http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2012/jan/17/228352/

For this week’s food page, I wrote about smoothies — a drink for which my fandom never seems to wane. Which, of course you already know if you read this blog regularly.

My story included a bunch of possibilities for great smoothies, depending on your health goals in the new year.

I have my own health goals in the new year, too, of course, but right now my most immediate health goal is not getting the snotty, goopy cold my kiddo has contracted from his school friends. Though, as the other parents out there know (and non-parents, too, probably), avoiding a child’s cold can be like trying not to get damp in a hurricane.

When kids aren’t feeling well, they want to cling and be comforted and wipe their little noses on something nearby, and it’s probably not going to be on the tissue you handed them five seconds earlier. Rather, your pant leg, sleeve, shoulder or whatever appendage is nearest to that little face is probably what they’re going to go for, especially while feeling all achy and in the mood to cuddle.

Therefore, since last Friday, I’ve been washing my hands constantly, reminding myself NOT to touch my face and trying to combat the kiddo’s cold with my best weapon — a smoothie. The kiddo will drink nearly anything if you call it a smoothie. So, I’ve been working on his immunity and mine with greens in blended form.

A recent favorite has been this one, which involves greens in two forms: spinach and a green powder, which is made up of a plethora of healthy plants from the land and the sea.

I don’t know if it’ll keep this cold at bay (or heal the kiddo any faster), but it can’t hurt.

Double Green Smoothie

1 banana

1 handful spinach

1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon Vitamineral Green or any other green powder (spirulina, chlorella, a mix)

1 to 1-1/2 cups water

Blend all in a blender. Serves 1 to 2.