It all started with a bunch of browning bananas. I was at the house making dinner for the boys and I asked them if they wanted a banana with their dinner.

“Gross. They’re all brown and yucky.“

“I don’t like them like that.”

“Nooooooooooo.”

Hmmm…it seemed wasteful to just let them get even more brown and then throw the whole bunch in the trash…so I did what any adult does when they are trying to convince children to do something: I called it a treat!

let’s make simple fruit smoothie recipe

Hey, who wants delicious banana drinks with dinner? They are so good and they have sugar in them!

“Oooh! I do, I do!“

“Yummy, I like nanas and sugar.“

“I want to try that.“

They loved them! They wanted more.

“Can I try it? Can we add more sugar?”

“Can we have nana drinks tonight?“

“You know what? I like banana drinks.“

Realizing that this newfound treat might turn into a sugar-heavy mealtime addition – I got creative. The next time I saw browning bananas I decided to try it out.

Guess what boys? Today I brought over something else we can add to the drinks.

“What?“

“What is it?“

“Let me see!“

Blueberries! And strawberries!

“Oooooh.“

“Yummy!“

“I love blueberries!“

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Banana smoothie ingredients

• Bananas
• Soy milk
• Vanilla extract
• 2 cups of ice
• 1 Tbsp. white granulated sugar

directions to make banana smoothie

Step 1

Improving, I peeled the bananas, placed them in the blender (because the blender is for special occasions, right?).

Step 2

Added some soy milk, some vanilla extract, 2 cups of ice, and a spoonful of white granulated sugar.

Step 3

Then I poured them into cups and gave the boys fun colored straws to drink with.

Blueberry and strawberry smoothie ingredients

• 1 – 2 bananas (if they have brown spots then they are more flavorful)
• 2 cups ice
• 1 – 2 cups of fruit juice (apple is good, orange is also good – but a bit of a more overpowering flavor) – you want to cover about half of the mixture.
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

directions to make blueberry and strawberry smoothie

Step 1

In a blender combine all ingredients

Step 2

Blend until the ice is broken and not visible.

Step 3

Pour into cups and add straws.

Serve.

our experience making fruit smoothies

Over the years I have added all kinds of fruits and have even started using juice instead of soymilk. Each time we make them it’s a fun experiment to see how they will come out and how the flavors will work together. I’ve even gotten in the habit of repeating the ingredients out loud each time so the boys can memorize the basic recipe.

I’d say, aside from the fact that this helps me get at least 3 servings of fruit in the boys at mealtime – my favorite part is that those “icky spotted bananas” don’t have to go to waste anymore!

Have you tried combining your fruits to make a smoothie? Try our recipes above and let us know in the comments section what you think about it!