Is the leprechaun coming to visit your house on St. Patrick's Day? The leprechaun's gold might remain elusive, but your kids will be thrilled to find a rainbow of delicious drinks instead. They don't have to know how healthy they are!
Smoothies are an easy way to get much-needed nutrients into your kiddo's diet. While seasonal holidays like St. Patrick's Day can be filled with sugary snacks and sweets (green minty shakes, anyone?) it is possible to be as sneaky as that little leprechaun and work in some healthy treats too!
We're going to be celebrating St. Patrick's Day at my house this year with a rainbow of smoothies. Whether a breakfast treat or an after school snack, your kids will love this fun (and healthy!) rainbow of colors on St. Patrick's Day:
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Red Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup of frozen cherries
- 1 small beet
- 1 cup of vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup of ice
- 1/4 cup of cacao powder
- 1/4 cup of cauliflower
Directions:
Peel banana, use half and save half. Peel and wash beet. Slice and dice the beet for easier blending. Add cherries, vanilla almond milk, ice, cacao powder, and cauliflower. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
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Orange Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 orange
- 1 cup of mango (we use frozen mango chunks)
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup of ice
- 1/2 cup of cauliflower
Directions:
Peel the orange and take off as much of the "white" as possible. Add mango, ice, almond milk, and cauliflower to your blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
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Yellow Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup of frozen mango
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup of frozen pineapple
- 1/2 cup of ice
- 1 cup of coconut milk
Directions:
Peel and halve banana and use the other half for another day. Squeeze lemon, add mango, pineapple, ice, and coconut milk to the blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
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Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2 green apples
- 1 1/2 cups spinach leaves
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup of ice
Directions:
Wash and core the apples. Cut the apples into smaller pieces so they blend well and there are no chunks. You can leave the skin on as it has great nutritional benefits. Add the apples, avocado, and spinach to a blender. Using a lemon squeezer, juice the lemon into the blender. Add the milk and ice, and blend! Serve immediately.
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Violet Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup of spinach
- 1 cup of vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup of ice
Directions:
Wash blueberries. Halve the peeled banana, save the other half for another day. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend and enjoy immediately!
Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!
Erika Veduccio is the co-publisher of Macaroni Kid EATS!
