beet smoothie
Let's face it, vegetables aren't the easiest thing to get a toddler to eat. Put a plate of fruit in front of mine and she can't shovel it into her mouth fast enough. Veggies, on the other hand, are inspected, cherry-picked, and often left on the plate. Of course, she's got her favorites like: broccoli, green beans, and peas. But then there are the untouchables like: asparagus, mushrooms, and beets. I don't know what it is about them, but my daughter (like many adults I know, come to think about it) cannot stand beets--no matter how they're prepared or what they're served with... unless they're in this smoothie.
This smoothie was kind of a last ditch effort to get my daughter to eat some beets and add something new to her diet. I've been buying the precooked packages of Love Beets from Costco because I happen to Love Beets... See what I did there? 😉 💁🏻 So, since I had a bunch sitting in the fridge, I decided to just add one into her usual "Princess Smoothie" (all the ingredients below minus the beets--she calls it that because it's pink, duh). And it was a huge success! She said it was delicious, finished hers, and asked for more. So we started making them as a regular afternoon snack (yea, we've been enjoying them quite a bit lately... see the photos below). I enjoy mine in a bowl with a spoon because I like to put ALL the yummy toppings on mine! I give my little one hers in a cup with a straw and a spoon. She likes to eat it with a spoon, sans toppings, until it gets too melted to not make a huge mess. Then she finishes it with straw.
I even took it a step further and added a handful of spinach a couple of times. The first time, I just snuck it in without her seeing and she didn't notice any difference in taste. The second time, she caught me... but it didn't turn her off to drinking it like I thought it would. She tried it and said "I can't believe it has lettuce in it and tastes so good." Spinach and beets for the mom win!
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 mins. | 0 mins. | 5 mins. |
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
- 1.5 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 large or 2 small cooked beets
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Toddler Tip:
Sneak a handful of spinach or kale into the blender for some extra nutrition! Your little one won't taste the difference!
