Healthy & Delicious Smoothies for Kids of All Ages

May 2, 2013
by Heather Brooke
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Fresh Orange Smoothie

fresh orange smoothie, esmoothie recipes for kids

Have you ever wondered how to make a smoothie with real oranges? Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind but then I thought, ‘how will I get rid of the pith?’ I don’t even like orange juice with pulp! So I always pushed away the humble orange in favor of another fruit that I knew would blend well.

Turns out, it’s NOT a big deal at all. The blender blends everything completely! And - added bonus -  the pith is a super healthy part of the orange as a whole, with nearly the same amount of vitamin C as the orange flesh. Who knew?! So this is not only a great recipe for anytime, but an especially fun way for the kiddos to get some extra vitamin C when they feel a little under the weather.

Here’s what I did to prep my orange for our smoothies:

  1. Peel the orange like you would normally to eat it.
  2. Take apart each section and remove any seeds.
  3. That’s it!

I’m almost ashamed at what we’ve been missing around here: a cross between an Orange Julius and the freshest Florida OJ you’ve ever had. Dee-licious!

Without further ado,

How to Make a Healthy Orange Smoothie:

Fresh Orange Smoothie
 
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Cuisine: smoothies, smoothie, drinks
Serves: 1
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Ingredients
  • ¼ cup Pineapple Orange Juice
  • 1 peeled Orange
  • 2 scoops Orange Sherbet
  • ¾ cup Ice

Instructions
  1. Peel your orange normally, and remove any seeds.
  2. Add orange, pineapple orange juice, orange sherbet. and ice to your blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Serve immediately.

 

 

April 29, 2013
by Heather Brooke
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Pineapple Cream Smoothie

pineapple smoothies, pineapple smoothie recipies, recipes, drinks

There’s just something about Summer that calls for refreshing pineapple drinks and this one fits the bill! Tropical fruit drinks make me think of vacation and the beach….

This smoothie recipe tastes indulgent, like a Southern dessert that I can’t think of the name….Dump cake? Hummingbird cake?…… but the only ingredients are pineapples, pineapple juice, and nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt. So it’s much, MUCH better for you!

One thing I love about this smoothie, other than the taste, is that it is super easy. It couldn’t be any easier, really. And the ingredients are staples that you can keep on hand at all times. This is a great smoothie to make if you are craving something fresh and fruity but your fruit bowl is empty. :P

pineapple smoothies, pineapple smoothie recipies, recipe, drinks

Pineapple Cream Smoothie
 
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Recipe type: Smoothies, Smoothie, Drinks, Drink
Serves: 2
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Ingredients
  • 1 can Pineapple in Juice (15¼ oz)
  • 6 ice cream scoops Nonfat Vanilla Frozen Yogurt (approx. 1 cup)

Instructions
  1. Pour the contents of the can into the blender. (The pineapple AND the juice)
  2. Pulse until the pineapple is blended into the juice.
  3. Add the frozen yogurt a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Six scoops was perfect for me.

 

April 18, 2013
by Heather Brooke
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Banana Almond Milk Smoothie (Vegan)

banana, almond smoothie, smoothies, almond milk, vanilla extract, sea salt, maple syrup

smoothies with banana and almond milk, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla extract, vegan smoothies

This is one of the easiest smoothie recipes you will ever see. There are only five ingredients but each ingredient is VERY IMPORTANT. No skipping!

There are a few reasons why this is a fantastic smoothie. Obviously, with just a few basic ingredients it’s a smoothie that you could make in no time. I love it because it has that sweet and salty flavor that I love, kind of like the flavors that you get from kettle corn. YUM! Another great thing about this smoothie is that it’s vegan. While I am not vegan, I do like to limit the amount of cow’s milk that we drink around here. It’s a great option for kiddos with dairy allergies. :)

Without further ado, here’s the super hard recipe. (I kid, I kid)

Banana Almond Milk Smoothie (Vegan)
 
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Recipe type: smoothies, smoothie, drink
Serves: 1
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Ingredients
  • 1 Banana (sliced and frozen)
  • ¼ cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 drizzle of Maple Syrup (on top)

Instructions
  1. Combine banana, almond milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt in blender until thoroughly combined.
  2. Top with drizzle of maple syrup.
  3. Serve immediately.

NOTE: If you only have fresh bananas, you can still make this smoothie, just scale down the almond milk a bit. Pour in a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.

 

April 11, 2013
by Heather Brooke
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Cookie Dough in a Cup

photo f2d32d67-6402-4632-8e46-297adbd00741_zps4eedc93f.jpg
Continuing with my “things in a cup” meme…. Lol!

(Salad in a cup, Cereal in a cup)

So you know I’m pregnant and I’m really trying to control my cravings. I’ve seen various recipes for cookie dough that you could eat but they all seemed either really, really unhealthy or super weird. I mean, how exactly does a paste made with beans taste like cookie dough???? NO THANKS!

I knew I could come up with something better…. And boy did I! Real ingredients + healthy food = the unbelievable taste of a cookie dough milkshake! This one is just a tad different from my usually dump recipes and it might sound a little bit weird, but stay with me here…….

I’m so excited about this one!

The only thing that would make this any better is if someone made it for me. Man, my daughter has got it made! :)

Cookie Dough in a Cup Milkshake Smoothie
 
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Recipe type: Smoothie, Milkshake
Serves: 1
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Ingredients
  • ¾ cup Frozen Yogurt (Vanilla)
  • ¾ cup 2% Milk
  • 1 tablespoon Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 tablespoons Light Cream Cheese
  • 2 teaspoons ripe avocado
  • 2 heaping tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon Brown Sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tablespoons Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions
  1. First you make the “cookie dough”. Combine: avocado, cream cheese, chocolate chips, confectioners sugar, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla extract. Add to your blender.
  2. Add milk and frozen yogurt to blender and pulse until completely blended.
  3. Serve immediately.

 Do you ever substitute avocado for butter or mayonnaise? It’s one of my favorite tricks!

March 26, 2013
by Heather Brooke
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Tropical Tang Green Smoothie

tropical tang smoothie, zucchini, kiwi, mandarin orange, coconut milk, water, chobani banana yogurt, ice, esmoothie recipes for kids

This smoothie was kind of an experiment. The smoothie recipes that I had in my head all needed some ingredient that I didn’t have, so I just decided to wing it. The resulting smoothie was interesting. I don’t think I would make this exact smoothie again, but I did learn that zucchini only adds a slight greenish tint and almost no discernible flavor to smoothies.

Good to know!

I also learned that I just don’t like the tang that plain greek yogurt gives to smoothies. Maybe because I don’t like to use a lot of fruit juice or added sweeteners, but the fruit is not enough to overpower the sour taste of this smoothie. With that said, this smoothie could be really great with just a few tweaks. I’ll show you the recipe I used below, and then a couple of options that I think would taste better.

Obviously not every smoothie can be a winner, and I really kind of deviated from my norm here. But I think it’s worthwhile to experiment once in a while, and you might think this smoothie is delicious just the way it is. Just because it’s not my favorite, doesn’t mean it won’t be yours!

Tropical Tang Green Smoothie
 
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Recipe type: smoothie
Serves: 1.5-2
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Ingredients
  • ½ Green Zucchini, sliced
  • 2 Kiwi, sliced
  • 1 Mandarin Orange
  • ½ cup Coconut Milk
  • ½ cup Water
  • 1 Chobani Greek Yogurt, Banana Flavor
  • 2 handfuls Ice

Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.

If I made this smoothie again, I would choose some of the tweaks below.

Better Options for this smoothie:

  • Substitute orange juice for the coconut milk
  • Substitute a sliced, frozen banana for the banana flavored yogurt (no need to add the ice)
  • Instead of using greek yogurt, use regular banana flavored yogurt