Home Cookin': Frozen Fun 

The kids at the Children’s Space love to make smoothies. They work together to gather the ingredients and measure them out, watch expectantly as teachers whiz them in the blender, and measure them out into cups with exact precision. Their favorite recipe involves bananas, frozen berries, plain yogurt and honey — and they make it often.

A few weeks ago when the weather turned summery they came up with the idea of freezing the smoothies in popsicle molds. Of course they were delicious, and an era of popsicle madness began. Teachers put out the call to parents for popsicle mold donations and splurged on some crazy shapes of their own, while the kids started thinking of different ingredients that would make tasty, but healthy, frozen treats. They tried apple juice, pineapple juice, and more smoothie concoctions, all declared delicious. One of my coworkers caught the homemade popsicle fever and started experimenting at home with various ingredients. She came up with an easy and delicious coconut number that I’ve adapted here with a few twists of my own.

At home I have a favorite smoothie recipe that manages the neat trick of tasting sweet and (of course) incorporating a favorite powerhouse green veggie — spinach. I always make a large batch in my food processor because I know everyone’s going to want their own once they see mine. My 10-year-old likes to pretend he thinks the bright green color is gross, but he always drinks as much as everyone else. My 3-year-old regularly asks for them for breakfast and sometimes gets whatever’s left of mine after finishing hers. The frozen banana adds a milkshake-like creaminess, and the pineapple’s sweetness hides any trace of “salad.” I really hope you try it.

We Simons are popsicle lovers as well, and while I don’t object to the occasional box of artificial color/sugar/water pops, I recently figured out a ridiculously easy trick to satisfy the urge for something icy and sweet while avoiding the straight-up empty calories: frozen-fruit kebobs. Such a great snack or dessert when it’s hot outside, not to mention a crowd pleasing play-date treat.

Here’s to summer!