Kids usually find a smoothie really appealing because this is a finely blended liquid made of a selection of fruits, vegetables and milk or yogurt. It could also be just veggies or just fruits too and without milk and yogurt. Kids love them for their creamy texture and want to drink a taller glass as they grow older.
Whatsmore, these drinks are devoid of any preservatives and can be had safely at any time of day. So, go ahead and think up the most innovative combination of fruits and/or vegetables. Else, follow the recipes given below–all 22 of them!!
Smoothies for toddlers
1. Vegetable Smoothie
This recipe ensures that your toddler gets the best of dark, leafy greens and strawberries in a thick, creamy drink.
Ingredients:
¾ cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen strawberries
3-4 large bunches of fresh kales
6-8 baby carrots
1 tub yogurt
1 ripe banana
Method:Thaw the green beans and berries and then put all the ingredients into a food processor, blend it for a few minutes until you get a smooth and thick liquid. Pour out into a lidded cup with straw.
2. Carrot Smoothie
This one is rich with the abundance of carotene, so right for your baby’s growth and development, particularly his eyes. He’s going to enjoy this drink which has all the sweetness of strawberries, banana and peach.
Ingredients:
3 baby carrots
1 banana
1 peach
4 strawberries
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
Method:Add in all the ingredients in a blender and combine until smooth, rich and creamy.
3. Raspberry Banana Smoothie
Give your child his daily dose of calcium with this smoothie, made of berries, bananas and milk.
Ingredients:
6 raspberries, fresh or frozen
½ banana
⅓ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
A few ice cubes
Method:Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Pour it out in your kiddie’s cup and watch him enjoy it.
Green Smoothies for older kids
These smoothies are made from dark, leafy green vegetables and are rich in essential nutrients–so good for kids’ physical and mental growth. Try them out.
4. Kale Banana Smoothie
This is the coming together of bananas and spinach in a unique combination.
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped kale
1 banana
1 teaspoon flax seeds
½ cup unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Method: Grind flax seeds in a blender and add chopped kale, bananas, maple syrup and soy milk to the blender. Blend for two minutes and serve fresh.
5. Spinach Apple Smoothie
Does your kid make a face when he sees spinach on his plate? Now, disguise the spinach by blending it with his favourite fruits–apples and bananas and watch him gulp it down with sheer pleasure.
Spinach is good for children because it is rich in essential minerals that help with all-round growth and development. It also contains magnesium and calcium that are critical to bone development. Iron and potassium help with haemoglobin production while potassium helps the child’s brain to develop. Vitamins help with overall body functions in children, to develop a child’s vision and build immunity.
Apples provide children with the energy they need to learn and play, being rich in carbohydrates. They are also rich in dietary fibre that gives a sated feeling and ensures smooth and regular bowels. Pectin in apples helps with digestion, prevents cancer and cholesterol development and treats diarrhoea.
Boron in apples help strengthen bones so that they prevent children from developing osteoporosis in adult life.Boron also helps to build muscle, cognitive skills and muscle coordination.
Ingredients:
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup grapes, seedless
1 tub vanilla yogurt
Method: Peel and slice the banana and put it with the grapes, chopped spinach, yogurt and apple in a blender and blend for a couple of minutes till it turns soft and creamy. Serve immediately.
6. Cucumber Melon Smoothie
Cucumber is rich in Vitamins A, B6, C, E and K, of which Vitamin K helps children in bone development and blood coagulation. It also improves their immunity levels, prevents them from being dehydrated and prevents constipation. It also contains silica, which helps with the growth of healthy hair and nails.
Melon is very nutritious for toddlers and growing kids as they are rich in a slew of vitamins, so they help in a child’s overall growth and development. They are also rich in zea-xanthin, which protects children from UV radiation entering their eyes. Melon also boosts their immunity.
Ingredients:
1 melon
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 cup green grapes, seedless
Method: Peel the honeydew melon, remove the seeds and dice it.Add the melon cubes, green grapes, cucumber pieces and mint leaves to a blender and blend for a minute.Serve fresh.
7. Nutrient-rich Smoothie
This smoothie has it all for kids–nutrition, taste and visual appeal. So, give them more and more of it. The spinach content gives them strong vision, and has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties too. Bananas and oranges are both rich in Vitamin C, while the former is also rich in potassium that’s good for bone development in kids. They are energy boosters, aid digestion, prevent anaemia and increase brain power.
Ingredients
3 large handfuls of baby spinach, washed
3 sprigs of fresh mint
1 ripe banana, large
1 large orange, peeled
250 ml mango or apple juice
Method: Add chopped banana, orange sections, spinach, mint leaves and juice it in a blender. Pour it into glasses.
Fruit Smoothies:
8. Papaya Smoothie
Papaya has an abundance of Vitamins A and C, which stimulate bone and brain development, boosts immunity and overall development of a child’s system. It also boosts digestion. It is also rich in dietary fibre and antioxidants that keep children healthy.
Ingredients:
1 papaya, peeled and diced
1 cup low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon flax seed
Crushed ice
Method: Peel and dice the papaya. Add it to yogurt, pineapple chunks, flax seed, coconut extract and ice and put them all in a blender. Blend it for two minutes and pour the smooth mixture in your kid’s cup. Serve immediately.
9. Creamy Date Smoothie
Dates help overall development of kids, due to their abundance of vitamins and minerals. While calcium and magnesium help with bone development, potassium helps with brain development. The dietary fibres in dates help relieve kids of constipation.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup halved or pitted dates
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup crushed ice
Method:Pour milk in a blender and add the dates to it. Blend both for a minute and then add crushed ice to it and blend for another minute or so. Serve immediately.
10. Banana and Avocado Smoothie
Avocadoes are delicious and lend a creaminess that no other smoothie can. Add to this the super healthy nature of bananas to make a super special smoothie kids will love. Avocadoes are wonderful for kids’ brain development, and for the fact that they are abundant with Vitamins B6 and C, and magnesium–all wonderful brain food. Bananas, as you know, are great for overall child development, muscle function and bone development.
Ingredients:
¼ avocado
½ frozen banana
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz cashew milk
Method: Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse it for a few minutes and pour out the liquid into your child’s cup.
11. All Berries Smoothie
Berries are rich in antioxidants, making this a highly nutritional breakfast smoothie for your child. Blueberries support bone development, cognitive development in kids. The flavonoid content in raspberries help sharpen the mind, and keep eyes healthy. Strawberries protect kids from scurvy, boost kids’ immunity, aid digestion and keep their eyes healthy.
Ingredients:
1 cup mixed berries of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
1 cup low fat yogurt
2 small bananas
1/2 cup crushed ice
Method:Blend the berries, yogurt, sliced bananas, and ice for a minute, or until you get the desired consistency.Serve fresh.
12. Green Grape Smoothie
Grapes are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Their sweet, something tangy, taste can add flavor to the green smoothie. Here’s how to make one of the best grape smoothies for kids.
Ingredients:
2 cups seedless grapes
1 banana
1 cup spinach leaves
1/2 cup of low-fat milk or water
1 cup parsley
Method: Wash the spinach and grapes thoroughly.Slice the banana and add to other ingredients in a blender. Blend the ingredients to a thick shake consistency and serve.
13.Banana Smoothie
Give the health benefits of bananas to your child in this one cupful of smoothie. It is rich in Vitamin C and potassium, aiding your child in bone development and heart problems.
Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Water for consistency
Ice cubes (optional)
Cinnamon powder
Method: Blend banana and milk until it becomes a thick sludge. Add water and brown sugar for about 10 seconds.Blend it again for a minute and pour it in your child’s cup. Garnish it with cinnamon powder and serve cold.
14.Blueberry Smoothie
Blueberries are so steeped in nutrients that they are considered the healthiest fruits, and so they are recommended for kids too. Their antioxidant content reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease and betters brain function in children.
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch nutmeg powder
Method: Blend blueberries with milk and yogurt for a minute so that it forms a thick and creamy liquid.Add nutmeg powder, water and sugar and blend till you get a thick consistency. Serve fresh.
15. Strawberry Smoothie
Strawberries are good for kids as they help kids have a good memory, good eyesight and good immunity.
Ingredients:
8 strawberries
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ice cubes
Method:Add strawberries to milk, vanilla extract and sugar and blend them till it turns into a smoothliquid. Add ice cubes and blend again. Serve immediately.
16. Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie
Chocolate gives your kid all the protein he needs for bone building, apart from the yummy flavour.
Ingredients
2 frozen ripe bananas, chopped
1/3 cup frozen strawberries
2-3 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp salted almond butter
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (optional)
1.5-2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Dash of stevia or agave nectar
1/3 cup ice
Method: Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
17. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Smoothie
Laden with proteins, this smoothie can be very beneficial to your child in the long-term. Peanut butter and bananas are both loaded with proteins, which is so good for growing kids.
Method: Add all the ingredients in a blender, blend for 30 seconds and stir the liquid. Blend once more and then pour it into a glass, garnishing with oats and banana slices. Serve immediately.
18. Banana and Oat Smoothie
This combination is great in taste and for its health benefits to kids. For one, bananas give kids an energetic start to the day while oats help in digesting their food better.
Ingredients:
150ml semi-skimmed milk
1 medium banana
3 tablespoons oats
Method: Blend all these ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Enjoy!
19. Raspberry Quinoa Smoothie
Raspberries in this smoothie help raise immunity, prevents cancer development and infection. Quinoa is a protein, so it provides the body with all the necessary amino acids. It is an excellent resource of fibre.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup Greek plain yogurt
1/2 cup raw quinoa
2 cup raspberries
2 cubes ice
Method: Cook quinoa and cool it. Add the ingredients into the blender and pulse it. Pour the liquid into glasses and serve one to your child.
20. Banana and Avocado Smoothie
Bananas give children enough energy to go through a school day and play too. They also aid digestion, help the body functions perform well and keep the mind alert.
Ingredients
¼ an avocado
½ frozen banana
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz cashew milk
Method: Add all the ingredients in the blender. Pulse them for a few minutes and serve it immediately. You could garnish it with any remaining banana slices and some chocolate chips.
21. Banana Split Smoothie
A glass of this smoothie will give your child a healthy headstart to his day. The goodness of bananas help children have good bones, excellent memory and high fibre for good digestion.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
2 cups frozen strawberries
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat chocolate milk
Method: Combine all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse it for a couple of minutes. Pour the liquid into your child’s cup and watch him gulp it down eagerly.
22. Berry Blast Smoothie
Here’s a great smoothie to start the day with.
Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup low-fat milk
2 cups mixed berries–strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
Method: Combine all the ingredients in a juicer and pour it into a glass for your child.
Conclusion
It’s a great idea to give your kid a smoothie every day. Not only is it easy for you to include a variety of veggies or fruit in a drink, but it is also pure nutrition in liquid form. For fussy kids who have definite likes and dislikes, this is a good way of getting them to have even what they don’t like.
Resources:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/amazing-health-benefits-of-berries.aspx#02
http://inhabitat.com/inhabitots/7-kid-approved-organic-vegetable-and-fruit-smoothies/
