Are you looking for an easy and tasty way to get some extra vitamins and minerals in your kids? I’ve found this kale smoothie with strawberries to be a hit with my picky eaters!!
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Picky Eaters? No Problem!
I never thought my kids would ask for a kale smoothie with strawberries, but it happened! And it keeps happening! They even see the kale is something GREEN and still ask for it and drink it! I think it’s the most nutrition they’ve gotten in months whenever I have kale in the house.
It’s not that I don’t feed them well, I do. I make them homemade meals with veggies but they are picky eaters and often will only eat the meat. I’ve found these smoothies to really help them get the nutrition they need.
Stay tuned: below the recipe I have the equipment I use, including the cups I put their smoothies in that don’t let them take the straws out!
Why a Kale Smoothie?
Kale has so many amazing nutrients! It contains Vitamin A which is important for eye health, bone health, and a strong immune system. Vitamin C helps prevent colds and chronic diseases. Vitamin K helps with bone building and blood clotting.
In addition to those three vitamins, Folate is a B vitamin that is great for brain development. Kale also contains minerals including calcium which is great for bone strength, zinc which is great for immune system boost, potassium, and phosphorus. Kale also has alpha-linolenic acid which is an omega-3 fatty acid.
Wondering where the deep green color comes from? Lutein and zeaxanthin give it it’s deep green color and also protect against eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
In addition to all of the wonderful vitamins and minerals that help keep you healthy overall, the nutrients in kale can also help prevent cancer, lower cholesterol, and even lose weight since it fills you up with water and nutrients but few calories! Source: WebMD
Easy and Tasty Kid Approved Kale Smoothie with Strawberries
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Organic Whole Flax Seed grind in blender before using
- 1 Cup Organic Chopped Kale
- 1 Cup Organic Frozen Strawberries
- 2 Cups Filtered Water
- 3 tbsp Collagen Peptides
Instructions
- Put about 1 tbsp of Organic Whole Flax Seed into your blender and put the cover on. Blend for just a few seconds to break them up.
- Put the kale and frozen strawberries into the blender.
- Add about 2 cups of water.
- Add 3 tbsp of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (linked below) for extra protein.
- Put the cover of the blender on and blend well (Mine has a smoothie button I push)
- With a NutriNinja I just push the Blend – AutoIQ button and it blends for about a minute. If you have a regular blender, blend until smooth.
- Once blended, pour into desired glasses or if you have a NutriNinja, simply put the flip top lid on and enjoy!
- For my kids, I typically split the 16oz or so of smoothie between all 3 of them in the smoothie cups I'll link below. They often all ask for seconds so I end up making at least two batches.
Notes
Step By Step with Pictures
- Put about 1 tbsp of Organic Whole Flax Seed into your blender and put the cover on. Blend for just a few seconds to break them up.
- Put the kale and frozen strawberries into the blender or Ninja Cup.
3. Add about 2 cups of water.
4. Add 3 tbsp of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides for extra protein.
5. Seal the blender blade cap onto the NutriNinja cup. If using a regular blender, put all ingredients into the blender and put cover on.
6. With a NutriNinja I just push the Blend – AutoIQ button and it blends for about a minute. If you have a regular blender, blend until smooth.
7. Once blended, pour into desired glasses or if you have a NutriNinja, simply put the flip top lid on and enjoy!
Suggested Materials
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
Most of us don’t get enough protein and Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides is a great way to get more protein in without having to eat a bunch of extra food! This was recommended to me by my nutritionist and I add it to so many things.
I add it to my morning and afternoon coffee, as well as in smoothies for my children and myself.
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced is a premium offering with 20g collagen peptides per serving plus two additional functional ingredients: 100% daily value vitamin C and 80 mg hyaluronic acid. Vitamin C helps to support the body’s natural collagen production while hyaluronic acid helps to improve skin hydration and joint mobility.
Bioavailable Collagen Peptides Advanced Powder: Sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine. Digested and absorbed by the body quickly for maximum benefits.
Easy To Use: One serving a day of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced is easily digested and dissolves in cold or hot liquids, like coffee, tea and smoothies.
Made With You In Mind: Certified Paleo Friendly & Whole30 Approved. No added sugars or sweeteners. Flavorless and odorless. Made without gluten & dairy.
NutriNinja Blender
I love my NutriNinja blender!! It’s small enough to be on the counter at all times yet so powerful!! I love using it to make smoothies, grind coffee, make homemade sauces and dressings!
I have an older version of the blender below. I’m assuming this newer version linked below is even better than the one I have since it’s newer!
ULTIMATE POWER: 1100-peak-watt motor powers through the toughest ingredients and pulverizes ice to snow in seconds for creamy frozen drinks, smoothies, sauces, and more
2 VERSATILE PROGRAMS: 2 Auto-iQ preset programs are uniquely timed for smoothies & crushed ice - remove the guesswork with easy one-touch results.
NUTRIENT EXTRACTION: Unlock hidden nutrition from whole fruits and veggies. Extract a drink containing vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. By blending whole fruits and vegetables including portions that are usually discarded.
FROZEN BLENDING: Crush ice and pulverize frozen ingredients for resort- like frozen drinks, smoothies, frozen treats, and more.
NutriNinja Mega Kitchen System
If you are looking for a more robust solution than just a blender, this set uses the blender base with a food processor and large blender attachment in addition to the personal sized cup.
The large blender, as shown below, can hold up to 72oz and the food processor can hold 8 cups! I wish I had gotten this instead of two different machines like I have, but I suppose, this wasn’t around when I got mine years ago!
POWERFUL CRUSHING: The 72-oz. Total Crushing Pitcher pulverizes ice to snow in seconds for creamy frozen drinks and smoothies with a powerful 2-plus horsepower motor. (64-oz. max liquid capacity).
FOOD PROCESSING: 8-cup food processor bowl provides perfect, even chopping and makes up to 2 pounds of dough in just 30 seconds.
4 VERSATILE FUNCTIONS: All 4 functions – Blend, Mix, Crush and Single-Serve – utilize 1500 watts of performance power to truly customize your drink-making experience.
Blender
I had the NutriNinja for years but recently went to a glass blender that was a bit quieter. When I first got the NutriNinja I was making smoothies and bringing them to work, so it made sense. Now I split the smoothies into 3 for my kids so I could go for a quieter blender that works well for that.
QUIETER BLENDING WITH PATENTED DESIGN: When quieter blending matters, this kitchen blender delivers. It has a patented base design that minimizes motor and airflow noise during operation, making blending more pleasant and less likely to bother others.
EASILY CRUSH AND BLEND ICE, GREENS & FROZEN INGREDIENTS: With 800 watts of peak power and intuitive controls, you'll have all the power and functionality you need to blend smoothies, frozen drinks and more. To eliminate guesswork, the blender indicates which blending function each of the 5 buttons is designed to perform.
Kids Smoothie Cups
As I mentioned earlier, I have special smoothie cups for my kids. I know, I know, sounds like a waste, but hear me out! These are great because they have a straw that isn’t able to be pulled out easily when the cover is on. If you have kids, you know why this is great, but if not I’ll explain.
Kids often like to mess around when it comes to meal time and straws can become quite the mess really quickly. I imagine that my 3 little boys would quickly be having straws full of green smoothie in their mouths and blowing outward toward each other, spraying smoothie all over the room! That doesn’t happen with these though as they aren’t able to get the straws out!
These are also great because they aren’t able to see the smoothie. It’s not that I’m hiding anything, they see me make the smoothie right in front of them but I figure if they saw the green hue to the smoothie while they’re drinking it, they wouldn’t be as enthused.
A bonus is these are super easy to clean unlike a lot of other cups and they’re able to be stacked. See below for the two 5-pack options, including how they work! Think you don’t need a 5-pack? With the 5-pack, each one is just $3 which is a bargain! With the current coupon, each one ends up being $2.60. Not only are they inexpensive per cup, you also have extra for if friends come over and want a smoothie, if you didn’t get around to dishes from lunch and they want smoothies for dinner, and in case some cups get lost or broken!
- 12 oz Plastic Tumbler Cups – Featuring 5 designs, these 12oz Reduce tumblers with lids and straws are ideal for water, juice, milk and smoothies.
- On The Go Drinking – The convenient straw cups have lids, and fit vehicle cupholders. The snap on water-tight lid helps to reduce spills and messes.
- Straw Lock – Each GoGo Reduce cup features a straw lock so straws can't be removed from the tumbler. Each cup features a different design.
- Mix And Match – Have fun and swap the coordinating straw cups.
- Stack And Store – These cups conveniently nestle together for neat and easy storage. Each dishwasher safe cup is made from BPA free plastic. Please note: these cups are not spill proof as they have straws.
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.