Banana Pineapple Mango Green Smoothie

With the transition to toddlerhood, my 13 month old, who has always had a voracious appetite for absolutely anything I served him, has recently started testing his independence at mealtimes by being a little more picky with what he eats off his plate.  Most days he still eats like a champ, but on the days he doesn't, I just want a quick and easy way to knock out a day's worth of fruits and a good heap of greens.  Green Smoothies are always my answer, in one fashion or another.

Not too long ago I posted the first version of a Green Smoothie I served to my son, a Strawberry Banana Smoothie.  He was completely hooked at first sip, but I knew he would be...  I used 2 of his favorite flavors (strawberries and bananas) to entice him.  Now that he's used to the green smoothies, I figured it was time to try a different version and change things up a bit. 

This is what I came up with the other day while browsing the freezer and fridge to see what fruits and veggies I needed to use up, and the results were delicious!  In fact, I think my son loved this green smoothie version even more than the first one I served him.

I always serve green smoothies to my son using a Dr. Sears Smoothie Sipper (shown in photo above) because it has a wide straw that can accomodate thicker liquids, and I swear, he sees that thing now and he immediately gets excited!  It's like he knows something delicious is coming soon!  Whatever the case, he gulps down these smoothies (and all their nutrition) even faster than I can down them.

Banana Pineapple Mango Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 3 Tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional, but oh so good for you)
• 1/2 - 1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (or any other milk; add more or less based on preferred consistency)
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I prefer Oikos greek yogurt)
• 1 ripe banana
• 3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 of an avocado (optional)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. 
2. Mix until smooth, approximately 2 minutes, stopping to mix the ingredients down with a spoon as needed.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Notes:  I always use Vanilla Almond Milk in my smoothies because I like the sweetness and flavor it adds, but any milk will do.  You can easily adjust the amount of yogurt and/or milk used in this recipe in order to achieve your desired consistency.  Also, if none of your fruits are frozen, add a few ice cubes to thicken things up a bit.