Want Your Kids to Drink Green Smoothies? Check Out These Tips

I just had to snap a quick pic of Elijah drinking a green smoothie while he was catching up on YouTube vids.

I remember when he wouldn't even drink them!

Today he's loving this one with kale, mango & banana.

Green smoothies are a perfect way to get your picky eater to get more vegetables into his/her diet.

You can use raw spinach, swiss chard, lettuce, kale and other green leafy greens that are packed with high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium.

💥Tips to get your kids to drink green smoothies💥

• Use spinach and Swiss chard instead of kale to start since those vegetables aren't as strong in a smoothie.
• Also, use less greens and more fruit in the beginning -- then gradually add more greens as they get used to it.
• For younger kids, (who won't drink because of the GREEN color), use a plastic cup with a lid and straw instead of a glass, so they can't see it.😂😂
• Use blueberries as your fruit to hide the green color

Just in case you're interested, here's the smoothie combination I used for the one Elijah is drinking above:

1/2 cup of water

1 cup kale

1 medium ripe banana

1 cup frozen mango

Blend until smooth. Add more water, if necessary.

Enjoy!

Share your own smoothie tips in the comments!

Green Smoothies for Clear Skin

I'm working on clearing up my skin from the inside out and loving my green smoothies again.

Watch me make the smoothie recipe below and let me know what your favorite green smoothie combination is. :-)

Apple Green Smoothie

by Brown Vegan

Prep Time: 5

Keywords: beverage vegan

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 2 apples, cored
• 2 cups of raw spinach
• 1 banana, frozen
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup coconut milk

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

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Further Reading:

Green Smoothie Health Benefits

Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder on the

Health Benefits of Smoothies

4 Ways to Get Your Kids to Drink GREEN Smoothies (VIDEO)

The first time I gave the boys a kale smoothie they looked at me like I was crazy. It was 2008 and let's just say we were new passengers on the "eating better" train.  Elijah outright screamed "no!" and ran from the kitchen. Even though Jason was curious, he also refused, and Brandon reached for the cow's milk beside the blender instead.

Things are a lot better these days.  Even though kale isn't their favorite vegetable in the world, they no longer give me hassle about drinking/eating it.

*Choose your fruit wisely- Pineapple & bananas are my go-to kale smoothie fruits because they're super sweet and tend to be inexpensive. Also, they do an excellent job of reducing the bitter flavor that raw kale has. I like to make sure the fruit is frozen to make it more appealing.

*Less kale/more pineapple.  Don't feel like you have to fill your blender to the rim with kale. Start off by adding a little kale to each smoothie, then gradually increase each time.

*Let them help-I never forced the boys to drink green smoothies but having them help me naturally led to *tasting* it.

*Don't give up! Keep offering green smoothies and they will eventually try it.I never in a million years thought my kids would drink them but persistence paid off! *patting myself on the back* 

Bonus tip: One of my Youtube viewers suggested using a cup opposed to a glass when serving green smoothies to younger children. Since it's sweet, they may not care about the color once they start drinking it. 

In conclusion: Green smoothies are an acquired taste for kids.  Don't be afraid to add a little agave nectar or use spinach instead of kale.  Spinach is an excellent choice because (unlike kale) it isn't bitter and you mostly just taste fruit.

Watch me make a kale salad & kale smoothie with Jason below. 

How do you get your kids to drink green smoothies?