The Best Reusable Pouches For Kids
I think what initially got my son to try this smoothie is that I served it in this reusable smoothie pouch.
I originally bought these pouches years ago, when my son was just a baby, and he would happily drink from them several times a day. He stopped using them a couple years ago, so I was only using them for my youngest, but I decided to give them another shot recently mostly to mask the color of the smoothie, and to mimic the sucking action that he uses with the store-bought applesauce pouches that he loves so much. To my surprise, it worked!
So, I guess the lesson here is never give up and keep trying new smoothie combinations. I hope the kids in your life love this one as much as mine do.
Slimmed Down Healthy Shamrock Shake
These days its pretty hard to get the kids to not want some of those fast food shakes they see all too often on television. This super healthy version is dairy-free, almost fat-free, packed with a protein boost, and doesnt have ANY of those hard-to-pronounce chemical ingredients of the ones sold in the fast food restaurants.
Nut Butter & Jelly Smoothie
This classic salty-sweet flavor combination is bound to be a favorite: PB& J in a sippable smoothie form! Of course, you can use any nut butter that suits your needs. Frozen strawberries act as the jelly, while frozen banana adds natural sweetness so theres no need for any added sugar.
Lusciously creamy, satisfyingly sweet, and with a vibrant pink color that makes it all the more fun to drink. A super simple 4-ingredient smoothie for kids that you can have ready in minutes! Or, serve it as a smoothie bowl topped with fresh berries, nuts, and chia seeds for a more substantial meal.
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Smoothies For Toddlers + Kids
These 15 Smoothies for Toddlers + Kids are an amazing way to get more fruits, vegetables and nutrients into your kids belly! Theyre easy, fast, and delicious. Great for breakfast, snacks, or on-the-go lunch! Plus I give you my tried-and-true best smoothie cups for toddlers + kids.
Tips To Make Healthy Smoothies Appealing For Kids
If you want to ensure that your children are hooked to healthy smoothies, here are a few tricks you can use.
Smoothies can be a great way of including more fruits and vegetables in your childs diet. If your child is a fussy eater, then smoothies may help replenish the food your child left at the table during their last meal. Remember to keep smoothies healthy by avoiding artificial colors and sweeteners. Keeping it natural is the ideal choice for your childs good health.
Try our recipes for healthy smoothies for kids and let us know what you think! Do write to us in the comments section below.
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Can Toddlers Have Smoothies
Yes! Toddlers and kids can definitely have smoothies made with any fresh or frozen ingredients you have. I always start first-time smoothie drinkers off with a sweet pink or blueberry smoothie, but any of the recipes below are fair game. Head over to this post if you are looking for smoothies for kiddos 1 year and younger.
Hidden Broccoli Berry Smoothie
Sometimes you need to trick those kiddos even more, and a green hued drink just wont cut it. So trick your kids into eating their broccoli with the help of some dark colored fruits. This smoothie is packed full of Vitamin C, making is a great immunity booster!
Calories: 350 Fat: 1.5 Fiber: 8 Protein: 4.5 Carbohydrates: 86.5
Hidden Broccoli Berry Smoothie Ingredients:
- ½ cup chopped broccoli
- ½ cup frozen dark cherries
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
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Breakfast Smoothies For Kids
Every morning was the same in my house, I had to beg my kid to eat her breakfast before she missed her school bus. I sounded like a broken record Sophia, eat your breakfast every single morning!
I tried it all, including allowing her to make her own breakfast, which worked, but took way too long! Thats when I started her on Breakfast Smoothies, she gets to fill the blender with the healthy ingredients, press the button, pour the drink and this all happens while I sit, comfortably sipping my coffee.
Can You Save A Homemade Smoothie After Blending
After theyve been blended, yesyou can save any of these healthy smoothies for kids by storing in the fridge! I recommend pouring the smoothie into a mason jar or any container with an airtight lid. Store in the fridge for 1-2 days.
To meal prep smoothies ahead of time, check out my tropical green make ahead smoothies to see how to make smoothie freezer packs! Or, try my peanut butter banana meal prep breakfast smoothies that you can blend and then freeze.
For loads of meal prep ideas and a stress-free prep strategy, check out my Mind Over Meal Prep course! Or, enroll in my Kitchen Confidence course to gain the skills to craft delicious, healthy meals without relying on recipes.
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What Is A Smoothie
WIKIPEDIA The healthfulness of a smoothie depends on its ingredients and their proportions. As products typically using raw fruits or vegetables, smoothies include dietary fiber and so are thicker than fruit juice, often with a consistency similar to a milkshake.
DICTIONARY a thick, smooth drink of fresh fruit pureed with milk, yogurt, or ice cream.
BUSY LITTLE CHEFS A healthy and delicious thick blended drink of whole fresh and frozen fruit, and vegetables, a yogurt or liquid , and other ingredients added to give the smoothie a higher nutritional value.
Strawberries And Cream Oatmeal Smoothie
Kids love strawberries and cream, lets go with it and blend those flavors into a hearty oatmeal breakfast Dont worry if your kids dont like oats, sneak them in and theyll never know theres oatmeal in there
Oatmeal will help keep your kiddo full and focused, and is also is packed full of healthy nutrients such as Manganese and Phosphorus which are important for development, growth and bone health.
Calories: 430 Fat: 6.5 Fiber: 11 Protein: 31 Carbohydrates: 63.5
Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal Smoothie Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
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Copycat Jamba Juice Razzmatazz Smoothie Vegan & Gf
This copycat of Jamba Juices Razzamatazz smoothie has a nice balance of bright, sweet, and tangy. Made healthier than the original version , this recipe is perfect for parents looking for a dairy-free smoothie option for the kids or themselves. Added bonus: theres less sugar in this recipe than there is in the Jamba version. Score!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie For Kids
Last but not least: a lusciously sweet and satisfying chocolate peanut butter smoothie! Its got the irresistible salty-sweet trio of cocoa, peanut butter, and bananas, all blended up into a delightfully creamy drink with some yogurt and milk. Plus, a sneaky dose of superfood spinach that you wont even notice is there! The chocolaty flavor is the perfect disguise for greens, or any veggies you like.
Youve got the option to add a bit of honey, which I think makes this an extra special and treat-like smoothie for kids. But of course, do what feels right for you! Whether you decide to serve it as a drink or as a smoothie bowl, I highly recommend tossing some chocolate chips into the mix for added indulgence. After all, when we enjoy the healthy foods we eat, were encouraged to keep eating and enjoying those foods!
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Veggie Smoothies For Kids
If youre looking for an easy way to start getting more veggies into your kids stomachs, grab smoothies with both hands and run with them.
Especially if you have a selective eater, this is an awesome way to get them used to eating veggies. Rather than hiding them, get them into something thats guaranteed to be loved, so that veggies can start to be familiar and tasty instead of hidden and gross.
Better yet, have your reluctant veggie eater help you make the smoothie.
This is the perfect time for your selective eater and the snubbed veggies to meet each others acquaintance and have veggies become a familiar, safe, tasty food. Then when spinach is in a soup or casserole, its nothing new and doesnt have to be picked out.
For this roundup Ive pulled together some delicious sounding veggie smoothies for kids that will start their veggie smoothie journey off well. Nothing that would be too crazy for a brand new veggie-smoothie drinker. I hope you find a new favourite!
A Healthy Smoothie For Kids
Though some people worry about the sugar in smoothies, I hope you wont in this case. I think we are biologically wired to crave sweet things for a reason they are LOADED with vitamins and minerals! If we avoid eating fruit because of the sugar content, well also miss out on all the other nutrition they have to offer.
In just 1/4 of this smoothie recipe, youll get:
- Nearly 40% of your daily vitamin A requirement
- Over 70% of your daily vitamin C requirement
- 6% of your daily iron requirement
- 5% of your daily calcium requirement
- 2 grams of plant-based protein
- 4 grams of fiber
I think it should also be mentioned that several studies have shown that its nearly impossible to eat too much fruit even when eating 20 pieces of fruit in a day! You can read my full post here about fruit, which includes links to several research studies on the subject.
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What Is The Best Liquid To Use In Smoothies
The best liquid for a smoothie is whatever you like. Adding a liquid can be anything from a dairy product to no-dairy milk alternatives, coconut water, flavored waters, or even plain water. Using any of these can either improve the nutritional content, or enhance the flavor of your smoothie.
I have a friend who uses water in her childrens smoothies to cut calories, and any extra sugar grams. Since smoothies are so flavorful with fruit, water doesnt change the flavor. Add a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Milk They really pushed milk in 1980s ad campaigns like this one Milk it does a body good. Too funny, and corny to us now. Lol! Theres definitely mixed views on the subject of drinking milk. I use dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt, among other dairy products, but havent bought cows milk in years.
When my kids were about 3 and 5 years old , I stopped giving them milk by way of an experiment. Both of them were coughing and were very congested all the time. So I decided to trade milk in for goats milk. This was a hard transition for me, because I didnt like the thought of goats milk.
The transition was easy for the kids and they didnt even notice a difference, but I did. A couple weeks later, no more coughing, and congestion in their chests. I couldnt believe it. Im so happy that I made the change, and Ive never looked back.
Non-dairy alternatives:
- coconut milk
What Kind Of Oats Do You Use In Smoothies
Oats can get a little complicated, so Im going to do my best to simplify this for the love of smoothies.
Its a whole grain food, and commonly eaten for breakfast as oatmeal. They will add thickness, and extra nutritional value to your smoothies. Its high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
So all oats start off as oat groats, which is the whole unbroken grains. Before the groats are processed into any other variety of oat, theyre usually roasted at a very low temperature. What makes the oats different is how much the oat groat has been processed. This results in various textures and cooking times.
Since there are different types of oats, which is best to use in your smoothie?
Rolled Oats, Old-Fashioned or Whole Oats Theyre flat, and slightly oval shaped and still retain a lot of texture. Since it has been processed, the cooking time has been cut down from the original groat. In this form it will be harder to break down in the blender, and result in a heavier texture.
Instant Oatmeal They are pre-cooked, dried, and then rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They also have less texture as rolled oats. This type has the quickest cooking time. Since this has less texture and thinner, it will be easier to blend in the smoothie.
When I grind up the oats, I will usually fill a jar and store in the refrigerator. This way I will have some ready to go when I make the smoothies.
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Ingredients For A Perfect Green Smoothie
This green monster smoothie for kids contains many fruits and veggies to bring the energy they need for the day.
Gather all the ingredients in the jug of a high-speed blender, starting with the almond milk. In fact, its much easier to blend all your ingredients, starting with the liquid.
So all you need to make this simple kid smoothie are:
Tips For Make Healthy Toddler Smoothies
- Adjust them to their personal needs! If you child has a food allergy or a strong food preference, smoothies are easily adaptable.
- If you arent using a high-speed blender, blend a little at a time. Add the greens and the liquid. Blend. Add the banana or/frozen fruit. Blend. Continue this until recipe is done. This will help to ensure you end up with a silky smooth texture instead of one with chunks of fruit and veggie.
- Add more/less liquid to get ideal consistency! Some kiddos like their smoothies thick like a milk shake, some want them thinner. Play with how much you add based on the personal preference of your child!
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Smoothies For Toddlers With Food Allergies
If your toddler has food allergies, its easy to adjust a smoothie for them. If they are allergic to bananas, use 2 tablespoons avocado instead or try a teaspoon or two of nut butter. Use whichever type of milk you preferalmond, flax, coconut, rice, dairy, or even kefir.
We tend to use Silk Protein Nut Milk, Ripple Milk, or New Karma Flaxmilk in our smoothies.
Adjust Consistency As Needed:
Sometimes your smoothie may come out thinner or thicker than you prefer, and that is okay. This is a really easy fix, and with a few tweaks, you can make your smoothie come out to the consistency you prefer.
-
For a thicker smoothie: Add in more frozen fruit, banana, yogurt, and/or ice. Re-blend and adjust as needed.
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For a thinner smoothie: Add in more liquid, such as juice or milk and re-blend to desired consistency.
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Healthy Smoothies For Kids
What better way to get some fruits and veggies into your kids diet than a refreshing smoothie! These 10 healthy smoothies for kids are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or even a delicious snack.
I dont know about your kids, but mine get so excited when I give them a smoothie! Maybe it reminds them of an Icee or other frozen drink, but I dont complain because I know Im feeding them something really nutritious. You can pack so many healthy foods into a smoothie .
These healthy smoothies for kids are great to give your kids for breakfast, or send in fun smoothie pops for lunch. We also love them as after school snacks! The possibilities are endless with smoothies.
Mangos and peaches make a refreshing and dairy-free smoothie your kids will ask for again and again. For best results, use frozen fruit.
- 1 ½ cups almond milk
- 1 cup diced peaches, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup chopped mango, fresh or frozen
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Inspired by one of my favorite baked goods, this smoothie is low in carb and high in protein. P.S: theyll never know the spinach is there.
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large handful baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
Super thick and full of that coconut flavor, this is one smoothie that tastes like a dessert without the guilt so you can enjoy it for breakfast or a treat.
- 3 bananas
- ¼ cup almond butter *
- 14 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut flakes
5. Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
- 1 banana, frozen
Best Smoothie Cups For Kids
The Elk and Friends Glass and Silicone Cups are my #1 favorite smoothie cups. The straws have stoppers so they cant be yanked out, and the silicone sleeves make them super durable . Ive literally thrown these cups on the floor to make sure they wont break because if Im telling you something is durable, Im gonna make sure its durable! and Ive never had an issue.
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