Do you like smoothies?
If you’re experiencing the difficulty of living a healthy lifestyle and losing weight – you’re not alone. As a busy professional, I put all my time and energy into work. I couldn’t resist those snacks, desserts, and sugary drinks.
The result?
My belly was far from being flat, and I felt exhausted frequently – physically and mentally. I looked for a solution without success, until I got a gift– a basic blender.
Then it hit me – I needed to eat more vegetables so making smoothies with vegetables and fruits could be my answer and solve one of my eating problems – skipping breakfast. I could change all that by tossing some ingredients into the blender each morning and enjoying a delicious, nutritious, and satiating breakfast on the go!
Fast forward a few years later and my belly is completely flat, I feel more energized than ever, and almost never get sick. And I now study nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
You don’t need to change everything in one day. A smoothie in the morning is a great start, and could make a substantial difference.
Call out: Be aware, though, it may be so delicious and fun to make that you’ll soon want more than just one smoothie a day.
Serving Sizes
Kids do not need adult sized smoothies! Serving portion sizes that are too large can contribute to excess calorie consumption and subsequent weight issues.
If you are making smoothies for toddlers, 4 oz. is plenty. For an older child, 5-8 oz. is appropriate.
Focus on the veggies! Most any veggie can be added to a smoothie in fresh, frozen, or cooked form.
Throw in a handful of greens or ½ a cup of frozen broccoli. Use beet or carrot juice as a base. Mix in some steamed carrots or green beans.
Always aim to have more veggies than fruit in a smoothie
Remember:
- Children 2-3 years old only need 1 cup of fruit per day.
- Children 4-8 years old only need 1-1 ½ cups of fruit per day.
- Children 9-18 only need 1 ½ – 2 cups per day.
Strawberry Dream Smoothie
This smoothie is a great “gateway” smoothie into the world of veggie smoothies.
The strawberry, banana, and yogurt flavors overpower that of the veggies making it a great way to sneak some veggies into your unsuspecting child.
Steaming the vegetables prior to adding them contributes to the wonderful creamy texture. Tell your little one there are veggies in this smoothie after they drink it and they may not believe you!
Servings: 1 medium (2 servings for a smaller child)
¼ cup broccoli
1 carrot, chopped
¼ cup green beans
¼ cup frozen strawberries
¼ frozen banana
¼ cup vanilla greek yogurt
4 oz organic milkInstructions
Steam broccoli, carrot, and green beans until tender (about 5 minutes). Combine cooked vegetables with the remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend well, pour into a glass, and enjoy! Optional: Slice a fresh strawberry halfway and slide onto the rim of the cup for a garnish!
Kids Protein Smoothie
When it comes to kid’s smoothies, it is easier to overdo it with protein powder designed for adults.
This smoothie helps you to meet your grandchild’s protein needs without turning to powder.
It has a subtle sweet flavor that kids will love. The milk, yogurt, and walnuts all provide natural protein content without going overboard.
Add in ½ a cup of veggies and ½ a cup of fruit and the nutrition content of this smoothie is hard to beat!
Servings: 1 medium
½ cup milk
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
½ cup frozen spinach
½ frozen banana
1 tbsp ground walnuts
Combine all ingredients in blender. Mix well and serve immediately.
Milkshakes are typically very high in saturated fat and refined sugars – three things that kids do not need more of in their diet.
This smoothie uses the creamy deliciousness of avocados and bananas to create a super healthy kid’s milkshake.
It’s true, the avocado does add a fair number of calories to this shake, but they are calories that come from healthy fats which are essential for kids brain development! And avocados are also packed with magnesium, B-6, and and vitamin C! Talk about brainfood!
Healthy Chocolate Milkshake
Milkshakes are typically very high in saturated fat and refined sugars – three things that kids do not need more of in their diet.
This smoothie uses the creamy deliciousness of avocados and bananas to create a super healthy kids milkshake.
It’s true, the avocado does add a fair amount of calories to this shake, but they are calories that come from healthy fats which are essential for kids brain development! And avocados are also packed with magnesium, B-6, and and vitamin C! Talk about brainfood!
Tip: The amount of cocoa powder can be adjusted to your liking. Or if your little one prefers vanilla milkshakes, skip the cocoa and use a vanilla nut milk and vanilla extract!
Servings: 1 small
Ingredients
- ¼ an avocado
- ½ frozen banana
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 oz cashew milk
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in blender. Mix well and serve immediately.
Optional: Garnish with extra banana slices and a few chocolate chips on top.
Daniel Pelegreen
Daniel Pelegreen is a “smoothie guru,” founder of Easy Healthy Smoothie where you’ll discover natural, easy nutrition hacks for maintaining a healthier lifestyle and tackling excess weight, fatigue, and stress. For more recipes and smoothie ideas follow his Pinterest and Twitter