Finding ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our children’s diets can often feel like an unachievable goal. I often wish my kids still had the voracious appetite for fruits and vegetables that they had when they were babies when they would gorge themselves on sweet potatoes and bananas.
In our house, I have found the easiest way to sneak in extra servings of fruits and vegetables is through smoothies. My favorite ingredient to add to my kids’ smoothies is an avocado (see pic of my littlest holding up California's finest). If you haven’t tried it, you would be surprised by the creaminess it adds to the smoothie without an overpowering taste. Avocados are a superfood loaded with potassium, healthy fat, and other vitamins that keep us feeling full and our bodies working properly.
The recipe below will give you a starting point for your next smoothie, but get creative and make it to your preference! When I began adding avocado to our smoothies, I started with a tablespoon and I have slowly worked my way up to one half of an avocado per smoothie. If you don’t have a fresh avocado on hand, you can often find frozen bags at the grocery store.
If you want to cover up the green color from the avocado, frozen berries do the trick! Feel free to add additional liquid as well, depending on your thickness preference. You can also add in a tablespoon of nut butter or collagen protein powder for a little extra fuel.
I can’t say that this method is full proof since kids (and adults) can change their preferences frequently, but 2 out of 3 of my kids will eat avocado in their smoothie. I’m considering that to be a win!
Avocado Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Banana
½ Avocado
2 cups frozen pineapple (or other fruit of choice)
1 tablespoon nut butter
¼ to ½ cup milk of choice or water
Directions:
Defrost frozen fruit in the microwave at 30% power for 1 to 3 minutes.
Place the banana, avocado, fruit, and nut butter in the blender.
Pour the liquid over the ingredients.
Place the lid on the blender and process until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spoon or spatula and process it again.
Enjoy immediately!