Take a Taste Tuesday with Made by Melissa Lee
Hi! I’m Melissa and the writer behind the blog Made by Melissa Lee. I mainly focus on easy, family-friendly recipes, with a good dose of family fun thrown in courtesy of my daughter, Emily. I’m so excited to stop by today to share one of my favorite recipes Emily and I make together – Tropical Green Smoothies!
I’ve been excited to get Emily into the kitchen since she was born and now that she’s two, I try to get her involved in mealtime almost daily. You’d be surprised how much a two-year-old can do! We’re not prepping her for Master Chef Jr. or anything, but it’s been a lot of fun to have her help in the kitchen.
One of our favorite recipes to make together is this Tropical Green Smothie! If you’re a green smoothie novice, don’t worry because you don’t taste the spinach at all. It’s tropical and sweet and if it wasn’t green in color, I promise you (and your kids) would have no idea it was there.
I know most people like to use a blender for smoothies, but I prefer to use my food processor. Emily likes to push ALL the buttons while we’re adding the ingredients, which spells disaster with a blender. My food processor (like most) has a safety feature which doesn’t allow blending unless the top is secure. This allows Emily to push all the buttons she wants without making any mess!
Prior to telling Emily “Let’s make a smoothie!” I get out all ingredients, including cups and straws, as well as secure the blade in the food processor and plug it in. This allows me to stay right beside her throughout the entire process to ensure her safety and it also helps cut down on mess, if that’s possible with a toddler…
One by one, I hand her each ingredient telling her what it is and then have her put it in food processor. Sometimes she tastes it before putting in it and since it’s just for us, I’m a-okay with this. I love allowing her to explore new foods and see what she likes/doesn’t like.
Once the lid’s secure, she knows how to push “on” and let it whirl away. She loves watching it go from solid to liquid and we stop to both taste and add more yogurt, milk or OJ if needed. This recipe makes enough for 1-2 kids. Emily can almost drink it all on her own, but if not I’m pretty happy to have what’s leftover! If you need to make a larger serving, the recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
I hope you and your kids love this recipe as much as Emily and I do! Happy Smoothie Making!
Tropical Green Smoothie
Serves: 1-2 children
Ingredients:
½ cup frozen pineapple
½ banana, peeled and frozen
½ cup chopped fresh spinach (stems removed)
½ cup vanilla yogurt
3 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. orange juice
Directions:
- In a food processor* add the pineapple, banana and spinach. Process until chopped into small pieces.
- Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add the yogurt, milk and OJ and process until smooth. Add additional liquid if desired.
Blender version: Add ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth, adding additional milk and/or OJ if needed to thin it out. Note, I always add the yogurt to the blender first and then add everything else on top.
*Safety Note – Most modern food processors have a safety feature which doesn’t allow the food to blend unless the base and top are fully secured. Check this safety feature on your version prior to using with your kids.
Each Tuesday for the next several weeks a fellow mom/friend/community member will be sharing a fun recipe, tips to include kids in the cooking process, or a great family restaurant. If you are interested in sharing your eating and/or cooking fun be sure to connect with me via email!