Fall is my favorite season, hands down! But tis the season for kiddie colds, upper respiratory probs and crud. The temperature drops along with the immune system. My 19-month-old, Camden, is sick with a combination of bad cold and both eye teeth just starting to poke through. Poor thing! It is hard being a toddler. So right now it hurts to chew and his throat is sore. I want him to drink as many Vitamin C-packed liquids as possible to fight off his cold.
A great solution to get him to take in more Vitamin C and filling calories without having to chew is with a smoothie. He loves them. Usually I add fruit, organic whole milk along with whole fat Greek yogurt, but since he’s congested I want a smoothie that will taste good without the dairy. Almond milk makes a fantastic substitute for dairy and I use it in my smoothies often, but I don’t want the smoothie very thick or heavy on his stomach so I did not use Almond Milk this time. I made this combination the other day and he drank the entire thing—or at least what didn’t end up on his bib, lap and clothing and on our floors & walls (he is learning to drink from a “big boy” cup, which is why the cups in the photo above have only a couple inches of liquid each).
Cold Season Vitamin C Smoothie (serves 1)
1/2 ripe banana
4 strawberries (fantastic source of Vitamin C)
1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce (I used the Trader Joe’s cinnamon kind)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup apple juice ( I used the Motts for Tots because of the reduced sugar. If you don’t use a reduced sugar version please cut it with water).
Just blend. Wish I could say it was more complicated than 5 ingredients, but this is it and it serves its purpose–gets him to drink more immune-boosting vitamins when his throat is sore and he doesn’t feel like eating or drinking. I will cheers to this.
I thought it might be helpful to list some top fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C so you can incorporate them into meals for your little ones this season (data taken from USDA nutritional database)
Super Sources of Vitamin C
Papaya (1 cup = 140 milligrams)
Red Bell Peppers (1 cup = 190.3 milligrams)
Broccolli (1 serving = 132 milligrams)
Kale (2 cups = 160.8 milligrams)
Kiwi (1 =137.2)
Strawberries (1 serving = 86.5 milligrams)
Cauliflower (1 serving = 127.7 milligrams)
Sweet Potatoes (1 large = 35.3 milligrams)
Have any quick smoothie recipes your kids adore? Let me know. I will totally try them. We are blendin every day here. xx CC
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