Kids love this delicious and healthy smoothie, full of antioxidants and untraceable but powerful green baby spinach! Perfect for when you need a food project and a healthy treat.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
I’ve been looking for ways to keep my young kids healthy while also keeping them engaged and entertained. I’ve found that so far food projects have been a great answer! We had some spinach left over and I wanted the kids to eat it, but I knew they would never go for it if they actually had to taste it. That’s when I decided that I would make a hidden spinach smoothie that my kids would actually like.
My kids are really good about eating fruit, but not always so gung-ho when it comes to eating veggies. Smoothies have been a great solution to solving our lack-of-vegetable problem. We have been making this hidden spinach smoothie each morning. Now they are getting a serving of spinach along with yummy fruit, and they are drinking it right up without tasting the vegetable inside. You honestly can not taste the spinach!
A big part of the success of the smoothie is that I’m letting my kids help me make it. My 4 year old loves being in charge of peeling the banana and counting out the ice cubes. My 1 year old also helps with adding the banana and the frozen fruit. (I am in charge of pouring the liquids and manning the blender, though. I leave the blender unplugged until it’s my turn to turn it on, then they know to back up and cover their ears.) They are both much more interested in enjoying the finished product when they get to help make it. Even though my 4 year old knows we are putting spinach in there, he sees that it “disappears” once you blend it up.
FUN FACT! In high school I had a part-time job making smoothies for a well known smoothie chain part-time, therefore you could say that I have experience as a professional smoothie maker. One thing I learned was that there are best practices when it comes to making smoothies. For example, for best results you always put the liquid in first, then ice, then solids.
Another best practice is to blend everything until a small cyclone appears in the center of the blender. This means that all of the ingredients have combined into a smooth, liquid state and you won’t have chunks in your drink. If your smoothie needs help getting to the cyclone state, you can always add a little more liquid. You can also take the entire glass jar off of the blender and give it a few shakes. This will help mix the ingredients.
Many smoothie places use frozen yogurt or sherbet in smoothies, but this adds a lot of unnecessary sugar. I find that using a banana and milk gives the smoothie enough creaminess without accidentally turning something that is supposed to be healthy into a dessert.
Hidden Spinach Smoothie (kids will actually like!)
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1 cup milk of choice (we use 2% milk or soy milk)
- 5-6 cubes ice (approximately 1/2 cup)
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- 1 medium banana
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all ingredients in the order they are listed. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and a small cyclone appears in the middle of the blender. Enjoy!
This smoothie ritual has made our days stuck inside a little brighter and a little healthier. I wish you good luck and good health!
XO, Sophie
For more fun and easy recipes, check out https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/.
Looks delicious! And what a great way to get the kids involved! I have some kefir that needs to be used so I will try this with that! Thanks Sophie!