Mango Yogurt Smoothie

EVENT: BLOGGING MARATHON #88

THEME: KID’S DELIGHT – HEALTHY DRINKS – WEEK 3 DAY 3

RECIPE: MANGO YOGURT SMOOTHIE

For this theme of healthy drinks I’ve decided to concentrate on healthy smoothies for kids that are not only enjoyable but filling and nutritious too. So here’s a delicious mango yogurt smoothie.

The other two kids friendly smoothies I made are:

• Banana Peanut Butter and Oats Smoothie
• Strawberry Finger Millet Smoothie

 

Kids and Meals – a few tips

I constantly to get to hear mums complaining about kids not eating. They tend to force feed toddlers and as a result meals becomes a constant battle between the mother and child.

Feed the children when they are hungry

Your lunch time may not be your child’s lunch time. No child can go without food. At some point they do feel hungry.

Make meals enjoyable

Make meals a fun part of their lives and not a chore or a battle. Add a bit of their favorite food to the meal.

One meal prepared for all

The other rule we followed as the kids grew up was, they ate what we ate. No special meals to meet their whims and fancies. If our curries, dals, etc were a bit spicy, we would make theirs less spicy. They got what they like over the weekend.

Disguise the Veggies they don’t like

If there were vegetables they didn’t like, disguise them. For example adding cauliflower and mashed eggplants to pav bhaji, adding purees to flatbread, making burgers, etc.

Shop with Kids

Sometimes its a good idea to shop for vegetables and fruits with your children. Let them pick what they would like and cook that.

Small Portions

On several occasions I’ve seen parents fill up the child’s plate and then forcing them to finish everything. Always teach your child that they can always ask for a second helping but don’t over load.

Re -introduce the veg or fruit differently

A child may not like certain food you’ve introduced, don’t give up. It takes a longer time for a child to like any new food introduced to them. For example if your child doesn’t like to eat raw tomatoes that doesn’t mean that he or she may not like a tomato soup.

Choose Healthy Snacks

Often  parents feed their kids sugary snacks and drinks around 5 or 6 p.m. and then expect them to eat a proper dinner at 7p.m. The sugars from the snack or drink makes them less hungry. Give them healthier options like fruits, yogurt, air popped popcorn, nuts, etc.

You are the biggest example for your kids

And lastly, adults are the biggest examples that children follow. If they see you gorging on unhealthy food, then they too will want to follow. If they see you enjoying good healthy food then that’s a good habit you’ve instilled in them.

Some Kids Friendly Meal Ideas:

• Sugar free Apple Cinnamon Milkshake – a perfect snack prepared by Kalyani’s  daughter.
• Beetroot Blueberry Pops
• Banana Cinnamon Frozen Yogurt
• Beetroot Energy Balls
• Date Coconut Energy Balls
• Pineapple Slush
• Apple and Date Muffins
• Khandvi
• White Dhokra
• Beetroot Appe
• Kuzhi Paniyaram
• Moong Paniyaram
• Beetroot Ammini Kozhukattai
• Instant Dhokla
• Bao Buns
• Ragi and Oat Pancakes
• Handvo
• Savory Oat Pancakes

Mango Yogurt Smoothie

Mostly all kids love mango. Ripe mango is also naturally sweet and it makes a good ingredient for any milkshake, smoothie or juice. Day 3 smoothie which is kid’s friendly, nutritious and filling is made with mango and yogurt as the main ingredients. Most kids also like yogurt. However, bear in mind that ready made flavored yogurts are full of sugar and additives. Some fruit yogurts don’t contain the actual fruit. Its best to go for homemade yogurt or if you have to buy yogurt then go for the plain ones.

Why is yogurt good for kids:

• Its a very good source of calcium. A cup of yogurt has about 400mg of calcium.
• It has probiotics which is good for the digestive system. The healthy organisms in yogurt help to prevent diarrhea and constipation.
• Its high in protein.
• Yogurt is easy to digest.

I’ve also added some mixed nut powder and chia seeds to the smoothie.

Why should kids have chia seeds? Here are some of the reasons.

Benefits of chia seeds:

• good for digestion as its rich in fibre
• rich in omega 3 fats.
• power packed with protein
• chis seeds are rich in calcium therefore good for healthy strong bones and teeth.

Smoothies and Breakfast

Serve smoothies for breakfast. Its a versatile meal as you can pack it their sipping bottles and they can enjoy it on their way to school. All it takes is to keep the ingredients handy and you’re good to go. Adding other fruits or a mixture of fruits is a great idea too. Besides being a versatile meal, one can add so many healthy ingredients to make a smoothie into a rich nutritious and healthy meal.

Ingredients required for Mango Yogurt Smoothie

• Mango – fresh or frozen
• Yogurt – homemade is best. Go for plain yogurt as flavored ones contain sugar.
• Nut Powder – I like to keep a small jar of mixed nut powder handy in the fridge to sprinkle it over smoothies, cereals, porridge, desserts. Nuts are a healthy. Use any nuts of your choice. I usually use walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios.
• Cardamom Powder – for flavour. However, if your kid doesn’t like cardamom replace it with vanilla extract.
• Honey or Maple Syrup – if the mangoes are sweet you may not need a sweetener. However, if you do its best to add honey or maple syrup.
• Chia Seeds 

Dietary Tips:

• Gluten free
• Vegetarian
• Ideal for fasting days
• Satvik
• For vegan version use vegan yogurt

 

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A little request:

If you do try this recipe then please either

• add a comment below,
• send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
•  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
• or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962