ewa Samples Photography, on Twitter @EwaSamples or on Facebook!

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