January 14, 2014
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Do your kids shy away from “green” smoothies? If so, then you are going to LOVE this recipe for a healthy chocolate green smoothie.
It’s creamy, packed with nutrition, and FULL of amazing flavor!
Benefits of a Green Smoothie for Kids
While leafy veggies on a plate can often get an immediate “nope” from kids if you blend them into a creamy chocolate smoothie, you just might be able to get another serving of veggies into your child’s daily intake.
The spinach in today’s green smoothie has powerful nutritional benefits for kids, since it’s filled with important vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, beta carotene and more. Kids need these ingredients to stay healthy and keep a strong immune system up and running. And because there is that general problem of having them eat as many veggies as they should, disguising them in a smoothie is perfect!
Ingredients
This chocolate spinach smoothie has a kid-friendly texture, delicious flavor, and tons of nutrition! Yes, the entire family will love it!
Here’s what you need:
- Milk: regular or non-dairy milk.
- Unsweetened cacao powder or chocolate protein: the key ingredient to disguise the “green” part of this smoothie.
- Almond butter: adds healthy fats and a delicious flavor. You can also use another non-nut butter.
- Raisins or dates: to sweeten the smoothie naturally, without adding extra sugar.
- Spinach: the green camouflaged element packed with nutrition!
- Bananas: more nutrients and natural sweetness. Ripe bananas are sweeter!
How to Make a Spinach Smoothie with Chocolate
Making this epic chocolate spinach smoothie couldn’t be easier. Just grab the ingredients and blend to get a perfect breakfast you and your kids can enjoy at home or sip on-the-go.
- Blend
In your high-speed blender, add milk, unsweetened cacao powder or chocolate protein, almond butter, raisins (or dates), spinach, bananas, and ice. Follow this liquid to solids order. Blend in your smoothie cycle for about 50 seconds to 1 minute until all items are incorporated. - Serve
Serve the smoothie immediately, and enjoy!
How to Get Kids to Drink Green Smoothies
First, you need to get a blender that will actually blend all of the ingredients together. I used to think a blender was just a blender, until I got a Blendtec. Gone are the days of gritty protein smoothies or kale that won’t fully blend—not to mention the slush texture most other blenders left behind when you add ice. If you’re adding leafy greens to your smoothie, make sure they’re blending all the way into the drink so that your child doesn’t come across any stems or leaf flakes.
Color is Everything
Make sure that the spinach is truly hidden in the color of the smoothie. The chocolate in this one, hides away a lot of the green, and makes it easier to convince the kids to give it a try.
You can also half the amount of spinach when you’re first starting out, and slowly transition into adding more greens as kids get accustomed to the (extremely subtle) flavor.
I love to pack these smoothies for lunch and the kids feel like I’m sending them with a treat! Who wouldn’t want a little bit of chocolate with lunch?
Chocolate Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups milk or nondairy milk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder or
- 3 tablespoons chocolate protein
- 3 tablespoons almond butter or non-nut butter
- 4 dates pitted, or
- 2 ½ tablespoons raisins soaked in hot water and drained when softened
- 1-2 handfuls spinach
- 3 bananas frozen
- ¼ cup ice
Instructions
- In your high-speed blender, add all the ingredients in the order listed (always in a liquid to solids order). Blend in your smoothie cycle for about 50 seconds to 1 minute until all items are incorporated.
- Serve immediately.
Jennifer
What do you use for your chocolate protein?