Is it only Wednesday? Good grief. Whether you’re a parent or not, the days can spill together when you’re working from home or housebound. It’s one more good reason to start the day with something fresh and nutritious.
Put a cold, frothy smoothie on the daily menu and you’ll never get an argument from us. Make it delicious, lovely, and crafted for wellness, and we are SOLD. In Smoothie Project (Abrams, 2019), Weelicious founder and mother of three Catherine McCord shares her strategy for family health—and it all comes down to fresh ideas and nutritionist-vetted recipes dedicated to the wholesome drink. As she writes, smoothies are “the simplest and most enjoyable ways to get good nutrition into kids.” We couldn’t agree more. (And have you seen her Instagram? Yum.)
Catherine heeds the lessons of motherhood and fills the pages with swoon-worthy sips packed with fun ideas for serving and nutritious add-ins. From Strawberry “Nice” Cream to smoothie pops in a rainbow of hues, she keeps kids wanting more by transforming some of the smoothies into the types of food they like to eat. And, just as in her recipes for Weelicious, she inspires kid enthusiasm for healthy eating by encouraging their involvement at every step of the preparation process. They choose ingredients, they blend drinks, and they serve them with panache.
Pro tip: Call these recipes “milkshakes” and watch kids go, well, bananas.
Peach Protein Boost
Find us a child that doesn’t like peaches. We’ll wait. The smoothie that invites you to “enjoy summer produce all year long” includes dates for that sweet caramelly note, plus flax, chia, and protein powder to keep you nice and full.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
• 1 cup (160 g) fresh or frozen peach slices
• 1 dried date, pitted
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds or flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 serving vanilla or plain protein powder
• 1 cup (240 ml) almond milk
Optional super boosts:
• Bee pollen
• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Collagen
• Peptides
• Probiotic Powder
• Goji Berries
• Brazil Nuts
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Strawberry “Nice” Cream
Another kid top-five fruit favorite makes a cameo here: strawberries. If dessert is key to your daily routines, this should be right up everyone’s alley. It’s like a virtuous ice cream shake, but with the vitamin C boost of strawberries, plus options for adding protein.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
• 1 cup (150 g) frozen strawberries
• 1⁄2 frozen banana, peeled
• 1 serving collagen peptides
• 2 tablespoons cashews raw, unsalted* or 1 serving vanilla protein powder
• 2 tablespoons to 1⁄3 cup (70 ml) milk of choice, depending on desired thickness
Optional super boosts:
• Bee pollen
• Hemp seeds
• Flax seeds
• Maca powder
• Mct oil
• Reishi
•Mashwagandha
Combine the strawberries, banana, collagen peptides, and cashews in a high-powered blender with a plunger tamper attachment and start by adding 2 tablespoons milk.
Turn the blender to high and use the tamper to push down the ingredients until they just start coming together. Use more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until it turns into ice cream.
*If your blender doesn’t have a tamper, stop the blender periodically and push down the ingredients with a wooden spoon. To make the texture even more ice cream like, place the “nice” cream in a bowl or cup and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Super Greens
What parent isn’t trying to get their child to eat more greens, whether straightforwardly or with downright deception? This mix of super greens, veggies, and fruit strikes just the right balance of healthy and delicious. They’ll taste: pineapple, apple, ginger and mint. You’ll celebrate: kale, celery and cucumbers.
Ingredients:
• 2 fresh kale leaves, thick stems removed, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup (25 g) chopped celery
• 1⁄2 Persian cucumber, unpeeled and chopped or 1⁄4 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1⁄4 cup (40 g) frozen pineapple chunks
• 1⁄4 lemon (with peel and pith), seeds removed
• 1⁄2 Gala, Fuji, or other sweet apple, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks*
• 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves
• 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) coconut water, water, or herbal tea
Optional super boosts:
• Collagen peptides
• Probiotic powder
• Pink himalayan salt
• Golden berries
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
*If you don’t have a high-powered blender, peel the apple.
Excerpted from The Smoothie Project: The 28 Day Plan to Feel Happy and Healthy No Matter Your Age. Copyright Catherine McCord 2019 All rights reserved.
