Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Dinosaur Drink - For your little Picky Eater

There are lots of chores and tasks we do everyday for our family, but as a mother, I feel the most rewarding is when a meal is successful with your kids. And I know it's not as often as we would like !

It takes quite a maneuver to get a picky toddler to eat without fussing and sometimes even the bribes don't work. It is exhausting, time consuming and also, discouraging when a lovely meal prepared with loads of love goes uneaten or frowned at. Now, we may blame the kids (because of-course whatever we make is for their health and growth and is also yummy !) but they are evolving and so are their taste buds. They may sometimes surprise you completely by loving something you assumed they would never eat in a million years.

My almost two-year old little guy has been a hard work when it comes to food. He had only four teeth at about 15 months so there was not much chewy food he could eat and a long way down the road he only preferred soft, mushy meals. Quite a hard work and limited choices.On top of it he wouldn't drink milk as is. It was during this time I introduced him to the world of smoothies and he has not looked back since !
Smoothies are a super delicious, full of health, easy blend of fruits and vegetables which packs all the goodness in one drink. There are many choices of flavor to play around with and not a lot of effort ! Whats more - they are the easiest way to get your kids to like the greens and there is absolutely no added sugar required !

Here, I am sharing a basic smoothie which is ALWAYS a hit with my little one. I call it the 'Dinosaur Drink' :-)
Dinosaur Drink -
1 Cup of fresh baby spinach (raw)
Half of a big banana
A couple of strawberries
Half cup of yogurt ( you can use flavored yogurt of your choice)

That's it ! Just blend it in a mixture and pour it in a glass. Do not strain it. It will be smooth and sweet without any added sugar. You can serve it in a glass, or pour it in a bowl and top it with sliced bananas, strawberries or any sliced dry fruit of your choice ! As for me, I sprinkle the smoothies with chia seeds.

There are a lot of other ways you can tweak the above with what's available with you. For example -

A cup of fresh spinach (raw)
A slice of mango
Half a kiwi
Half cup of coconut water
One banana
A little squeeze of lemon
Blend and ready !

Another one is -
The Very Berry Blend :-)
A banana
Handful each of blueberries, strawberries and blackberries
Half a cup of yogurt
2TBSP coconut water
Blend and yummy !!


Basically, spinach goes very well in all smoothies and you can flavor the drink with fruits at hand like kiwis, bananas, berries , apples , mangoes and use coconut water, yogurt, almond milk and any healthy flavor substitute your kid likes. Top them with sliced almonds, cashews, chia seeds, tutti fruities or just grate a little chocolate on top!

I make a glass of smoothie as a mid-morning snack or a post-nap energiser and hand it to my toddler while he is watching TV or playing or simple running around. He loves it and with each sip growls to show me how 'powerful' he is getting with the dinosaur drink :D
It was and continues to be a big hit with my toddler and also the rest of the family. And so, I wanted to share it with all you lovely people. It does take a lot of stress away to know your baby has had a good potion of veggies and fruits in one drink and makes all that food-fussiness a bit more tolerable.
Hope you guys try these and your little one (and you !) enjoy them too !

Author Note : Please do leave your feedback and experience in the comments below. I blog my baby's meals most of the time to keep a track of his eating habits and also to learn and help other mammas with different ideas to will their little picky eaters into eating! Do follow my page and you can visit my profile for the further details. Thank you.


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