Once upon a time, I had a baby that ate everything I put in front of him. And I mean EVERYTHING. We often joked that he had a hollow leg because it just seemed like he couldn’t get enough to eat, ever. And I was that typical (read: annoying) first-time mom who bragged about what a great eater her baby was. Then he turned Two, tasted a chicken nugget, learned the word yucky and it was all downhill from there. We officially had ourselves, a picky eater.

One of the biggest struggles I have with him is getting veggies in. He has convinced himself that all vegetables and green things are gross, and it is really hard to convince him to try new flavors. And, as someone who is working on repairing her relationships with food (you can read more about that here) I am trying my best to encourage, rather than force, him to try new things.

Enter-Smoothies!

Smoothies are a super easy way to get more nutrients in and encourage your kids to try new flavors. My kids love them, they get so excited when they here the blender rev up and they drink them right up. And my mom hack? Use Pureed baby food to make it even easier! I have loved using Beech-Nut Naturals since my oldest was a baby. I totally thought I’d be the mom that made all my baby food but turns out I’m not. So finding a puree that uses real and fresh ingredients was a big deal to me.  And now that we are out of the baby stage, I love that I can still use them in things like smoothies, pancakes, and muffins.

Today I made two of my favorite smoothies to take to a Park Playdate and I wanted to share the recipes with you! They were a hit, kid and mom approved!

Berry Good

1 Cup of Orange Juice

2 Jars of Beech-Nut Natural Carrot, Pumpkin, and Sweet Corn Puree

1 Cup of Frozen, Mixed Berries

Pour all ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth. This makes enough for about 3 servings

Green Machine

Sometimes we call this “Hulk Juice”- anything to convince our picky eater

1 Cup of Apple Juice

2 Apples Peeled, Cored and Sliced

1 Handful of Spinach

2 Jars of Beech-Nut Naturals Pineapple, Pear, and Kale puree

1.5 cups of Ice

Add all ingredients into your blender and blend on high, until smooth. This makes enough for about 3 servings

Beech-Nut has a ton of awesome recipes, using their purees. You can find them HERE

Do you have a picky eater in your house? How do you encourage them to try new things?