Mom confession: I have a almost-threenager who is existing on buttered toast to sustain him. It’s the only thing he will reliably eat aside from fruit and yogurt.
As he gets closer to 3 years old, I can see the defiance growing daily. There’s no place the battle is more fierce than at the kitchen table. He used to like other foods; now he scrunches up his nose, shakes his head, and flings it across the table or feeds it to our dog on the sly.
What’s a mom to do? I frequently ignore him. But the problem with not feeding your headstrong toddler anything is that eventually he gets hangry. And when he gets hangry, we all lose.
I’m choosing my battles wisely this holiday season, so I’ve gotten more creative in the kitchen to concoct healthy recipes he will eat. And I’m nailing it with all kinds of smoothies.
It shouldn’t be a surprise: A smoothie combines his two other favorite foods, fruit and yogurt. And until he turns his nose up at smoothies, I’m running with it and finding ways to sneak in vegetables, protein, and healthy fat.
For a fun Christmas treat, I created a gingerbread cookie smoothie bowl with Icelandic skyr for healthy fat and protein, cashew butter for extra protein, and frozen riced cauliflower to get those veggies in wherever I can. To sweeten the deal, literally and figuratively, I topped it with all kinds of healthy “sprinkles”: coconut, pecans, and dried cranberries. But I also topped it with literal Christmas sprinkles and added two gingerbread men for good measure. Who wouldn’t want to eat a cookie for breakfast?
Apparently even Sawyer can’t resist that. He ate the whole thing up without even sharing a few spoonfuls with his mama. Christmas sprinkles for the win!
Gingerbread Cookie Smoothie Bowl
Clean eating | No processed sugar | Hidden veggies
Ingredients
- 1.5 large frozen bananas
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I use Siggi’s Icelandic skyr for a lower sugar option)
- 1/3 cup frozen riced cauliflower
- 2 Medjool dates (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes to soften)
- 1.5 Tbsp cashew butter
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp butter extract
- 3/4 tsp McCormick Gingerbread Spice
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
Toppings
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 Tbsp chopped pecans
- 1 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 1/2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- Christmas sprinkles
- 2 mini gingerbread men cookies (optional)
Instructions
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Soak Medjool dates in 1/2 cup boiling water for 15 minutes, until softened. Drain water before using.
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Add frozen banana, frozen riced cauliflower, and dates to high-speed blender or food processor. Pulse to chop finely.
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Add yogurt, cashew butter, vanilla extract, butter extract, gingerbread spice, and milk. Blend to achieve desired consistency, until smooth and creamy.
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Transfer to bowl and top with coconut, pecans, dried cranberries, and swirl of maple syrup.
And then for the fun part: Accent with sprinkles and gingerbread cookies if desired. Enjoy!
The butter extract is key to enhancing the cookie flavor (and covering up the cauliflower flavor). If you haven’t used riced cauliflower in smoothies before, start with a small amount and work your way up to see if you can taste it. You may want to try the same approach to the gingerbread spice. A little bit goes a long way with that one as well.
All in all, the “cookie smoothie” was a hit and I can feel slightly better that my toddler is getting something into his body with some actual nutrients.
If your toddler will eat this one, you should also check out my PB&J smoothie bowl or my cinnamon roll oatmeal smoothie. These are both big hits with my picky boy!
Do you have a picky eater? How do you get nutrients in? Drop a comment below with your best tip, or find me on social media (@neverdonewithfun) and help a mama out! Or share your gingerbread smoothie bowl creations with #NeverDoneWithFun.
