Making shakes at home is not a revolution; I’ve been doing this since college when my goal was to fill my belly as quickly as possible so I could spend the majority of my time studying or socializing.
I’ve continued making my own shakes through the years, experimenting with various ingredients, powders, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and more. This post is not about making shakes for us moms. It’s about making shakes for the little ones, and it’s also about my absolute favorite shake-making kitchen appliance.
Before Case was born, I had always used a blender to make shakes for Brooks and me. I’m purposely excluding the hubs here because he’s just fine with his Snickers bar and sweet tea. I know. I’m working on him. His evolving health habits could be their own blog.
Back to the blender. It was doing the job, but it was kind of cumbersome for a simple shake and completely annoying to clean especially when in the company of a screaming toddler who innocently thought he was getting a “milk shake” when he was actually getting a flax, probiotic, fruit, and yogurt smoothie.
Once Case started eating baby food, I made it all at home. To do this, I purchased an electronic hand-held mixer. It was recommended by some mom friends and much less expensive than the actual baby food makers.
I used this mixer religiously for months on end to mix baby food. During that time, I also realized it was perfect for making shakes. I can mix up three individual smoothies in five to ten minutes (if fruits and veggies are already cut up), all with different ingredients. In fact, this morning I saw some bananas that were way passed their prime and decided to use them in shakes for Brooks, Case, and me. We all had bananas in our shakes but other than that, I mixed up the ingredients and portions according to our tastes and bodily needs. My shake included bananas, Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, almond milk, flax, and protein powder. Brooks and Case had regular organic yogurt, bananas, strawberries, a little bit of flax, and probiotics. Because of digestive issues, I used almond milk in Case’s and regular milk in Brooks’.
Here’s another great thing. There are no recipes! Just throw in fruits that your kids enjoy, about 1/2 cup of yogurt (Greek or regular), some milk, a little ice, whatever seeds/powders you choose and mix away. One recommendation is to grind up flax seeds and chia seeds in a coffee grinder first; otherwise, they stay whole and do not digest as well as when ground. Also, you do not need much milk at all, perhaps 1/4 cup. Regarding flax, I use 1 tablespoon in mine and 1/2 tablespoon in the boys’. I use the powder probiotics and follow recommended amounts on the bottle.
Shakes are a serious hit with my boys and let’s face it, we all know that on most days there’s no time to actually eat fruits/veggies, protein, dairy, essential fatty acids, etc. during one meal, so just throw all of those things in the mixing cup, mix away, and voila! I hope your kids enjoy their special “milk shakes” as much as mine do.
Aimee Bumgarner says
Yum!!!! I’ve been thinking I might need one of those immersion blender things for awhile now, and this may just push me right on over. My kiddos love smoothies too, but the free standing blender is really a pain. My mom makes similar smoothies and then freezes them in those little paper Dixie cups and they love those too, especially in the summertime. Miss you bunches!
Nicky says
Swinging through with the Ultimate Blog Party 2013! Taking a minute to link up and wish you a wonderful day:)
Nicky George-Hudelson
http://www.feelingtheemptynest.com
Dayngr says
I’m going to try these with the kids! They love almond milk so adding in some extra healthy stuff should be easy! Surfed over via the UBP! Be sure to add your party post and swing by.
Rona says
Stopping by for a UPB13 visit.
I’ve been participating since 2007. It’s great fun visiting new blogs!
As well as saying hello to old friends.
I love adding flaxseed to our salads.
I hope you’re having a great time!
Lisa says
I love making smoothies too, and usually just end up throwing in whatever fruits I have available to me at the time, either fresh or in the freezer. I also add in some protein powder to beef it up a little. I agree with you that it can get a little cumbersome to drag out the big blender for all of these smoothies too. Stopping by from the blog party!
Elizabeth says
Hi, I’m a new follower from the UBP13! Your blog is awesome! I’m a new blogger and hope you’ll come by and follow me at mybutterflyhaus.blogspot.com! Have a blessed day!