So, before I had children I always (wrongly) assumed that children who didn’t enjoy eating vegetables were picky because their parents didn’t expose them to a variety of vegetables on a regular basis. How quickly I realized that this just isn’t the case. No matter how much colorful vegetables I put on my boys’ plates, there are some that they just won’t eat. I will be the first to admit that getting them to eat their daily amount of vegetables can be a real challenge. I have however found one way to ensure they get dark leafy greens (full of iron and calcium!) in every day: green smoothies!

Today I am going to share our go-to green smoothie recipe that we make fairly often. Of course, this can be catered to your family’s own tastes and whatever you have on hand. Also, just a warning: I do not measure, so these are rough estimates. When I say “handful” keep in mind I am talking about my hands which are kind of petite, and when I say “spoonful” I am referring to the bigger spoon that usually comes in a cutlery set. Lastly, this recipe yields enough for two adults and two toddlers (usually two 16 oz. cups and two 6 oz. cups). Here we go!

Ingredients
– 3 generous handfuls of greens
– 1 banana
– 3 spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, your choice (we usually use either plain or vanilla)
– 2 spoonfuls of flax or chia seed
– 3 handfuls of frozen fruit (we use mixture of strawberries, pineapples, mangoes and peaches)
– Enough juice to make your desired consistency (we use half orange and half apple juice)

Directions
1.) Place ingredients in your blender in the order listed.
2.) Let your toddler lick the yogurt spoon.
3.) Be sure your have enough juice to get your blender going, adding more if needed.
4.) Serve the green goodness and enjoy!

Now, you are sure to enjoy this recipe as it is, but again feel free to experiment however you wish! Some days we are just in a strawberry-banana mood, so we leave all the other fruits out and it is still yummy. Also, if you wish for the smoothie to be dairy-free, by all means leave the yogurt out or replace it with coconut milk yogurt. If you don’t usually keep flax or chia seed in your house it is not necessary, I just try to look for ways to get some in my system ever since I developed gallstones my second pregnancy.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does!

Do you have other creative ways to get your children eating their veggies? If so, please share!