I've come to realize that in our house, the food one child loves is often the food the other child can't stand. One loves fruit but the other won't eat it. One loves eggs and yogurt but the other refuses to try them. The list goes on and makes preparing meals more of a challenge than it should be. I've had success renaming foods to coax the kids to try them and our "power shakes" are the perfect stealthy healthy breakfast.
Smoothies are a way for fruits, healthy fat, and dairy to go undercover as a sweet tasting "shake" and straight into the stomachs of little ones not always willing to eat them. They happily drink them down without knowing the secrets inside this stealthy 007-ingredient smoothie.
A nurse at our pediatrician's office suggested I use weight gain shakes to move our daughter higher up on the growth chart but I was concerned with the ingredients used in them and instead tried incorporating more healthy fat into her smoothie. My super healthy-eating friend suggested adding fats like cooked egg yolk and coconut milk to her drink and when combined with the avocado and high fat yogurt I'd been using, this stealthy healthy smoothie became our go to breakfast.
A lot of people have asked me about using the egg, skeptical about whether their kids would drink it, but it's undetectable in ours. I usually eat the egg white myself so I make a batch every Sunday to last for the smoothies I'll make during the week. Boiling the eggs is about the only prep that goes into the week's smoothies.
I use a coconut cream that's very thick and silky smooth instead of coconut milk. One can lasts for several smoothies and I just store the remaining cream in a covered container in the fridge. I also use half of an 8 oz. container of lemon or honey Noosa yogurt. We love it and have it on hand all of the time.
After adding almond milk, banana, avocado, yogurt, coconut cream, and egg yolk, I add about 1.5- 2 cups of frozen fruit and blend for a minute or two. I typically buy a large bag of a Dole frozen blend that has peaches, pineapple, mango, and strawberries in it. Using frozen fruit keeps the consistency of the smoothie icy and milkshake-like. If it's too watery, they won't drink it!
I've also added a tablespoon or two of flaxseed oil or ground flaxseed depending on which one I have and you could certainly add spinach or other greens if you prefer and have kids that will tolerate it! I've found that when I really press my luck and try to add too many things into the mix, they don't drink it.
Our kids both drink one full serving and sometimes have seconds and they both have a favorite cup that's just for drinking their smoothies.
Rather than waste any, I freeze the leftover mixture in these trays and add the cubes to a smoothie when I'm running low on any of the ingredients or just add to a glass of the juice they're drinking in place of ice.
Directions:
1. Fill blender with 8 oz. almond milk
2. Add avocado, banana, and cooked egg yolk
3. Add coconut cream and yogurt
4. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen fruit (this recipe uses pineapple, strawberries, peaches and mango)
5. Blend until smooth and serve with a straw
Do you have any stealthy tricks or secret recipes of your own for getting your kids to eat healthy?
Enjoy blending your own 007 style smoothie! Here's the Stealthy Smoothie recipe one more time:
