Healthy Fruit Shakes and Smoothies

Fruit shakes and smoothies are a great way to get some vitamins and calcium into the kids, while keeping them hydrated in the summer – and they taste great too. Children will go for these rather than a sugary can of pop anytime.
Equipment
A blender or liquidiser of some kind makes things easier, although it’s not essential for all fruits. Kids tend to prefer ‘no bits’ of course, in which case a blender is a godsend and saves the hassle of pushing fruit through a sieve and whisking for hours.It’s also worth considering buying a juicer. It opens up a whole range of fruit and vegetable juices that can’t easily be bought in the shops or cost a small fortune (plums, peaches and raspberries come to mind). Market stalls often sell off ripe fruit at the end of the day at knockdown prices, which are perfect for juicing – so it can be very economical too.
The Basic Shake
Fruit milkshakes are a delicious blend of milk, ice-cream and flavourings – in this case, healthy fresh fruit rather than chocolate! Softer, sweeter fruits tend to work best. Vary the ingredients to get the preferred thickness. A ‘burger bar’ texture is achieved by increasing the ice-cream until the straw stands straight up in the shake …For a healthier version, try lower fat milk or low-fat ice-cream (or frozen yoghurt). Or go for a smoothie instead!
Some Fruity Shake Ideas
Whiz up half a pint of milk, a couple of scoops of vanilla ice-cream, plus about 200g/7 oz each of the following fresh fruits (peeled and cored/stoned as necessary):- strawberry and banana
- mango and kiwi
- plum and raspberry
- blackberry and banana
- peach and pineapple
- apple and pear
The Basic Smoothie
A smoothie is a like a shake without the ice-cream – so they’re less thick and more thirst-quenching. There are many variations on the basic recipe. Some have milk, some have yoghurt; others are completely dairy-free. But they’re all deliciously refreshing!Milky smoothies: whiz up half a pint of milk, a handful of ice cubes, plus about 200g/7 oz each of the following fresh fruits (peeled and cored/stoned as necessary). There are no hard and fast rules – experiment with quantities until the smoothie is at the preferred consistency:
- banana and strawberry
- blueberry and raspberry
- peach and apricot
- nectarine and pear
- banana and mango
- peach and raspberry
- pear and pomegranate
- strawberry and blueberry
- Apple juice, cherry and cranberry
- Orange juice, nectarine and passionfruit
- Pineapple juice, apricot and peach
Vegetables in Smoothies
For kids who aren’t so keen on vegetables, smoothies are a great way to sneak some in. Carrot juice, cucumber and avocado spring to mind – their flavours blend well with fruit and will probably go undetected. Try:- carrot juice, apple and mango
- apple juice, avocado and a dash of lime
- apple juice, melon and cucumber
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