Smoothies are a great way to teach kids about fruits, where they come from and all the cool things you can do with them.
By Jonny Garrett
Kids love smoothies! They may not know it yet, but it’s true. And they’re a great way to teach them about fruits, where they come from and all the cool things you can do with them. They make a great summery snack, or a hearty wintery breakfast, or a great energy boost after school.
They’re simple and fun to make and really healthy too when made with the right stuff – which means you’ll both be getting a dose of vitamins as part of the post-Christmas health drive.
If your kids are a bit fussy, here’s a little trick. Get them to try one before you tell them what’s in it – maybe a simple banana and strawberry one with some fat-free yoghurt, milk and honey. A lot of kids don’t like having bits in their juice and yoghurts and it does take some getting used to, so blend their first one for a bit longer to get rid of all the lumps so you have a super-smooth smoothie.
Ask them if they liked it, and when you get an emphatic yes, show them what went into it. Hopefully that will convert them to the idea, and you can try all kinds of exciting combinations.
From then on, making smoothies is a lot of fun, and a really exciting way to teach kids about flavour combos, as well as adding ingredients to taste, because different fruits will need a different amount of honey to give the smoothie the right amount of sweetness. It’s great to let the young ones do it for themselves, because that’s the best way for them to learn. Once they’re feeling a bit more adventurous, try this gorgeous Jamie recipe with them.
Jamie’s a big smoothie fan not only because they’re so quick, healthy and delicious, but because it’s cheap and easy to do too – you can use fruit that’s just on the turn so nothing gets wasted, which is what he does in this video with his son Buddy.
You can also turn smoothies into summer treats by freezing them. Who knew that lollipops could be healthy? The kids certainly didn’t, so they will lap them up and think they’re being naughty!