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How often have you gone on a diet and eaten different food from the rest of the family?
With so many reports saying kids are obese nowadays, perhaps it’s time the whole family followed the same healthy-eating weight-loss program. You can adjust your meals according to the age and activity levels of your family to include everyone. There are so many tasty weight-loss recipes online that all the family can enjoy.
Healthy smoothies are a great way to start.
These smoothie recipes are so much fun they will help you help your kids – and their friends – choose healthy food over junk food. I’ve done it so I know it works, and surprised a few fussy eaters on the way. Plus the kids can make their own smoothies, with a little bit of help if necessary, which makes them taste even better, lol!
Serve a healthy smoothie as a complete, tasty and filling breakfast or serve a smaller one as part of a healthy breakfast with a bowl of oatmeal (or you can add the oats to your smoothies). Or as a snack, as the kids are always ‘starving’ when get home from school.
If you are helping an overweight child, then check out the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) website which provides excellent guidance through their We Can! program.
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.
There is also an EatPlayGrow curriculum for 2-5s. You’ll find all the details in the link at the end of the post.
… And while these smoothies have fun names, they are not just for kids!
If I want to use smoothies as part of my Healthy-Eating Weight-Loss Plan I know I need a simple formula – otherwise I just throw everything in and lose track of the calories in my glass.
That’s not compatible with losing weight – or even staying the same weight!
Combine that with Holiday eating and party foods and it’s a plan for disaster. (Note the ‘plan’ was missing from the ‘Holiday eating …’. If I’d only included a plan I might have been more successful!)
Anyway, back to the formula …
It’s an easy-to-remember, 4-ingredient smoothie formula from Katie at ChocolateCoveredKatie.
Recipe: The Basic Smoothie Formula
Serves 1 large or 2-3 small
Ingredients:
1 Fruit OR 1 cup Berries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup Liquid
1/2 cup natural Yogurt (or flavored)
1 Tbs Seeds or Nuts
Optional: 2-4 Tbs raw Oats, OR 1/4 cup cooked Quinoa
Blend until smooth and enjoy.
When made with 2% dairy products and oats the calories are:
Serves 3; approx 115 cals each
Serves 2; approx 170 cals each
Serves 1; approx 340 cals each
NOTE:
The calories will vary according to the ingredients used.
For example, berries are lower in cals than other fruits.
And while seeds and nuts are approximately similar per tablespoon at +/- 50 cals, nut butters are about 100 cals per tablespoon – and who stops at an exact tablespoon measure? Aren’t they always heaped???
TIP 1:
I always use a teaspoon when adding my PB. That way it satisfies my eyes – that is, it’s heaped! – yet almost equivalent to a tablespoon! Now go easy because there’s heaped and there’s HEAPED, lol!
TIP 2:
Use frozen fruit for a thicker, creamier smoothie.
If it ends up too thick then add some water, milk or a little fruit juice to thin it. If calories matter, then water adds none!
Really Tasty Smoothie Recipes For Everyone
– with titles that will interest the kids …
Katie at ChocolateCoveredKatie suggests …
Purple Dragon: Use 1 cup frozen blueberries as your fruit and 1/2 cup orange juice for the liquid.
Goldilocks: Use 1 cup frozen mango for the fruit and 1/2 cup pineapple or orange juice for the liquid.
Green Frog Prince: Use 1 large (over-ripe) banana as your fruit, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, and add a handful of spinach or kale leaves. Optional: you can also add just a tiny pinch of spirulina.
Ugly Duckling: Throw all the leftover frozen fruit (to equal 1 cup) you can find into a blender with 1 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder, your liquid of choice, and your yogurt, and see what comes out. Add a few spinach or kale leaves for maximum ugliness!
If you are diabetic, pre-diabetic or just concerned about the amount of (natural) sugar in a recipe then check out our post 5 Strategies for Smoothies for Diabetics – see the link below.
You may also like:
5 Strategies for Smoothies for Diabetics
Weight Loss Program: Banana Coconut Mango Smoothie
Sources: Drink Me Healthy; ChocolateCoveredKatie;
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - Healthy Eating for Children
Photo: DrinkMeHealthy
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