It was a sunny day for sunburst crackers and freezing cold smoothies!
The kids chopped yellow squash and yellow bell pepper into shapes for the ‘bursts’.
What a great snack –
Whole grain, dairy, veggies, and fruit (from the smoothie.)
I was so excited to see if my new blender lived up to the reviews. What I wanted from a blender: to make the perfect snow cone ice, to blend fruit and veggie smoothies, to make salad dressings, and pesto. For it to be my food processor and blender. So far, the Ninja Professional 1000 has lived up to my expectations. My kids were amazed at the ice it made for 100% fruit juice ‘snow-cones’! I know it is not supposed to be as good as the Vitamix, but for a completely different price range (you can get on Amazon.com right now for $85) – this is one powerful blender at this price. Cleaning has been super easy too!
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
*Use frozen fruit and omit ice if you wish, or if your blender is not super powerful.
(this recipe makes about 20oz. – perfect amount to split between 2 kiddos)
1 banana
4-5 strawberries
splash of juice (grape, apple, berry, etc.)
handful of ice
1/2-1 packet of Stevia or a drop of liquid Stevia sweetener
Blend. Add more juice and/or ice for the right consistency.
Sunburst Crackers
Round whole wheat crackers
Cheddar Cheese
Yellow/Orange veggies
Melt cheese in microwave. Add strips or triangle shapes for the ‘bursts’.
Veggies that would work: yellow squash, bell pepper, sweet potato strips, matchstick carrots, etc.
Kids Kitchen Konnection: Kids will more likely try the unfamiliar veggies if they get to cut/chop it themselves! Making their own creation with food is fun and useful for exposure of new foods. Some kids in class said they did not like bananas or strawberries and were disappointed when I said we were adding them to the smoothie. But, it was super yummy (and healthy – low sugar) so they liked it anyway!!