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A ‘smooth’ way to enjoy spring

Season celebrated at UPCM

These healthy foods are several ingredients made in smoothies during the “Celebrate Spring with Smoothies” event. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

MARQUETTE — Mixing berries and fruits to make healthy drinks was one way parents and their kids could celebrate spring, even though the weather hasn’t exactly been springlike lately.

“Celebrate Spring with Smoothies!” took place on Tuesday at the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum in Marquette, which has a special kitchen set aside for such culinary events.

The event, though, was about more than just sampling smoothies. It was literally a “collaborative” event put on by local organizations.

The Marquette-Alger Great Start Collaborative is a network of educators, early childhood professionals, community leaders and parents invested in quality early childhood and family programming, services and supports, according to the Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency.

The collaborative, which is located at MARESA, houses the Marquette Great Start Parent Coalition, the purpose of which is to support families through programming.

Julian Senior, 3, enjoys a smoothie on Tuesday at the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum. The family-friendly “Celebrate Spring with Smoothies!” event was sponsored by the Marquette Great Start Parent Coalition. With him is his father, James. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

Angela Miller-Porter, the collaborative director, said the two groups work together.

“Apparently it’s really popular,” Miller-Porter said of the smoothie event, noting the many attendees. “Everyone thought it was a great idea to have healthy smoothies and come out and play at the children’s museum.”

Accompanying the various smoothie samples was a list of recipes provided by the Marquette Food Co-op that people could take home and try on their own.

Those recipe combinations, for which water or milk could be added and then blended, were: mango and parsley; peach and spinach; mango and weeds; strawberry, banana and romaine; apple, kale and lemon; kiwi, banana an

d celery; pear, lake and mint; Bosc pear, kale and mint; Bosc pear, raspberry and kale; and apple, orange, banana and kale. There also was a recipe for cherry almond smoothies.

“When you consume greens in smoothie form, you avoid adding the salts and oils often used when cooking them,” the handout from the co-op reads. “And as you incorporate more veggies into your diet, you enjoy them more. People often start to crave greens once they start eating green smoothies.”

Miller-Porter said the collaborative is in every county in Michigan to support early childhood.

Collaborative programming is for youngsters up to age 8, said Shilpa Jhobalia, parent liaison with the coalition.

“It’s pretty much free programming,” Jhobalia said. “There’s Parent Cafes, parent coalition nights and a lot of collaboration.”

Individuals interested in weekly events can visit the Great Start Parent Coalition on Facebook. For example, an upcoming Spring Parent Cafe titled “Knowledge of Parenting and Childhood Development” is set for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 10

Programming materials were developed under a grant awarded by the Department of Education.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.

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