Summer Smoothies

Who doesn't love a smoothie? Though this isn't a recipe, per se, I wanted to share a favorite snack idea for these hot summer months.

June brought lots of strawberries to our freezer from our berry picking day. I froze a lot on a baking sheet and then bagged them, and we've enjoyed them as a sweetener/cooler for oatmeal, but mostly they go into smoothies. I also picked up blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries when they were on a good sale. Our freezer is holding at least one over ripe banana, too.

On Simon's third birthday, we brought out the blender. I threw in some plain yogurt, berries, a banana, fresh pineapple I had in the fridge, and a dab of strawberry jam. I would have used honey if it would have come out of the container. I might have added a bit of milk to make it less thick. You don't need to add ice cubes since the berries are frozen. It's so easy to throw in whatever you have. A few things that make it easier to whip up smoothies for breakfast are:

1. Keep your blender in an easy place to reach, not the top shelf of the hall closet.
2. Our new dishwasher makes the mess much easier to clean up.
3. When the blender is empty, pour in a little water and blend that for a second to wash out the blade before it gets sticky.

For kids who are not great at drinking out of a "real" cup yet, smoothies are great practice! Here is Simon on his birthday morning:


With the leftovers in the blender (always make more than you need so you have leftovers!), pour into a popsicle mold (or yogurt cups or ice cube trays) and put them in the freezer. A few days later, we pulled out our smoothie-sicles and enjoyed yet another tasty treat. And it's one that I can feel good about giving them for a morning snack!

Banana Nut Winter Smoothies

1 banana, frozen
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey (optional)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Cut the frozen banana into 3 or 4 chunks and peel. Place in blender with yogurt, walnuts, cinnamon, and honey (optional). Blend 1-2 minutes on high or until smooth. Pour into glass and top with a dusting of ground nutmeg.


I made this for a morning snack the other day, and it was a hit! My boys (ages 2 and 4) loved them, and so did I. I had all the ingredients on hand, and I think the walnuts made them really yummy, but you could make it without nuts if you don't have any. This was a great way for my 2-year-old, who has had motor skills difficulties, start to successfully drink out of a cup. It made his face look really funny, too!

*Recipe from Dannon Lowfat Yogurt container.

Mudballs

Ever had No-Bake cookies? These are a healthier version I found on Heavenly Homemakers blog. They are really pretty good considering I'd never used wheat germ or sesame seeds:) I've heard that you can sub out the sesame seeds for sunflower or flax seed for the wheat germ. Maggie loved them and calls them her "meatballs". They keep great in the freezer too!

Ingredients

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Combine PB and honey is medium saucepan over medium heat until the two are smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together well. Once chocolate chips have melted and mixture is cool enough to handle, hand roll into small balls. Wax paper is handy but not necessary. I got about 2 dozen balls out of these equivalents and it wasn't nearly enough! I'd double for sure next time.