Are you having trouble getting your kids to eat enough “good-for-them” food? Do they love milkshakes? Then here’s a suggestion to try! Fruit smoothies! Fruit smoothies are so versatile and quick and easy to make! Only a few ingredients are needed to make them and you can make them so many ways.
I most often use my Ninja Professional blender for the job but a regular blender should work fine. When making a bigger batch, I use my VitaMix blender. The smoothie pictured above is a Pina Colada Smoothie which I had for breakfast yesterday. Mmmm! I took 1 banana, several chunks of frozen pineapple and coconut milk and blended it all together until smooth. Very refreshing! Its great to use some of your ingredients in the frozen state as that helps your drink be nice and cold and tasty. But you’ll also need a liquid in order for your smoothie to be drinkable and so it will mix together nicely. There are many books written on the subject and tons of places online to find recipes but you really can just throw together whatever sounds good to you. Here are some ideas to get you started:
For the liquid: coconut milk, almond milk, regular cow’s milk, rice milk, apple juice, grape juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, iced green tea, etc
For the frozen fruit: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pineapple, assorted berries, cherries, etc
Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, pears, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, assorted berries, cherries, kiwi, etc
Other tips: Adding kefir or yogurt is great too and helps give the smoothie a creamier texture plus adds in more goodies for little bellies. If you prefer to use fresh fruit instead of frozen, you can add some ice cubes to help make your smoothie cold enough. Try freezing the liquid ahead of time in an ice cube tray and pop those in with fresh fruit.
For anyone that is feeling a bit braver, or whose kids like vegetables, add in veggies too! Carrots are a great one to start with. Frozen kale adds lots of nutrition and isn’t all that noticeable in the flavor. We have used frozen broccoli before or even fresh lettuce, but you can definitely taste them in the smoothie. There are also all kinds of green veggie powders you can add or even protein powders. A touch of cinnamon, vanilla or honey is great too.
Drinking it out of an awesome cup is always fun too! And with a straw! 😉 You really can make smoothies in soooo many ways! They’re great for grown-up kids too! Give it a try and let me know what you (and your kids!) think!
The Kids Niche 