If your children (or husband) are anything like mine, then you often see raised noses at dinner time. Unusual foods, textures, colors, or smells can send them running to hid under their beds and leave plates full of food.
I know that this is all part of growing up and learning to step out of comfort zones and try new foods. However, what do I do in the meantime? I’m not the type of mother to sit and force-feed my children nor am I going to let them starve.
I do practice the “eat what’s placed before you as I’m not making separate meals for everyone” parenting style. One way that I’ve found to get the kids, and yes even the husband, to get those healthy vitamins and minerals is to blend them!
Enter The Smoothies
Yes, smoothies are fun, healthy and incredibly easy to make for snacks or even a lunch. I love being able to “hide” foods and even things like Omega-3 oils right in the smoothie. Here is a great smoothie recipe from my friend, Dr Heather Manley, ND, author of Human Body Detectives:
Berry and Banana Smoothie
Smoothie With Cousins
Owen and Max’s (a.k.a. The Cousins) favorite ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Banana
- Dump of milk (adjust in to how thick you want the shake to be)
- Some yogurt
- Protein powder
Directions:
With the help of older cousins or your parents, put everything in your blender and mix up until smooth. Pour into glasses and add straws if you like! Cheers!
Merrin and Pearl’s favorite smoothie recipe ingredients:
- Mangos, strawberries and a banana
- Blueberries, peaches and a banana
- whey or rice based protein powder ( 1 or 2 scoops)
- cod liver oil ( 1 tsp or so)
- probiotics (when mom is around!)
- water or milk – rice, almond, cow’s whatever you fancy
Directions:
Blend away!
Smoothies are super easy to make – so easy that the kids can do it themselves. Check out how the Human Body Detective cousins make their own Smoothie With Cousins
What are your favorite ingredients to hide in a smoothie?
Pinned your recipe! Sounds delicious!
Love smoothies! Especially with strawberries. Visiting from the Alexa blog hop! I hope you can drop by in return too. Great to meet via the hop! I happen to have a family movie giveaway going on too that includes the book, feel free to enter!!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
we love smoothies! I like to sneak in some spinach every once in awhile too!
We put frozen spinach in ours during the winter too 🙂
Love the smoothies! They help me with my lack of pregnancy appetite and give the kids a nutritious snack disguised as a frozen treat!
Exactly – great for getting something in the prego system and fun for the kids!
My kids love smoothies.
Ours too 🙂
Thanks for all those recipes! I also add flaxseed to some of my smoothies that I make for the fam.
Visiting from Soulemama–so many great ideas in this post! We also love smoothies and I am making some to freeze for quick snacks. We vary from using whole milk to coconut milk in our smoothies. I’ve also added cooled chamomile tea to smoothies.
This definately can make it easier to get some healthy foods into the little ones. I have an 11 year old who dislikes veggies and I am always trying to find ways to get her to eat them. Thanks for sharing!
Those smoothie sound delicious. I have never made one, although always wanted to. My children would love one…I think I need a blender! 🙂
I love your smoothie recipes. They're great.
You sneak cod liver oil in there? Amazing that they don't detect it. I didn't make separate dinners when the kids were small, but I'm a little more accommodating of the few dislikes they didn't grow out of now that they are much older. Guess it's not my job anymore to introduce foods, just to make a meal we can all enjoy. I tend to just not make entrees with mushrooms, for example, we'll be eating more of those when the youngest moves out. I never made them eat anything or commented on it if they didn't eat something, just reintroduced a small quantity at another time.