Healthy almond smoothies for kids - recipe and health benefits

The New Year brings with it celebration, joy and new beginnings. People all across the country rejoice in the magic of the New Year and usher in lifestyle changes in order to start afresh in every facet of life. For parents, ensuring meals comprising of healthy food for kids, takes precedence as one of the most popular yet ambitious resolutions for the New Year.

However, a healthy meal packed with energy-giving food items may be a difficult endeavour for parents to follow on a daily basis, given the challenge posed by naughty kids yearning for lip-smacking food all the time. Particularly when it concerns desserts, kids don on the devil’s horns to reach for the ever inviting jar of sweets.

This New Year, however, parents need not be the bad cop in order to keep their promise of providing energy-giving, healthy food for their children. With these innovative recipes, parents can keep their kids and their need for tasty delicacies, satiated, without compromising on their resolution of providing healthy food for kids.

Here are some options to prepare a classic dessert, smoothie, so your kids can enjoy a guilt-free indulgence while you can be rest-assured that you are not compromising on the nutrition needs of your child.

 

Almond and Soya Milk Smoothie 

This classic smoothie recipe is easy to prepare and is loaded with everything healthy - from soya milk which is full of nutrition to almonds, an energy-giving food item. This smoothie will have children crowding around the kitchen counter within seconds.

The smoothie contains loads of almond benefits and goodness such as vitamin E, fiber andriboflavin, presented to kids in an absolute mouth-watering preparation. Moreover, almonds are also protein rich, which is an important nutrient in kids’ growing up years. What’s more? Almonds also offer the potential for changing gut microbiota, which may in turn impact immunity, inflammation and general health positively.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: no cooking

Ingredients:

·         Almond Flakes – 100 g

·         Soya Milk – 750 ml

·         Honey – 150 g

·         Whole almonds – 350 g

·         Banana – 200 g

 

Preparation:

·         In a mixer jar, take whole almonds after removing the skin

·         Add soya milk, honey and banana in it

·         Blend it well and garnish with roasted almonds flakes.

 

Here’s a smart tip to make the dish tastier: Add a berry flavour as per availability to enhance flavour.

 

Nutritional Info:

Calories	3588	Protein	122 g
Total fat	240.6g	Saturated	17.4 g
Monounsaturated	144 g	Polyunsaturated	56.6 g
Carbohydrates	267.6 g	Fiber	40.8 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	Sodium	440.7 mg
Calcium	2154 mg	Magnesium	1407.6 mg
Potassium	4351 mg	Vitamin E	118.5 mg

 

 

Badam Elichi Shake

It might not be the perfect smoothie, but this Indian version of milk shake will not only get kids excited about the preparation, but will also give them a unique preparation to flaunt to their friends during their lunch break. Be it in the evenings when hunger pangs strike after sweating it out at the playground or even when the kids demand a tasty addition to meals because it is the time to try out innovative desserts at the dinner table, this badam milk shake offers a healthy option to make kids jump in glee.

Loaded with almond benefits, this milk shake can be made into a rocking smoothie by adding a dash of vanilla ice-cream to it.

 

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

·         Milk – 3 cups

·         Almonds (peeled and chopped) – ½ cup

·         Honey – 1table spoon

·         Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

·         Saffron – 5 strands

·         Vanilla ice cream – 2 scoops (optional)

Preparation:

·         Mix the milk, almonds, honey, coriander powder, saffron and vanilla ice-cream

·         Blend all these ingredients in a blender

·         Froth it up and serve chilled

·         Garnish it with almond flakes

Nutritional Info:

Calories	1216	Protein	38.8 gms
Total fat	82.8 gms	Saturated	22.7 gms
Monounsaturated	35.6 gms	Polyunsaturated	7.5 gms
Carbohydrates	78.1 gms	Fiber	1.25 gms
Cholesterol	108.4 mg	Sodium	317 mg
Calcium	1062 mg	Magnesium	355.9 mg
Potassium	1447 mg	Vitamin E	13.1 mg

 

So this New Year’s, parents can get cracking on preparing delectable smoothies that will start off their kids’ New Year with a dash of sweetness. All this while ensuring a proper supply of nutrition for the kids and a tension free and joyous New Year for parents!