Friday, March 4, 2016

All-Natural (No-Added Sugar) Fruit Smoothie for Kids

Bubble Gum Fruit Smoothie -- my girls' favorite!
 My kids love smoothie. Everytime I announce that I am going to make smoothie, it is like a special celebration to them. I don't know why. Makes me wonder if most (if not all) kids have the same reaction.

Adding sugar in a home-made smoothie is a no-no to me. I always try to make all-natural, no-added sugar smoothie. If the smoothie is not sweet enough to their taste, I use all-natural ingredients like raw honey or fresh apple juice.

Fresh Orange Juice as Base

Fresh orange juice is my favorite base for most of the smoothies I make for the kids. Fresh apple juice is second. Orange are quite cheap during orange season. So, it is best to stock them. I know what you are thinking. They go bad if you stock too much.

Well, I just realized that I can freeze fresh orange juice. This idea just popped into mind when I got tired of juicing them everyday for smoothie. I asked myself, "Why not freeze 'em?" What splendid idea it was! Saves me a lot of time each morning, doing my kitchen playtime.

You might ask, if I also freeze fresh apple juice. Honestly, I have not tried yet. Because I don't use it a lot, I did not think of freezing apple juice. I usually just add fresh apple juice in smoothies to sweeten the cold treat.

Taste Like Bubble Gum Smoothie

Ever heard of a bubble gum flavored smoothie? Actually, I just heard it from my girls. That is how they describe the flavor of their favorite smoothie. So, what's in the smoothie that tastes like bubble gum?

There's 4 main ingredient:
  • orange juice
  • blueberries
  • strawberries
  • bananas
They both love different flavors of the all-fruit smoothies I make, but the "bubble gum smoothie" is their most favorite.

All of the ingredients I used to make smoothies are frozen. I forgot to mention that I thaw the orange juice (take them out from the freezer and move to the fridge overnight) before using it. Otherwise, my blender will not do the work that it's suppose to.

Additional Smoothie Ingredients

There are a few in my list of healthy ingredients that I add to smoothies.
  • chia seeds - rich in protein, omega 3, fiber, calcium, and antioxidant
  • peanut butter - packed with protein, enhances flavor when making banana smoothie
  • raw honey - loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, known for antibacterial and antimicrobial properties
  • cinnamon - well-known for so many health benefits like diabetes, heart disease, weight loss, and more
How to Make Creamy Smoothie

I like my smoothie creamy and so are my kids. Normally, if the smoothie I make has the consistency that I want by just using all-fruit ingredients, I leave it just like that. However, if the consistency is still thick, I add a non-dairy ingredient to get the right consistency, which actually makes the smoothie creamy. That ingredient is --- soy milk or almond milk. My older daughter is allergic to anything dairy, so, we always have a stock of soy milk or almond milk in the fridge.

All-natural, no added sugar fruit smoothie for my kids (for Dada and Mama too) are always the best! It's not only delicious, but most importantly, it's healthy!

No comments:

Post a Comment