A couple of weeks ago, my son had a wonderful assignment from school to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I wish I could say this is normal in our house, but it is definitely not.
In order to get my precious fruit and veggie hating boy this amount of nutrition, I had to get creative. I came up with a smoothie that had 3 of these servings in one glass! He loved it. Unfortunately, when the assignment was over, the 5 a day requirement came to a screeching halt. Thankfully, the smoothies were a keeper…
In the Made to Crave Action Plan
“Current research suggests they may play a significant role in promoting health and preventing disease.”
From the four categories of polyphenols he listed on page 111, I was excited to see my smoothie had 3 of the 4 categories covered. I added chia seeds to my recipe and now all 4 are represented in my Kid-Friendly Green Smoothie…
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. Chia Seeds
- 2 TBSP. Honey
- 2 TBSP. 100% Unsweetened Cocoa
- 12 oz. Milk – I use Kroger’s Organic with Omega 3
- 2 frozen Bananas
- 1 cup frozen Blueberries
- 2 cups raw Spinach
Add all ingredients to blender:
Yields approximately two and a half servings:
My adorable son and his smoothie mustache:
He drinks every drop. They are delicious for adults as well. For an even more grown up green smoothie, check out my Back to Basics Recipes.
Thanks for visiting!
Candace I always enjoy your blog and love your recipe. Almost like the ones I make but haven’t used the cocoa. Thanks for sharing this week.
Thanks for your sweet comment, Debbie! This was my first time using the cocoa and honey. It was to satisfy my son, but I really liked it too. It gives me a sweet fix with minimal ingredients.
Thanks for posting what you’ve tried. Love the idea.
You are welcome, Cynthia! Thanks for visiting :)!
Candace,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Because of health issues, I am not able to eat most raw vegetables, so your smoothie recipe makes it possible! Looking forward to trying it out…
Let me know what you think, Wendy! I hope you love it!
Will be passing this post onto my DIL’s…as a grandmother, I’d like to see my grands eating much better! Thanks for your lovely post today~Mary from Group 31
If my son will drink it, I think any kid would, Mary :)! He is so picky. I hope your grandkids enjoy it!
That looks amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I love that it’s “kid-friendly” and may give it a shot for my guys!!
It is the most kid-friendly way to eat spinach I have found, Vashti :). Give it a try! Hopefully they will love it!
I will have to try this. Looks yummy. Sonya from group 31
Thanks, Sonya! Let me know how it turns out :).
Great recipe Candace!:) You know I LOVE my smoothies!! That serving you made is what I have just for myself each day:) I love to let them freeze for an hour first, and then it’s like eating ice cream with a spoon out of the cold glass:) I think if we could get more people hooked on green smoothies we could all be just a bit healthier:) Love seeing your son like these! You should be so proud:)
You do love smoothies, my friend! I think of you often at smoothie time :). I love your freezer idea! I will have to try that. I’m sure my son would like that ice cream consistency too. He was such a trooper. I’m thrilled to see him enjoy something so nutritious.
This looks great, Candace!! Thank you for sharing! I’ve switched to smoothies for breakfast so we’ll definitely have to try this one!
Thanks, Shelly! I love them for breakfast too. It is a great way to start your day with a big dose of nutrients. I even made these at night once, refrigerated them, and shook it up in a shaker cup the next morning. They were still awesome!
oooh, is it bitter at all? i wonder if my 5-year-old will drink this…
I didn’t think it was bitter, Roaen. You can not even tell there is spinach in it. I bet he would go for it! If he doesn’t, you will have 2 yummy smoothies for yourself :).
FUN, FUN, FUN!!!! Thanks for sharing ~ Miriam
You’re welcome, Miriam! It is great for adults too :)!
Thanks Candace for sharing your recipe, I’m going to try this one out. I usually use my juicer but looking for ways to use my blender too.
I love this in the blender because it keeps the peels. I like juicers too, but I think they take away some of the fiber. I hope you enjoy it, Louida!
That looks and sounds delicious!! I haven’t seen a recipe with honey and unsweetened cocoa before. I can’t wait to try it!! 🙂
Thanks, Kim! The honey and cocoa are definitely what makes it so yummy for my son. I could live without it, but it makes it a nice sweet, but still healthy, treat for me too.
I’m going to try this recipe today. I’ve been trying to make more green smoothies for my husband because he does not want to eat his veggies like he should. My son doesn’t eat very many veggies either and he will not try smoothies (he has sensory issues and it’s very hard to get him to try new things). I love shopping at Kroger too, their produce is the best of the grocery stores in my area.
Kroger is the best in my area for produce too, Sonya. When I married my husband over 13 years ago, he ate no fruits or veggies! We were 30 :). I couldn’t believe it because I was a vegetarian at the time. He has come a long way, but he is not a smoothie drinker. I may try these on him. He was out of town when my son and I started them. I hope your husband enjoys them! Sensory issues are tough. My son had them for years. Maybe you could try small sips with your son.
That’s funny that your husband didn’t eat veggies before you guys got married. We loved the smoothies, especially my two-year old. She loves chocolate so she really enjoyed this recipe.
I’m so glad the smoothies worked out for you! Thanks for letting me know! I need to try them on my hubby this week. I think the chocolate really helps with the taste.
Yummy! I never would have thought to add cocoa powder to it. I bet it sweetens it up a bit! My daughter loves smoothies.
Found you at the Blogger’s Digest!
Hi Tiffany! It’s so nice to meet you :). The cocoa definitely sweetens it up. I use the 100% unsweetened which helps it add flavor with none of the bad processed stuff in other chocolate powders and sauces.