My boys will happily drink smoothies all day long—as long as the color suits them. Over the years I’ve made strawberry, mango, and blueberry smoothies, so when I suggested they try a “green” smoothie they immediately asked, “What makes it green?” When I said “baby spinach,” they nearly freaked out. Josh and Simon are teenage boys who usually eat anything, except apparently green smoothies made with spinach.
Determined to prove they’d like a spinach-based green smoothie, I set out to craft a version any kid would actually want to drink. After chatting with dozens of fans on Facebook, I developed a recipe that keeps the bright green color while delivering a sweet, fruity flavor kids and adults enjoy.
To me, the smoothie didn’t taste “green” at all. I loved it.
As for the boys: Josh enjoyed it, Simon was lukewarm (he isn’t a kiwi fan, which may have been the issue), and a friend who was visiting liked it enough to drink the whole thing. Would I make it again? Absolutely. Next time I’ll share it with Josh and blend something different for Simon.
The ingredients are simple: 100% apple juice, fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt, banana, kiwi, baby spinach, agave, and frozen mango.
- 1 cup 100% apple juice or orange juice
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach (organic if preferred)
- 1/2 to 1 ripe banana (peeled, sliced, and preferably frozen)
- 1/2 cup 0%–fat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
- Combine the juice, mango, kiwi, spinach, banana, yogurt, and agave in a blender.
- Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.
Try the recipe and let me know what you and your kids think.