Green Smoothie recipes have been making the rounds online lately. If you’ve been thinking about trying green smoothies, Anne Thacker, a registered dietician with Vitamix, and the mother of two young children, has a few hints for veggie smoothie success.
Do: Let kids help.
“I let my kids help me wash the produce and then put some of it into the blender,” Thacker says. “If they’ve helped make the smoothie, they’ll usually drink it down, too.”
Do: Put it in a bright-colored cup.
Thacker’s daughter, Mary, 5, likes smoothies with kale mixed in while her younger one, Sarah, is still getting used to the added veggie flavor. “Sometimes the color can turn my younger daughter off,” Thacker says. “But, in her colorfully designed sippy cup, the green hue isn’t an issue.
Do: Pair sweet fruit with leafy greens.
Thacker likes to match certain vegetables and fruits whose flavors meld together well — for example, spinach with pineapple, kale with grapes. “A little sweet mellows out the flavor of greens.” Another tip: Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavor of the smoothie.
Don’t: Start with all veggies.
Use a 4:1 ratio for fruits to greens to start out. As your kids begin to enjoy smoothies up the amount of greens.
Don’t: Throw out extras.
When Thacker has leftover smoothie she pours it into popsicle molds in the freezer. “A green color isn’t as unusual for a popsicle,” she says.
Don’t: Give up.
It can take several attempts before your child learns to like veggie smoothies. Try out different produce combinations to figure out what.
