One of the most challenging times to get healthy breakfasts into our the bellies of our little humans is wintertime. On those dark and dreary mornings, it’s just way too easy to grab comfort food instead of something healthy.

Enter açaí. This amazing Brazilian berry puts the SUPER in superfood.

First of all, it is frozen so very easy to use year-round, absolutely delicious and the perfect morning smoothie for both your kids and toddlers. Up until recently it felt like açaí puree was an exotic specialty that wasn’t easily available, but now you can even get it at my favorite food store, Trader Joe’s.

CONFESSION: I mispronounced açaí for the longest time! If you’re like me, and your local organic smoothie store hipster never corrected you, it’s like this:

ACK (as in ACK! who left legos all over the living room floor?) + KAI (as in the cool guys name Kai).

ACK + KAI = açaí

Hipster or not, it’s deliciousness, and health benefits, cannot be denied. It took me a while to find the right mix of awesome to put into this antioxidant-rich smoothie recipe and I’m happy to report, I think I finally got it right! To me, the trick is oat milk which, unlike nut milk, is neutral enough to make the açaí stand out on it’s own fruity sweetness.

One of the things I love the most about this easy smoothie for kids is that it’s a perfect winter smoothie recipe because all the ingredients are always in season! See that rich purple in the lower left hand corner? That’s açaí, right out of the frozen packet available year round in the freezer section.

Here are THREE reasons why you’ll want to add this Brazilian miracle super fruit into our kids’ morning routine ASAP:

Açaí has major doses of anthocyanins, which give açaí berries their deep purple color and act as antioxidants in the body. They actually pack in three times the amount found in blueberries! (source).
The antioxidants in açaí counteract inflammation and oxidation in brain cells, which can negatively affect memory and learning.
Both test-tube and animal studies have revealed this sort of anti-cancer effect in açaí. More studies are being conducted, but that’s enough for me to grab a bunch of freezer packs to keep on hand!

Açaí for Me Smoothie

Makes: 3 Servings

Prep time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

1 package frozen açaí
2 cups oat milk (or any milk you prefer, oat tastes the most neutral against the açaí)
2 Scoops Collagen Peptides
Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood
local honey to taste

Instructions:

Place the oat milk into your blender first. This prevents you from having to use a measuring cup and dirty another dish!
Add in the frozen açaí and let it melt a little
Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend

Note: this recipe includes my very favorite superfood powder for kids and collage peptides. it’s just such an easy way to get great nutrition into the kids without a ton of fuss. And then once the weather warms, we switch away from green powders and into smoothies that incorporate locally grown and organic produce through a local CSA. This not only keeps a nice variety of nutrition in my children’s diet, but it also helps support the farmers in my area.