Making sure your toddler eats their share of fruits and veggies can be a daunting task. The solution? A tasty fruit smoothie packed with leafy greens that can double up as an effortless breakfast or snack! Scroll through our gallery below for some delicious recipe ideas.
Before going wild with your blender, there are some things to bear in mind to create smoothies that are equally appealing to your little one as they are healthy.
Taste
There’s little chance that any kid will drink a smoothie that doesn’t taste good, even if they don’t mind the taste of veggies. To create a yummy beverage without compromising on nutrition, maximise your vegetable ingredients while adding just the right amount of fruits to balance out the palette. For example, the mild sweetness of carrots and beets can offset stronger flavours from bananas and oranges.
Gradually decrease the sweetness of your smoothie recipe as your kid grows used to the taste of veggies.
Texture
Chunky smoothies are the worst! A powerful blender should do the trick of smoothening out any lumps, but if you own a more modest model, try chopping or grating your ingredients for a more seamless mixture. For ice cold smoothies, try freezing fruits like bananas or kiwi before adding them into the mix.
Appearance
You might not think twice about downing a brownish concoction, but most kids might kick up a fuss at this “ugly” beverage. To create pretty smoothies that your kid will actually want to drink, stick to a similar colour scheme for your recipes and it should turn out decently. For experimental smoothie days with not-so-pretty result, toss the end result into a coloured, opaque cup so your ‘customer’ can’t peek at it!
Bonus:
To help drum up more enthusiasm for your smoothies, try coming up with kid-friendly names for each recipe. For example, a pinkish strawberry and watermelon blend could be ‘Peppa Pig’s Special’, while an orange-hued carrot mix could be ‘Charmander’s Blaze”. For those with older kids, make a game out of naming each smoothie – the most creative one wins!
