Easy Fruit Smoothie Recipe For Kids With Only 4 Ingredients
A lot of you are spending the majority of your time in the kitchen making meals after snacks after meals to keep your family fed.
During this quarantine season, the monotony of feeding kids can quickly become tiresome.
I mean, you can only hear, “I want a snack!” so many times before you start to lose your cool.
I hear ya, mama - I’m right there with you, and I know the weight of keeping kids fed day after day can be an overwhelming load to carry.
Here’s what’s going to help you: having an arsenal of easy meals and snacks that you can quickly put together with minimal ingredients, along with a whole bunch of GRACE for yourself and your kids.
This is a difficult time, and you’re navigating parenting and feeding your kids as best you can under these circumstances.
I want to help you out by sharing some easy, kid-friendly recipes that we’re making at home so that you have some new ideas to try with your family.
Fruit Smoothies for Kids
For me, one of the easiest and quickest ways to feed my kids with a smoothie.
Now that the weather is warming up, I pull out the blender on repeat to throw together a cool and refreshing treat that I know ALL my kids (yes, all of 5 of them) will love.
Smoothies can be a perfect addition to your daily meal rotation, especially when you find yourself getting in a rut or just burning out on the same type of foods.
I love how versatile smoothies are, too. You can really substitute ingredients with whatever you have on hand at the time. It’s hard to mess up a smoothie recipe that includes a combination of yogurt, fruit, and juice. Just throw it all in, blend, pour - and DONE!
You know what they say: when mama’s happy, everyone’s happy. And I know the easier time you can have with feeding your kiddos - the less stressful you will feel.
Not to mention, smoothies are a surefire way to please a crowd. If you’re trying to find something to make your family that everyone will agree on (which is a tall order, by the way - especially if you have a bigger family), then a smoothie can be your answer.
The creamy combination of frozen fruit blended with yogurt is generally satisfying to kids and adults alike - so you really can’t go wrong!
Fruit Smoothies for Picky Eaters
Even the pickiest of eaters tend to be agreeable with smoothies. Fruit smoothies for kids are generally packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and protein that can help keep little tummies satisfied and content.
If you have kiddos who are having a hard time eating vegetables, fruit smoothies can be a great way to help boost their overall intake.
Keep in mind that fruits have a very similar nutrient profile to vegetables. For many kids, fruits are easier to eat, and getting some fruit in (like in a smoothie) can be a yummy and fun way for kids to increase variety with their nutrition.
Some picky and selective eaters do have aversions to certain textures, tastes, and flavors,
Smoother textures, like a smoothie, can sometimes be easier to eat. The flavor of this particular smoothie is neutral-sweet, which can be more agreeable for a child who has flavor sensitivities.
Overall, this is just a super SIMPLE and satisfying smoothie that I know you and your kiddos will enjoy. Best of all, it’s a cinch to throw together and prepare in minutes.
I always feel like somewhat of a superhero to my kids after I make them a smoothie because it’s something they all seem to enjoy. I’d love to share some of that simple joy with you with this easy recipe below:
How to Make a Fruit Smoothie for Kids
Easy Fruit Smoothie Recipe For Kids With Only 4 Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 1 cup Greek Vanilla Yogurt
- 2 ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 ½ - 2 cups of orange juice (I start out using 1 ½ cups of liquid and blend with this first. If the consistency is too thick, I’ll thin it out with a bit more juice)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons nut or seed butter, like almond or peanut butter
Instructions:
- In a high speed blender, add your berries, bananas, nut butter (if using), greek yogurt, and orange juice.
- Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour and enjoy!
*See tip below for adjusting consistency of smoothie as needed.
Fruit Smoothie Tips and Tricks
To simplify your smoothie making process, here are some tips to help you when making this at home:
Layer Your Ingredients for a smoother smoothie:
When you’re adding your ingredients to your blender, the way you add in your ingredients to your blender can help create a more consistent and creamy texture texture.
Try adding your ingredients in this order for a smoother smoothie:
First add your frozen fruit, like the mixed berries, followed by the bananas
Second, add any nut or seed butters, if you’re using them
Next, add in your dairy, like the greek yogurt
Lastly, pour in your liquids (juice) on top of all the ingredients in the blender.
2. Use a Blend of Fruits (Fresh and Frozen):
An assortment of textures from different fruits can help make for a smoother texture and richer flavor. That’s why I like using a combination of frozen mixed berries along with fresh ripe bananas.
Just remember, there’s NO wrong way to make a smoothie! Feel free to use whatever you have on hand or whatever combination of fruits that you and your family enjoy.
3. Adjust Consistency as Needed:
Sometimes your smoothie may come out thinner or thicker than you prefer, and that is okay. This is a really easy fix, and with a few tweaks, you can make your smoothie come out to the consistency you prefer.
For a thicker smoothie: Add in more frozen fruit, banana, yogurt, and/or ice. Re-blend and adjust as needed.
For a thinner smoothie: Add in more liquid, such as juice or milk and re-blend to desired consistency.
4. Repurpose Extra Smoothie Mixture:
If you have extra smoothie on hand after feeding your kiddos, there are a couple options you have to stretch out the uses of your smoothie mix.
If you have popsicle molds, you can simply pour out extra smoothie mixture into molds and stick in your freezer for a cold, refreshing treat to enjoy at a later time.
My kids love fruit smoothie popsicles so much, I sometimes just make the smoothie mix just to use for frozen fruit treats. Check out this post here for a recipe to make refreshing real fruit popsicles for kids (and grownups, too!)
You can also just pour it into an empty ice cube tray for a frozen fruit snack that kids can enjoy too.
Any extra smoothie mixture can also be stored in your refrigerator if you or your kids want to drink it later in the day. Keep it stored in a thermos or pitcher in your fridge for 1-2 days, and just be sure to shake it well before drinking.
5. Minimize Food Waste:
Most parents are more concerned about food waste than ever before, especially during this time where frequent trips to the grocery store are a thing of the past.
I don’t know about you, but I seem to always have a lot of leftover fruit that goes uneaten throughout the course of the week. Or I’ll have the fruit that the kids have taken a few bites out, leaving the rest of it behind. Ugh.
Thankfully, you can repurpose and store these fruits in your freezer to use at a later time. Smoothies are the perfect use of repurposed fruit so you can stretch it out instead of throwing it away.
For overripe bananas, peel and store in a storage bag and keep in your freezer. These are great to throw in for any smoothie recipe!
If you have fruit that your kids have only taken a few bites out of, instead of throwing the rest away, try this: Cut off the bitten part of the fruit and discard. Chop up the remaining fruit and keep in a storage container in your freezer. These can also be used for fruit smoothies at any time.
If you have yogurt that’s close to it’s expiration date, store it in your freezer as well to repurpose later for smoothies. You can also freeze thick yogurt in scoops on a parchment-lined tray until firm and then package it in an airtight container. Then when you need it for a smoothie, you can just throw in a few frozen scoops into your blender.
I hope these tips and smoothie recipe help give you a little breather in the kitchen and while you’re feeding your kiddos.
Remember - you’re doing the best you can with the resources you have, and that is good enough, mama.
If you try out this smoothie recipe, I’d love to hear from you - let me know what you think of it below in the comments.
Cheers to more peaceful and delicious family meals!