We drink a lot of smoothies and shakes at our house. We have learned some tricks along the way and now have girls that wake up and ask for these healthy treats for breakfast.
Preparation Time: 10
Cooking Time:
Yield: 0
Description:
For our smoothies we tried cups of green: a "Green Monster". A "spinach shake" just doesn't have the appeal of a "Green Monster"!
Ingredients:
1cup almond milk (you can use any kind of milk)
1 ripe banana
approx 1/2 c of baby spinach
three ice cubes
1 ripe banana
approx 1/2 c of baby spinach
three ice cubes
If your banana isn't sweet and ripe, you can add a little honey. You can increase the amount of spinach a bit at a time – you don't want to turn them off of green shakes by going "too green" early on. The Junior Chefs at momstown Milton who made this had fun taking turns adding ingredients to the blender.
It is a good idea to blend the spinach and milk until there are no recognizable pieces of greenery left. This makes for a great green colour, and most kids won't be thrilled sucking up pieces of spinach through their straw! Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
The varieties are endless and you can ask your child to help create the fun smoothy names (Monkey Milk is a fun one for banana flavours!). Banana is great for sweetness and spinach is great for nutrients. Adding 1/2c of baked sweet potato, or pumpkin (cooked fresh, or canned), cucumber, berries, 1c of fresh or frozen mango, or unsweetened apple sauce all add sweetness and nutrients to your drink. The kids got a kick out of drinking the delicious green smoothie! Some asked for seconds (and thirds)! Makes a perfect afterschool snack for older kids!
