Smoothies are a great way to incorporate a variety of foods all packed into one drink! They are easy to make and delicious. This strawberry calcium-rich smoothie for toddlers and kids is full of calcium-rich ingredients to support your little one’s bones. A dairy-free option is also provided!
This was inspired by my blog post on the importance of calcium, and provides a great example of how you can load up calcium-rich foods into a quick and easy smoothie.
Ingredients
These ingredients were specifically chosen to provide wonderful boosts of calcium. We may not think of collard greens and oranges as good calcium sources, but they are!
- frozen strawberries
- collard greens
- orange
- chia seeds
- greek yogurt
- milk or fortified plant-based alternative beverage
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Shred the collard greens off the spine. Add the shredded collards to the blender.
Remove the thick peel of the orange and add half the orange to the blender.
Combine all ingredients into the high speed blender. Blend for 30-40 seconds until smooth.
Serve in a small open cup, reusable smoothie pouch or wide-straw cup, depending on what your child likes using.
Hint: If your little one is working on drinking from an open cup, using a thicker liquid such as a smoothie can be helpful when practicing. The thicker liquid will move slower as they practice this new skill.
Substitutions
- Dairy free – instead of Greek yogurt you can use a plant-based yogurt such as almond or coconut based and for the milk, use a fortified plant-based beverage.
- Collard greens – you can use spinach (fresh or frozen)
Variations
- Thicker or additional calorie booster – add a tablespoon of smooth almond or smooth peanut butter or avocado
- More berrylicious – add some blueberries
- Additional protein – use a soy milk instead of an almond or oat beverage or add 2 tablespoon hemp hearts
- Sweeter – add 2-3 dates (pit removed)
Equipment
A high speed blender such as a Vitamix works great when blending up frozen berries. A magic bullet can also work.
Storage
I would recommend drinking this smoothie right away for best results or same day and keep it refrigerated.
Top tip
Depending on your blender, this smoothie may be super smooth or may be a bit chunky. If your little one doesn’t like chunks, you can omit the collard greens and still have many other wonderful calcium rich foods in the smoothie! The collard greens sometimes do not blend up finely.
FAQ
How do you boost calcium in a smoothie?
You can boost the calcium in a smoothie by adding in calcium-rich ingredients, such as yogurt, choosing a fortified plant-based beverage, chia seeds, sesame seeds, leafy greens and almonds. Check out my blog on calcium-rich foods here for more ideas!
How do I get my toddler to drink a smoothie?
This will depend on your child’s eating abilities. It can be helpful for some kids to have their smoothie in a reusable pouch and then we help teach our child how to squeeze the smoothie out. If using a straw cup, opt for a thicker straw when having a smoothie and you can put a little bit of smoothie on the tip of the straw to encourage trying it. You can also offer the smoothie in an open cup and let your child pick their favourite cup! Our role is to offer the foods, and it is our child’s role to choose if they are going to eat that food and how much. But we can certainly support our child with the how part of consuming the smoothie!
Are smoothies a healthy option?
Smoothies are a great option as we can incorporate many different foods that may otherwise be challenging. Smoothies can be a great way to get in a lot of different vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats and supportive calories.
Recipe
Strawberry Calcium-rich Smoothie for Toddlers and Kids
Equipment
- 1 High speed blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- ½ cup collard greens (stem removed)
- ½ orange (thick peel removed)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon hemp hearts
- 1 cup regular cow’s milk or fortified plant-based alternative beverage
Instructions
- Shred the collard leaves off the stem. Add to the blender.
- Remove the thick peel of the orange. Add orange to blender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender. Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds or until smooth.
- Serve in an open cup, reusable pouch or thick straw cup.
Related
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