I very well could be the only person who craves smoothies when its -2 degrees outside. I think it might be my body's way of telling me that it's time to back off the stale Christmas cookies for breakfast. Who knows. Smoothies were one of the cravings I had when I was pregnant with Teddy, though that could have been because it was August and I was, well, big and hot (not the sexy kind). I've been hooked on them ever since and they've become a staple in my family's diet.
When Teddy was 9 months old, after so many sleepless nights and tears of frustration (from both of us), I gave him a tiny bite of hummus, which resulted in immediate hives all over his face followed by a whole lot of gagging. At that point, I had had enough. I called his pediatrician who gave us a referral to an allergist who agreed to blood testing (they usually don't blood test on children that young). When we got the results back, the test showed that Teddy was highly allergic to wheat, sesame (a main ingredient in hummus), dairy, egg, peanut, and tree nuts. I felt terrified and overwhelmed, but also relieved. We finally had some answers! What had previously been diagnosed as reflux and colic was actually food allergies, and after a drastic change in my diet (I was breastfeeding) and his, Teddy was a like a new, much happier baby.
(Side note: Over the past two years Teddy has outgrown his dairy, egg, and tree nut allergies, which has made life much easier, but we still maintain a mostly wheat/gluten free diet in our house and avoid peanuts and sesame.)
While things improved tremendously, it was not without a lot of stress. If you are a mom of a toddler, you've likely agonized over their diet at some point along the way. If you are a mom of a toddler with severe food allergies, you do this daily. I threw out most of the foods that had previously been staples in our diets. A food did not enter his or my body before the label and ingredients were thoroughly examined. And life now revolved around finding and making healthy things we could actually eat. I made the choice to breastfeed on a very strict diet until Teddy was two, partly because I enjoyed our toddler nursing relationship, but mostly because it helped ease my worries that he wasn't receiving an adequate amount of fat, protein, and calories elsewhere. But after he turned one and was nursing less frequently, I started to look for more ways to get good, wholesome food into his body. Smoothies ended up being key. You can squeeze (and hide) so much goodness in a smoothie! I've made many different combinations of smoothies over the years and there are far too many to list them all, but a few of my favorites include:
-Strawberry, Banana, & Spinach (your kid won't even taste it)
-Banana, Sunbutter (this is just a nut-free alternative to almond or peanut butter-feel free to use those), & Chocolate. I love this smoothie for boosting fat and protein!
-Blueberry, Banana, Beet, & Spinach
-Mango, Pineapple, & Spinach
-Coconut, Pineapple, & Banana
-Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Banana, & Spinach (I call this one Bananaberry and it's the one I've made for this post)
Are you sensing a spinach-y theme here? Some of these smoothies will be green in color because of the spinach (you can also use kale, I just prefer spinach). This has never bothered Teddy, as we usually just make them sound fun by calling them "green monster smoothies." If your child has an aversion to green foods, you can ease them in with any of the ones that include blueberries or beets, as these tend to do a good job of "masking" the green-ish color.
When Teddy was younger, he mostly just drank the smoothies out of a cup with a straw. We still do this when we are on the go or running around outside in the summer, but once your child has mastered using a spoon, smoothie bowls offer a whole new opportunity for making smoothies fun and adding even more healthy goodness via toppings!
So, without further ado, I give you the Bananaberry Smoothie Bowl
You'll want to put all of your ingredients in the blender with the leaves on top (otherwise it doesn't blend as well). You can also blend the spinach with the yogurt and liquid first to make sure there are no chunks, but my blender seems to do an okay job without that step. The key to getting a nice, thick smoothie that's good for spoon eating is to not add too much liquid! You just need a splash of coconut milk or water- just enough to get it going in the blender
Once it's all blended well, you can pour it into a bowl and let your child go to town "decorating". You can make this really fun by having them make different designs or faces. A few of my favorite toppings include:
-Granola: I love the Kind brand because there are tons of options that are gluten free. This one has quinoa, which is an awesome source of protein, fiber, magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese
-Chia Seed: Great source of fiber, protein, and omega-3's
-Raw Cacao Nibs: Lots of fiber, iron, and magnesium
-Almonds: Have tons of protein, fiber, and vitamin E
-Pumpkin Seeds: Great source of zinc, omega-3's, and magnesium. I recently read that magnesium can help with morning sickness. I wish I had known this when I was pregnant with T because I would have been buyin' up ALL THE MAGNESIUM FOODS.
-Raisins
-Coconut Flakes
If you have a picky eater, let them choose the toppings! Chunks of fruit, chocolate chips, sprinkles- anything works!
-About 1 C Blueberries
Place all ingredients in the blender with spinach on top (or blend spinach first with yogurt and liquid). Blend thoroughly, pour into a bowl, and top with toppings of choice (scroll up for some suggestions)
Enjoy!!
In the end you get a beautiful, delicious smoothie bowl that both you and your little one can enjoy!
Banaberry Smoothie Bowl (serves 2ish)
-About 1/2 C Raspberries
-8ish Strawberries
-1 Banana
-2 Large Spoonfuls Greek or other yogurt
-2 Handfuls Fresh Baby Spinach
-1 t Fresh Ginger (I just break a small piece off, scrape of the skin, and toss the chunk in)
-Splash coconut water or coconut milk
No comments:
Post a Comment