As I’ve written about before, we start most days with a healthy breakfast shake.  The kids wake up asking for their “shates”, and should I ever dare serve them cold cereal for breakfast I think they might burst into tears or stage some sort of not-so-pleasant protest.  I’m so relieved they welcome this healthy start to the day – without even realizing it, we all get a few servings of fruit!

Our usual breakfast smoothie features blueberries and spinach.  Lately, in anticipation of cold season, I’ve been upping the vitamin C count with a new banana-mango-orange smoothie.  The kids seem to appreciate a shift from the norm, and I really love how it tastes.

Banana-Mango-Orange Smoothie (serves one mom and two little ones)

2 cups almond or soy milk

1 large – or two small – bananas

1 whole orange, peeled

1 cup chopped mango (I buy the frozen stuff from Trader Joes)

1/2 – 1 cup plain yogurt (I much prefer homemade yogurt)

a good handful of spinach and/or a half cup raw oats, if you have ’em handy

several ice cubes

Pour almond or soy milk into a blender. Drop in the remaining ingredients and blend well.  Pour into cups and enjoy!