My husband and I are smoothie fanatics. It is a delicious and dare I say indulgent way to inject healthy fruits, vegetables, and a dose of protein into your diet. So when Kristin O’Connor sent in her “Wild Berry Smoothie” to share on Go Dairy Free, I jumped at the recipe. That was several years ago, and Kristin has since started a new website. So I decided to fix up that old post and re-share it with you today.
Kristin says, “With berries, spinach, protein powder and flaxseed, this Wild Berry Smoothie has important nutrients that growing bodies need. It’s a great recipe to get kids involved with, and it’s tasty!”
Kristin asked a Naturopathic Doctor to weigh in on the ingredients in this wild berry smoothie recipe, and they shared the following:
When surveying our patients’ diet diaries, we have found that many are low in their protein intake. A healthy smoothie is a wonderful way to balance this (and sneak Popeye’s spinach in as well). A protein shake can help balance blood sugar for the whole day. We recommend looking for about 20 to 25 grams of protein with the protein you use. Rice protein is very low allergen. Other protein sources are soy, pea protein or hemp. Blueberries add a healthful dose of bioflavonoids and cinnamon will also help balance blood sugar. Flaxseed is an excellent choice to add healthful soluble fiber. But one note about flaxmeal is to only add to drinks to be consumed immediately, for the fiber content will absorb the surrounding water and create a gelatinous substance that will not travel well. Anyone with kidney disease should not add extra protein amounts into their diet.
Special Diet Notes: Kristin’s Kid-Friendly Wild Berry Smoothie
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, plant-based, banana-free, and vegetarian.
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage, plus additional if needed
- ¾ cup frozen organic strawberries
- ½ cup frozen wild blueberries (can substitute raspberries)
- 1 scoop plain dairy-free protein powder
- 2 tablespoon frozen spinach, thawed (or ¼ cup fresh baby spinach leaves)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup crushed ice
- Put the milk beverage, frozen fruit, protein powder, spinach, maple syrup, flaxseed, and cinnamon in your blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the ice, pulse it a few times, and then blend until smooth. If your wild berry smoothie is too thick, blend in more milk beverage as needed.
More Kid-Friendly Smoothie Recipes
Chocolate Lover’s Almond Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free & soy-free)
Very Cherry Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
Apple Pie a la Mode Smoothies (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
