Tropical Sunshine Smoothies

By Barbara Murphy on November 28, 2016 in Breakfast, General, Kid friendly, Kids, Vegetarian

Oh the weather outside is frightful, pretty much sums up Vancouver weather right now. Its been a pretty wet here on the West Coast. I can’t remember the last time we have experienced this much rain before January, so we decided to book a sunny vacation. I know I should be posting some sort of comfort dish like a creamy butternut squash mac and cheese or this lentil soup from Sprouted Kitchen. But all I am thinking about these days is escaping this stormy weather to a hot sunny destination. This refreshing tropical sunshine smoothie is a new family favourite. This smoothie is nutritious, fresh, and delicious. Take me to Hawaii please.

Miss E requested a smoothie after school the other day and it was another dreary day. I needed a pick me up. This smoothie is made with fresh pineapple, frozen mango, coconut milk, and hemp seeds. Because this dietitian mama likes to add vegetables whenever she can I added kale to mine. Like most kids, my girls don’t like green food unless it is broccoli, however I am still working on the whole kale thing. Miss Q is in the “ew” or “don’t like it” stage before she has even tried it. Guess what? Miss Q loved my smoothie so much that she drank the whole smoothie. I just about fell off my chair. My almost three year old was drinking kale. Out of curiosity my five year decided she needed to try this “green” smoothie. A proud dietitian mama moment. One of my goals is to teach my girls to be adventurous eaters. When it comes to feeding my girls I follow Ellen Satter’s division of responsibility. As the parent you decide what, where, and when food will be served. Kids decided what and how much to eat.I know first hand that feeding kids takes a lot of patience. Research shows it can take up to 20 times before kids will even try something never mind like it. Do I think my girls are going to devour a kale salad, no. However, I will continue to serve salads and be a good role model and eat kale salads. This autumn harvest salad with roasted butternut squash is my new favorite salad.