Smoothie Recipes For Kids

If your child is getting sick often, it's time to focus on prevention. With proper nutrition and lifestyle changes, the need for antibiotics and doctor's visits should be greatly diminished as your child will be getting sick less often or not at all.

One way to ensure that your child is eating enough of disease-preventing, nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds is by making them green smoothies (check out my book on Amazon Kindle with smoothie recipes for kids and tips how to start green smoothie drinking routine in your home).

When your child tries a delicious, sweet smoothie, such as these two strawberry banana smoothie recipes, he or she will be consuming loads of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fats and fiber - all of which that are essential for good health.

You don't even need to tell your kids what's in the smoothie - unless they ask.

When making smoothies for your kids, it's important to focus on proper ingredients. There are many recipes online that include lots of processed sugars, processed juices and dairy.

For maximum health benefit, you want to include only the healthiest ingredients, that your child probably isn't eating enough of - namely, fresh fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds.

Yes, I'm recommending that you add greens (such as lettuce, spinach, kale or collards) and some vegetables (such as celery stalks, cucumbers, etc.) to your child's fruit smoothie.

This may seem like a radical move, but trust me - smoothies made with these ingredients are delicious. My son has been drinking them for years and he loves them. Unlike salads or other healthy dishes, they are easy to prepare, consume and clean up after.

They truly make healthy nutrition effortless!

Note: I highly recommend that you read the book "Disease Proof Your Child" by doctor Joel Fuhrman. He is a top-notch nutrition expert who has done extensive research and has healed thousands of patients using mainly nutritional modifications.

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 cup strawberries or other berries or peaches (fresh or frozen)
• 1 banana, very ripe
• 1 cup water

Blend all ingredients until the smoothie is very smooth and creamy. Depending on the speed of your blender, this can take from 10-20 seconds to 30-60 seconds. It's important that the smoothie is really creamy, otherwise your child may complain, and it may be difficult to drink using a straw.

Pour into a pretty glass, insert a straw and serve it to your child.

Other ingredients to add to your child's smoothie:

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 cup of non-dairy milk, such as almond, soy, flax, hemp, coconut, etc.
• 1/2 cup of instant oats
• 1-2 tablespoons of nuts or seeds (walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, sesame seeds, etc.)

Tip: Make a full pitcher (or two) of smoothie in the morning for the whole family to drink.

Enjoy!

If you are concerned that your child may object to the color or taste of this drink, you may try serving it in a colored glass, and or even skip the spinach and use only celery initially. Celery will not color the smoothie, so it's a perfect ingredient for a beginner's smoothie.

Green smoothies are a healthy addition to any child's diet. If you are struggling to get your little one to try their smoothie, the following 10 tips will help.

1. Get Your Child Involved

One of the easiest ways to get a child excited about a food is to let them help you with the preparation process. Have your little one choose a fruit or vegetable to add to the mix. Let them help you measure out the necessary ingredients and put them in the blender. Your child is much more likely to drink the smoothie if they are excited about what they have created.

2. Give it a Name

Once you finish making the smoothie, help your child come up with a name. Does the smoothie look like a character from one of their favorite books or movies? Well, probably not, but let's be creative here for a moment! LOL.) Naming the drink adds an additional element of fun to the process.

3. Make Some for Yourself

Pour yourself a glass of the green smoothie, too. If your child seems hesitant to try the drink, don't stress them (or yourself!) out by engaging in a drawn out conversation about the smoothie. Simply pick up your glass, drink it and mention that you liked it. Most kids want to eat and drink the same things as their parents, so that simple action is often enough.

4. Add a Straw

Kids love straws. Pick up a special one in anticipation of smoothie day, and add it to the drink. Make sure to clean the straw immediately afterward, however, because it will be difficult to do so even a few hours later.

5. Make it Special

If your child is really uncertain about the drink, give it a little something special by adding a bit of whipped cream to the top. You can even go all out and add a cherry if you would like. Make sure your little one knows that you won't do this every time, however.

6. Go Easy on the Green

For your child’s first smoothie, you don't want to go overboard and add too much green. Instead, focus on fruits and just add a little bit of veggies. As time goes on, you can increase the amount of vegetables in the smoothie and decrease the amount of fruit. Eventually, you should be able to create a concoction that has the appropriate amount of green vegetables for your child's daily needs.

7. Choose Simple Greens

Don't get too complicated. Pick greens that don't have a terribly strong taste, like kale or baby spinach.

8. Be Consistent

If your child doesn't drink the smoothie the first time, don't get discouraged. Continue to present the drink to your child on a consistent basis. Eventually, the "newness" will wear off and they will be more willing to try it because it is familiar to them.

9. Focus on the Presentation

Put the smoothie in a special, "big kid" glass to get your little one excited about drinking it.

10. Be Healthy All Day, Every Day

Make healthy eating the norm in your family. Serve healthy snacks. Don't allow your child to eat foods that aren't healthy if they haven't had their smoothie for the day. And, always make sure to praise them for their healthy food choices!

Green smoothies are a great way to ensure that your child is getting the vegetables they need to live a healthy life. Remember, it often takes a while for a child to accept a new food. Keep trying, and healthy eating habits will soon become routine for your family!