With back to school on the horizon, you need something quick and easy to get the kids going in the mornings. But you don't want to settle with toaster pastries and cereal every single morning because they are full of sugar and your kids like variety. That's understandable. Enter the smoothie. The solution to breakfast on-the-go that can be as nutritious as you want it to be. Smoothies are easy and sneaky ways to get more servings of fruits and vegetables in your kids and your kids will think they are basically ice cream. Here are some of our favorite recipes:
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie:
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ cup milk
½ banana
½ TBL honey
1 TBL peanut butter
Ice
Put ingredients into blender and blend until combined and frothy.
Strawberry Delight:
2 cups frozen strawberries
½ banana
4 frozen broccoli florets
¾ cup grapefruit juice
6 oz. blueberry yogurt
Put ingredients into blender and blend until combined and frothy.
Tropical Green Dream Smoothie:
½ avocado
2 cups frozen mango
6 oz. peach yogurt
½ cup orange juice
Put ingredients into blender and blend until combined and smooth. This one is bright yellow and has a soft-serve ice cream consistency.
Mixed Berry with a Twist Smoothie:
2 cups frozen mixed berries
½ cup fresh spinach
6 oz. blueberry yogurt
½ cup berry juice
Put ingredients into blender and blend until combined. The berries in this one really hide the spinach well.
Carrot Orange Smoothie:
1 cup peeled, chopped carrot
1 orange peeled and chopped
1 frozen banana
1 cup ice
1 cup orange juice
Put the ingredients into blender and blend until combined and smooth.
Beet Berry Smoothie:
1 cup peeled, chopped beets
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 cup ice
1 cup orange juice.
Put the ingredients into blender and blend until combined and smooth.
Everything Smoothie:
½ cup soy milk
½ cup red or green graps
1 orange, peeled, seeded, and halved
½ cup frozen peach slices
½ cup fresh pineapple chunks
½ medium carrot
½ cup fresh broccoli, chopped
½ cup fresh spinach
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
¼ frozen banana
1 cup ice cubes
Put the ingredients into the blender and blend until combined and smooth.
A Few Notes on Smoothies
Smoothies aren't really a make ahead type of beverage, so serve and consume them the same morning. Some of the recipes that require chopping and peeling vegetables could be prepped ahead of time. For example, you can peel and chop carrots the night before and put them in a bag or container for the next morning.
Some even go as far as making "smoothie freezer packs" that contain all of the fruit and vegetables that they need for the blender the next morning. Simply grab and add ice or liquid and you're done. This is a great way to really make this breakfast on-the-go.
You can do these recipes even if you don't have a high powered, expensive blender. A good blender will blend the ingredients easier and smoother, but as long as you are patient and add ingredients in order to your blender, you will get a good result that you and your kids can enjoy.