Super-Simple, Kid-Friendly Smoothies

Smoothies are hugely popular in my house, even with my kids who claim to not like many fruits, or yogurt. Funny how that works. Funny, but genius, because since my kids were in high chairs, I have been serving them smoothies that were healthy without them even knowing it.

The good news is that smoothies are extremely flexible. If your house doesn’t drink cow’s milk, you can always substitute with almond, rice or soy milk. You can use the yogurt of your choice and honey or agave are both great natural sweeteners (used sparingly).

If you prefer to use juice in your smoothies, use the juice of your choice – orange, apple, cranberry or even coconut water. I have used water in a pinch with no impact on the final result. You just need a little liquid to loosen the consistency up a bit.

More keys to a good smoothie:

1. Use ice, or better yet, frozen fruit, to make sure your smoothie is frothy (If you use frozen fruit, then no ice needed). Insider tip: Freeze ripe or overripe peeled bananas in a zip-close bag to use in future smoothies.

2. If you are using plain yogurt, add a splash of vanilla and a drizzle of honey or agave to sweeten the smoothie up a bit. If you are using vanilla or a fruit-based yogurt, no additional flavoring or sweetener needed (but most definitely optional!).

3. If you want to pack some additional nutrients, feel free to add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, ground flax seed, wheatgerm, or flax seed oil to your smoothie.

4. All of these recipes are easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled, so you can make them for the whole family.

5. In my opinion, smoothies are not a make ahead drink – they are best consumed right away.

Here are my favorite super simple kid-friendly smoothies (and share your favorite smoothie combos in the comments section!):

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

1/2 banana

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup orange juice

Drizzle of honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined and frothy. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Blast Smoothie

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined and frothy. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie (“The Elvis”)

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 banana

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Ice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined and frothy. Serve immediately. If you really want to guild the lily, you can add a drizzle of chocolate syrup prior to blending. Delish!

Mango Orange Smoothie

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

1 mango, cubed (or one cup frozen mango chunks)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup vanilla  yogurt

1/2 tablespoon honey

Ice (if needed)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined and frothy. Add ice if desired. Serve immediately.