Over the Labor Day weekend I was lucky enough to have Kathrin’s boys, Finn and Bode, accompany their parents to my house for a sleepover. My end of summer schedule has been hectic, however, so there were slim pickings at breakfast time. I did have some yogurt, milk, and a few little goodies I always keep stocked in my fridge and pantry. So, with two willing helpers at my side I decided to kitchen test the next installment of Chefing with Kids: morning yogurt smoothies. According to the boys they are a winner. Come and cook with us!
Fruit smoothies have been on my mind since we began the series. I make them for myself regularly and never get bored of my latest concoction. They are very healthy, and because they don’t have a set recipe they can provide an element of surprise coupled with convenience and topped off with immediate gratification that make them a prime target for cooking with kids. They can be a great place to get some added greens into a diet (a little kale in a smoothie changes the color but not the taste of the concoction). What’s more, if you’re diligent about freezing any leftover fruits you have they can allow kids lots of choice in what they eat.
For Finn and Bode’s smoothies we used what we had available: frozen strawberries left over from the first batches of the summer (Bode found those at the bottom of the freezer), some frozen blueberries (again, Bode’s discovery), a jar of stewed apricots I’d made in June (added after we all taste tested and approved – yum), five or six tablespoons of Greek yogurt, cinnamon and maple syrup, some flax seeds for fiber and omegas, and enough milk to make it drinkable (though spoon fed smoothies are also fun).
Kids learning to cook need enough room to choose, but not so much that they miss out on the healthy elements of food. Smoothies allow this, as their underlying ingredients are simple. Here are my tips for always being ready for a smoothie morning with kids. Come and cook with us!
- Keep five or six fruits cut, stored in plastic bags, and frozen in your freezer. Blueberries, pitted cherries, strawberries, raspberries, cut up bananas, peaches, nectarines, mango and pineapples all work well.
- Any green you have makes a good addition to a smoothie. Have your kid find a few leaves and tear them up into the mixture so they see and feel this element.
- A jar of flax seeds (whole, not ground) can be kept in the fridge, ready for when the blender calls. They are a great source of fiber and omegas, and they bulk up a smoothie while getting ground by the blender.
- Don’t be afraid of a little sweetness in your smoothie – maple syrup and honey are great in small quantities – but cinnamon can bring out the sweet flavors in just about any fruit so try a little of that as a way to cut down on the sugary additions.
- Plain yogurt provides a tang, along with calcium and protein. If you have it, great, add it in. For those emergency breakfast fixes, though, I keep a box of almond milk in the pantry – it keeps for a while and will do the trick in a pinch.
Come and Cook with Us 