Every once in a while I pull out pictures of my 2 boys as babies. There’s the older one with a bowl of rice and spinach on his head and a big smile on his face. And there’s the younger boy with pureed carrots and peas mashed into his cheeks. See, I tell them, you were so happy when you ate whatever I gave you.
They were the best eaters until one day they weren’t. So I do whatever I can to get healthy food into them. I put peas on their pizza, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on their broccoli, and even put chocolate in their milk.
My younger son drinks milk every day, all the time, but the older one only wants it if it’s doctored in some way. His favorite of course is chocolate milk. I add a tiny bit of chocolate and he drinks it up.
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| Milk and Chocolate Milk in souvenir Hogsmeade mugs |
But the way I love to give him milk is in a smoothie. There’s so much nutrition in their morning smoothie that I don’t have to worry when they go the rest of the day without eating much of anything. There’s no added sugar, just really good ingredients.
He gets protein and calcium from milk and greek yogurt. He gets fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin C from blackberries, raspberries, and dark sweet cherries. And lastly, he gets potassium from banana or mango. Serve the smoothie with a bowl of oatmeal and you have a power breakfast that kids will love.
We experiment smoothie recipes all the time, but this one is our family favorite. The cherries make it especially delicious.
Mixed Berry with Dark Sweet Cherry Smoothie
2 cups frozen fruit (Trader Joe’s Mixed Berry and Cherry Mix)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 banana
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mango or orange juice (optional to taste)
Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
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