I’ve been making green smoothies for my kids forever. When I have my act together, I freeze individual Ziploc packets with 2 servings and just add ice, a liquid, and blend. That rarely happens though, so I usually end up making smoothies with what I have on hand. In New York, I used berries most often (with banana added for sweetness) because they were easy to buy frozen. In the Philippines, I make tropical smoothies using fresh mangos and/or bananas. Although I’ve turned Charlie onto local fruit like guyabano (soursop) too!

Green-Smoothie-Recipe

I never measure and just eyeball it. I typically use milk as the base for the kids, water for me. Add a fistful of greens, typically spinach or kale since they are most readily available frozen. Then add any fruit combination you like. Bananas are great because you can freeze them once they’re overripe, and they add natural sweetness. I always add a heaping scoop of the superfood trifecta of hemp seeds, ground flax seeds, and chia seeds. Add ice, blend, and serve!

Flax and chia are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber, which is important for my kids who regularly struggle with constipation. Hemp is a great source of omega-6 fatty acids and protein. You can’t really taste these when mixed into smoothies, and they all pack a big nutritional punch. Be sure to grind your flax seeds or purchase them ground to get the full nutritional effects, and store both them and hemp seeds in the fridge or freezer as they go bad quickly.

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Hemp seeds are pricey because they come from the same plant as cannabis (marijuana) and it’s illegal to grow in many states even though the seeds do not get you high. They have a light nutty taste and are hypoallergenic. When Charlie had a dairy sensitivity as a baby, we gave him hemp milk!

Nutritious and delicious. What do you put in your green smoothies?