You don't need a fancy blender for smoothies. I make them almost daily for DC and use a $30 blender from bed bath and beyond.

Combos DC likes:
-yogurt, banana, frozen mixed berries
-kale, strawberry yogurt, melon, blueberries
-apple juice, kale, frozen peaches
-frozen pineapple, blueberries, strawberries
-water, frozen mixed berries, kale
-pear, yogurt, frozen blueberries
-water, watermelon, honeydew melon
-vanilla yogurt, frozen peaches, kale
-spinach, apples, splash of OJ and crushed ice

DC uses a sippy cup. I blend everything on high and use the liquidify option. The smoothies are never too thick for him.

I have a vitamix that I got for about $320 using the 20% off coupon at bed bath and beyond.

I agree with the others though that a straw is better than a sippy cup.

We use the Ninja. LOVE it so far. I posted a long time ago on Off Topic asking about the Vitamix vs. Ninja. Ninja gets good reviews and is a fraction of the cost of Vitamix. We cannor afford the Vitamix so hope the Nija's motor lasts!

I use a 20 year old Oster blender. Have used it almost daily for at least the past 10 years.

You can also grind up some oatmeal to add to the smoothie - delicious. I use 1/4 cup oatmeal per smoothie.

I use a handheld immersion blender for smoothies.

Smoothie addict here. I make smoothies daily or a big batch every other day for DD. I use a vitamix. It really blends the seeds so smoothly we don't have any problems. (You can get a great price at costco, i think under $400) I also use the take & toss cups with a straw. They come with straws but disposable bendy straws will also fit. I tend to keep my recipes for DD to be a little more liquid than I'd make for myself. It helps her drink from the straw. Also, depending on the recipe you might need to give it a little stir before drinking if it's been sitting in the fridge for a day.

Some combos we like:
Spinach, apples, strawberries, bananas, any juice
Spinach, apple, kiwi, grapes, water or apple juice
Strawberry, banana, pineapple cup w/ juice
Strawberry, blueberry, banana, peach, oj

You can throw in some avocado to any of them for creaminess & healthy fat.

I make them at 7am and kids drink theirs aroun 8 with breakfast at school. I dont give it to them right away because they drink their glass of milk as soon as they wake up. I also make it for myself and usually drink it around 8 and it still tastes good, I just have to shake it a little.

any other recipes??

There is a Dr. Sears smoothie cup for toddlers available at Target. I use a ninja blender. One question: my smoothies only taste good if I have just blended them. How do yours last to send to day care? My standard smoothie recipe is some type of berry, a banana, yogurt and ice. I was making them for myself, but my children wanted them even more!

We use the Take and Toss straw cups for smoothies - so easy to clean.

I agree your problem isn't the smoothie but the sippy! Switch to a cup with a straw.

Here is an idea from a blog I read..

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/19/real-food-tips-4-hints-for-using-freezie-pop-molds/

can you get a portable cup with a straw instead? or switch out the strawberries

vitamix is the best blender on the market and suppose to be amazing. not sure whether it will fully grind the seed. However, they run about $500 which is kind of crazy.

I rec. switching from strawberries to cherries. They are so much easier not bothering with the seeds! Also, avocado completely disappears in smoothies if you are looking to add healthy fat. Not sure how it saves as we usualyl drink ours right away.

I have gotten into making super green smoothies for my 4 and 2yr old. All types of veggies with berries. My question is what blender do you use? I send these smoothies to daycare and they drink them from a sippee cup but my problem is that alot of the time the seeds (strawberry) get stuck and block the juice from comming out. So what sippee cups do you use. I also have put the smoothie through a colander to try to get rid of the seeds but feel like alot of the good stuff is lost too.

Can you also share your recipes on what your kids like and how you make it even more nutritious

the one I normally do is
spinach, kale, 4 baby carrots, a 1/4 beets, frozen berries, 2 bannanas, OJ and water