Kids never understand nutrition value and the importance of a balanced diet. So it is useless to preach them every day about how healthy broccoli and spinach or for that matter any other green veggie is. However, there are still ways to make them have healthy nutrients in the form of tasty smoothie. You can quietly put in and blend all those vegetables and fruits that they generally don’t eat. So, if like most of the mothers even you are worried about your child’s improper eating habits just try these recipes for an easy to prepare tasty and healthy smoothie.
1. Orange berry banana smoothie
An orange, berry and banana smoothie is tasty and nutritious. Your children will love the flavor. According to ‘Eating well’ magazine, this smoothie can make up for your child’s daily value of 110 percent of vitamin C and 16 percent of fiber.
To make this delicious smoothie, you need to blend together about 1 to 11/2 cups of calcium fortified orange juice with a banana. Add 1 to 11/2 cup of (your choice of) frozen berries and ½ cup of silken tofu or low fat plain yoghurt. This smoothie if taken routinely also replenishes 139 calories, 421 milligrams of potassium and 4 grams of protein.
2. Strawberry peach smoothie
Strawberries and peach, when mixed together taste delicious. The peach balances the tartness of strawberry.
To make strawberry peach smoothie, take ¼ cup of orange juice and ½ to 1 cup of plain yogurt or low- fat strawberry. Add to them a sliced banana, ½ cup of peeled and chopped fresh peach and ¼ cup of fresh strawberries. You can also add crushed ice to chill and thicken the smoothie. A serving of this smoothie can provide your child with 118 calories, 94 milligrams of calcium, 3 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber. You can use calcium fortified orange juice to add to the calcium value.
3. Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie
You can always experiment with the general recipes. For example, to add extra taste and smoothness, you can add chocolate and to increase its nutritional value, you can add peanut butter.
You will need 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, ¾ cup of low-fat milk, 8 ounces of chocolate low fat yoghurt and one banana. Add crushed ice to it too. For a more chocolaty twist you can add 1 to 2 spoons of chocolate syrup. This smoothie is more or less like a diet in itself because it is very healthy. According to the Seattle Children’s hospital website, a 16 ounce serving of this smoothie is enough to fulfill a requirement of 335 calories. It also gives 268 milligrams of calcium, 12 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 3 milligrams of iron, 27 micrograms of folic acid and 11 grams of fat, out of which only 3 grams is saturated (whose high quantity is not considered good).
4. Avocado smoothie
Although, avocado may not sound and look like an ideal smoothie ingredient, it actually makes a delicious and creamy smoothie when combined with sweetener and milk. An Avocado smoothie is a good source of many minerals, vitamins, fiber and heart healthy fats.
Blend together an Avocado which is peeled and pitted, ½ teaspoon of vanilla, 1 cup of low fat milk, 2 table spoons of artificial sweetener or sugar and I cup of cubed ice. According to Disney’s ‘Family Fun’ magazine, a ¾ cup serving of Avocado smoothie will provide kids with 150 calories, 4 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and 8 grams of fat (out of which only 2 percent is saturated).