Kids Club Smoothie

Or, as Hammie calls it, “Klids Club.” :)

This simple idea came from the Whole Foods by our house, before they were owned by Amazon. They used to make a free “Kids Club” smoothie which - as far as I can tell - all the kids loved. Mine certainly did, so now we make it at home. You can’t mess it up - there is no proportion of frozen strawberries, orange juice and bananas that won’t taste good. Use what you have and it’ll be great!

My kids like to drink this any old time, but it’s also excellent for cold and flu season as it is hydrating, easy to drink, and very high in vitamin C.

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Kids Club Smoothie

Notes: This can easily be scaled up or down. Also, I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could successfully substitute some fresh or frozen pineapple, peaches or nectarines for some of the strawberries.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 medium to large banana

Put the strawberries into your blender and pour in the orange juice. If you don’t have a high powered blender it may be helpful to let the strawberries soften in the juice for a few minutes before blending. Add the banana and blend it up until smooth.

Makes 2 large servings (as shown in the picture), or 4 medium servings

Strawberry Kale Smoothie

This is our house smoothie and a great way to drink your kale if you need more greens in your life. It’s high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), vitamin K, folate, and a myriad of other vitamins and minerals. We usually make a big blender full (which we call “mega smoothie”) for all four of us. I’m including the larger version as well as a single version below.

We bought our first Vitamix some years back despite my husband’s resistance and skepticism, which by the way, quickly turned into unabashed enthusiasm once he saw what it could do. If you’re interested in making smoothies to up your family’s fruit and vegetable intake, I highly recommend investing in one. It blends smoothies into creamy oblivion and therefore (scientifically speaking :) will notably increase your produce intake.

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Strawberry Kale Smoothie
Inspired by the Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie from Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris

Notes: Play around with the proportions that work for you. The big variable is the kale, and how much you can handle before it tastes too “green.” This is different for different people (and kids, ha!). If you’re not sure, start with less and taste. Then add more and re-blend if you feel like it could use more. I usually use Lacinato kale, but curly kale also works. Also, you may choose to add more or a bit less water, depending on whether you prefer a thicker milkshake-like smoothie or a thinner juice-like one. If you’d like it more creamy, add more cashews. If you’d like it sweeter, add another date or two.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

Single serving portion:
Small handful raw cashews (about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons)
Generous 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
Filtered water to cover most (but not quite all) of the strawberries
1 Medjool date, pitted
1 1/2 inch piece of a medium cucumber
2-4 medium Lacinato kale leaves, de-stemmed

4 serving portion:
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 cups frozen strawberries
Filtered water
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 - 1/2 medium cucumber, roughly sliced
Between 1/2 and 1 bunch kale (depending on size and preference), leaves de-stemmed

Put the cashews in the blender, followed by the strawberries, and pour in the filtered water to almost cover the strawberries (I stop about an inch and a half before the top of the strawberries). If you don’t have a high-powered blender, it helps to let the cashews and strawberries soften up in the water for a bit before blending. Add the dates, cucumber and kale and blend until smooth. Drink and enjoy :)