Toddler Fruit Smoothies

Here at OAMM we LOVE smoothies!  We have posted several recipes for them, from the Green Supreme Smoothie, to the Strawberry Orange Smoothie to the Fruit and Yogurt Freezer Smoothie Bags.  Grownups drink them for breakfast, big kids get them for after school snacks, but what about the little guys? When I am menu planning for my upcoming daycare week, there is always one snack that falls in the smoothie category.  Since I am not a short order cook, and like to serve everyone the same thing, I had to come up with a way that the 9-18 month age kids could enjoy the same yummy snacks.

After a little trial and error I found a suitable option for the younger eaters. I knew I needed to make the consistency thin enough for them to drink without losing the fruit flavor of the drink.   Digging through my basket of sippy cups, I found an option with a more flexible drinking area, that had a larger hole,and that would allow for a thicker consistency drink to go through.  Then choosing my favorite smoothie recipe, I diluted with milk to the desired, drinkable consistency while blending.  (Note, if you are preparing for children under 12 months of age, make sure the fruits you are using in your smoothie have already been introduced)  I chose to prepare the smoothies for the big kids first, then diluting what was left in the blender for the younger ones.  The result was perfect, the little ones were so excited about the new taste they were drinking!

Toddler Fruit Smoothies

Lisa@ Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C yogurt, any flavor
  
• 1 1/2 C fruit, fresh or frozen
• 2 Tbsp juice, (we prefer orange or apple)
• 1/4 – 3/4 cups of milk for diluting to the desired consistency for your toddler

Directions:

Combine yogurt, fruit, and juice in blender.  Pulse several times to blend up the larger fruit chunks.  Slowly add milk, a Tablespoon or two at a time, until you reach the desired, drinkable consistency that works for your toddler.  Pour into sippy cup.

Freezing Directions:

Transfer any left over smoothie to a freezer storage bag.  TO SERVE: Thaw on counter top for 1 hour.  Knead bag with hands, adding extra milk to reach desired consistency.  Pour into sippy cups.

Servings: 4

**conversion chart image provided by Erik Spiekerman

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 12th, 2012 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.