We were very excited when an extremely large box arrived on our door stop this week.
After all, a big box is a lot of fun to play in. Especially when it’s full of eco filler chips (eco flo).
We were also delighted with the lovely contents in the box.
We were fortunate enough to receive a Rocket Blender, New Special Edition Mango & Passionfruit Actimel and fresh fruit.
Isabelle couldn’t wait to eat the fresh fruit but I managed to save it until the kids got home so we could make smoothies together.
We love Actimel straight from the bottle. Favourite flavours of the Evans-Crittens are currently strawberry and coconut. Therefore we all wanted to try the new flavour on it’s own as well as in a fruit smoothie.
It was a big hit. The kids loved the tropical flavour.
“It takes like orange, but nicer!”
We then set about making a couple of different smoothies to try. Actimel kindly sent us Five Recipe Cards and the kids couldn’t wait to make their own recipes up too.
Using the recipe cards for inspiration was a good idea, as I tend to make the same smoothies all the time; strawberry and banana or blueberry and banana (can you spot the theme here?).
The first recipe we tried was Mango and Pineapple Smoothie, made with Mango & Passionfruit Actimel, pineapple, mango and orange juice.
I love fresh pineapple! We all enjoyed this smoothie. The kids enjoyed finishing off the rest of the pineapple too, so it was a great healthy eating activity.
I have never thought of adding an Actimel to a smoothie before but I will definitely continue to do this.
The third healthy drink we made was a “Groovy Green Smoothie”. As this was our favourite I will share the recipe:
Mango & Passionfruit Special Edition Actimel
1 banana, sliced
Handful of green grapes
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
Blend together to make a delicious smoothie.
Despite loving apples, I don’t normally add them to smoothies, so it came as a surprise just how delicious this smoothie turned out. The apple was so crisp, sweet and refreshing.
The kids also garnished this drink with a grape on a cocktail stick to make it look more sophistivated…and eat more fruit. Even more goodness!
I didn’t manage to get a photo of their full glasses as they couldn’t wait to drink it down!
After making all the smoothies on the recipe cards, the kids asked to make their own smoothie.
They chopped up their chosen fruit: strawberries, bananas and kiwi fruit.
They added a bottle of Mango & Passionfruit Actimel and some milk. They blended and sieved their smoothie (I like “the bits” but the kids certainly don’t!).
They garnished this smoothie with a strawberry and labelled it, “Strawberry Surprise!”
I always find that my kids eat a lot more fruit and vegetables when they join in the preparation with me, whether we’re making smoothies, fruit kebabs, pizza or soup.
Isabelle couldn’t join in with the smoothy testing as Actimel is not suitable for under 3’s, but she joined in eating the fruit!
Would you like to make your own smoothies? There are more recipe ideas at Actimel.
You can also easily make up your own Smoothie Recipes:
For more tips about improving your family wellbeing, you can also sign up to the Family Well-Being Index.
Disclaimer: I was sent the Smoothie Maker, Mango & Passionfruit Special Edition Actimel and some fruit from Actimel in order to taste their new flavour. All views and opinions are honest and our own.
