Easy Rainbow Smoothie
This sweet and tangy smoothie blend, created by my (at the time) 8 year old son, contains a rainbow of colors along with a variety of powerful nutrients (vitamins A, B, C, D, & K, calcium, fiber, protein, antioxidants, and omega 3's). It's simple enough for a kid to make, but tasty enough for the whole family to enjoy. It can be enjoyed at breakfast, snack-time or even as a dessert!
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups Wyman's frozen mango berry fruit blend (you can also substitute 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1/2 c. frozen blueberries and 1/2 c. frozen mango)
- ½ cup frozen pineapple
- 1 cup frozen baby spinach (freezing fresh baby spinach can take the edge off of the "green" flavor)
- ½ cup strawberry, low-fat yogurt (I like Stonyfield Organic Kid's because it's lower in sugar than many comparable kid's yogurts and doesn't contain artificial food coloring)
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 cups 100% pomegranate juice (Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry-Pomegranate Blend is a budget-friendly alternative)
Instructions
- Add ingredients to blender in order listed. You may find it helpful to use the measuring lines on the blender to measure the frozen fruit.
- Blend on low for 30-60 seconds. If needed, stop blending, remove lid and use spatula to push the smoothie mixture down the sides.
- Replace lid, and blend on high 1 more minute.
- Smoothie textures can be variable. To test the texture, remove blender from base and with the lid tightly closed, put blender in the pouring position to see how thick or thin the mixture is.
- Adjust smoothie consistency as needed by adding more liquid (juice or water) to thin the mixture or by adding more frozen fruit to thicken the mixture. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips:
- Weight Gain-If you're using this smoothie as a breakfast replacement or as a weight gain shake, you can increase the protein and calorie content by adding 1 scoop of kids vanilla protein powder like Healthy Heights or Orgain and/or by substituting flavored whole-milk Greek yogurt for the low-fat yogurt. You can also add an extra tbsp of flax seed or chia seeds to increase the calorie and protein content or toss in an avocado for an extra 40 calories per serving.
- Dairy-Free-If you need a dairy-free alternative to yogurt, try SO Delicious Dairy-Free coconut milk yogurt alternative.
- Rainbow Smoothie Bowl-To turn this recipe into a smoothie bowl, simply reduce the amount of juice to 1-1 ½ cups to make a stiff, blended texture. Scoop out of the blender with a spoon or spatula, and top with your favorite colorful rainbow toppings such as bananas, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, nut butter, coconut, granola etc.