Time for a friendly reminder to eat your fruits and veggies! With Covid still lingering and summer fun about to be in full swing, I love having my daily smoothie to get as many vitamins and nutrients as possible.
There are so many amazing smoothie recipes out there, but I like to keep it as simple as possible and use what I have on hand. I’d like to share some great combinations with you and remind you to have fun and try new ingredients yourself!
Start with Veggies
I always start my smoothies with as many greens as I can fit in the blender. It’s difficult for me to get dark leafy greens into my kids (and myself for that matter), so adding them to our smoothie is a great way to disguise these veggies. Spinach is a very bland and smooth leafy green and blends nicely, but adding kale and chard are great too!
Next Add Liquid
To get the greens mixed well, I usually add the liquid next and blend until smooth. My favorite lately has been coconut water, but water, juice, almond milk, and coconut milk are all great combinations. You can also play around with how sweet you want your smoothie to be by simply adjusting what liquids you prefer. 
Time for Fruit
Next, I add in my frozen fruits. Most of the time I purchase my fruit frozen. I find that it’s more affordable this way and I can also purchase various fruits that may be out of season or not grown locally. Mango smoothies are a favorite of my family, therefore frozen and pre-cut are not only much cheaper but cut out on prep time (and prevents my kids from getting sticky in the process).
Don’t Forget Protein
There are many protein powders that can be added to your smoothie to make it a complete meal. I haven’t found any that I love, but I do like to add collagen powder, chia seeds, spirulina powder, and different nut butters.
My kids have all found different combinations they love and it’s been fun having them participate in making their own smoothies. It helps to educate them on nutrition and why their growing bodies need those vitamins. They love drinking smoothies and I love that they are filling their bodies with something so healthy and filling.
Worried about cleaning the blender? I have found that cleaning it right after I’m finished making my smoothies helps the dread of cleaning a sticky mess later. I put a drop of dish soap and hot water in the blender and blend it up for 30 seconds. Rinse it out and leave it on the counter for the next day!
Now that the kids and I will be jetting around this summer, smoothies are a great get-up-and-go breakfast when we are running late. This way they can drink as they get ready and even finish them on the way to our destinations! What are you waiting for? Get blending!