Purple Choco' Berry Popsicle or Smoothie, Healthy, low fat!

 Purple Choco' Berry Popsicle or Smoothie, Healthy, low fat!

My son and his best friend were enjoying a very warm day outside.  It was time for lunch.  The battle was on! Trying to get these two to stop playing, long enough to eat, is nearly impossible.  What works best? Bribery.  Yes.  Bribery.

While they were eating their lunch, I started the Popsicle-making process.  They were watching as I put their favorite things in the blender.  I didn't bother telling them that I was using all non-fat dairy products, as well as, no sugar added frozen fruits.  I used honey to sweeten, which added to the bribe. I don't know a lot of kids who don't love honey. I really like buying the frozen berries because the only ingredients are, the berries. No extra sugar, or preservatives.  I don't have to worry about spoilage, very low cost as well.  I use them for many things.  Very versatile, as well as delicious.

Did it work? Beautifully, as you can see.  They thought they were getting a treat by getting a Popsicle.  I knew they were getting lots of good vitamins and minerals to go along with their healthy lunch.


I have a two-Popsicle freezer mold, so I used the remainder of the mixture to make myself an 8oz smoothie.  I put a scoop of my favorite protein powder in it, added ice and more non-fat, organic milk, then enjoyed my own special treat!

Purple Choco' Berry Popsicle or Smoothie, Healthy, low fat

1/2 cup of Low Fat, organic Chocolate milk
1/2 cup of 2% organic white milk
1 cup of low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries
1 tablespoon honey (more or less to taste)

Place ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.  Pour into Popsicle molds or add extra milk, water, or (as I did) ice cubes to turn into a smoothie.

You may also want to add some more liquid if you see your mixture is too thick to puree well.  It will freeze anyway, just don't go overboard, so the flavors won't suffer.

If you don't like cottage cheese, yogurt would be a good substitution.  However, I find yogurt to contain such a large amount of sugar that I don't use it frequently, outside of enjoying one serving in a given day.  One teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams.  The drinkable yogurt we have has 14grams of sugar in a 3.1fl oz bottle, that is roughly equivalent to, 3 teaspoons of sugar. There are benefits to yogurt, but as with anything, too much of a good thing is not good.  Let me also point out, that the cottage cheese is not identifiable in the finished product.  The flavors are so beautifully compatible, it doesn't make a huge difference.

Roasty Toasty Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mini Bagels

Coming up with lunch ideas that are healthy, easy to make, as well as, nutritious is not an easy task for me.  I tend to find something that works, then stick to that.  If it isn't broke, don't fix it.  That gets boring, so I've been trying to come up with some different ideas. 

This past summer, Bens friend Alex came over to play.  A thunder storm came along bringing with it a pelting rain mingled with flashes of lightning.  I knew the boys were a little scared of all the noise.  It's easy to tell them a story about why there is such a loud noise coming from the sky. Sometimes it's easier than trying to explain the real reason for something.  I have always had a very good imagination, my son has one also.  That said, sometimes the funny little stories conjure up a different image for an inexperienced child.  My favorite story was, why the mountains would have smoke curling up towards the sky, after the rain. Mom told us that the bunnys were baking bread.  Well, that explained forest fires.  I love that story, I do tell my son that one. I adored the idea of little bunny chefs, in little bunny holes baking up warm yummy bunny bread.  Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread! 


The reason for thunder, I was always told that the angels were bowling in heaven.  Now that's a cute story, we'll all agree.  However, I did wonder a little anxiously, what if the Angel threw a gutter ball, would it land down here?  I hoped it wouldn't land on my head. Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner.  Every book I read about childhood development says a childs "foundation" is developed with the first 5 years.  Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner, I simply try to explain it on his level.  Even the "Bunny bread" phenomena.
 
When he started being a little wary of thunder, I told him that thunder is just warm air and cold air bumping into each other.  The warm air says, "Oh excuse me!" while the cold air says, "No, excuse ME" and then (clap hands together) BOOM, thunder.  He laughs so hard when I tell him that.  It doesn't always comfort him, however it lightens his mood.  On this day, it wasn't doing a lot to comfort either of them, 3 years olds boys together equals more imagination.  We needed some comfort food, special food that only gets made during Thunder storms.  I fixed bread with peanut butter, and marshmallow creme toasted in the oven.  They were called Thunder Boomer sandwiches.  That did the trick, by the time they'd finished their Thunder Boomer sandwiches, the storm was over.  That didn't help me today, during the winter, when there is no thunder.  I couldn't exactly make a Thunder Boomer, if there was no thunder booming. 

I was reading in a magazine, that said, mini bagels are an excellent breakfast choice for toddlers since they are small and easy to handle.  Why not use them for lunch too, after all, it's just bread.  When I was little, we use to love to fix toast and as soon as the toast popped up, spread peanut butter over it.  It melted and tasted so good.  My little one loves peanut butter, he loves bread, he loves marshmallows.  Just like that, the Roasty Toasty was born.  It was delicious.  I served it with fresh orange slices and cottage cheese.  It was very good to see him eat well again.  He's been sick with a chest cold, that took his appetite away.  Thank the Lord he's feeling better and his appetite is back.  I had some leftover gingerbread marshmallows in gingerbread man shapes.  Good way to use them up and add a little special touch to lunch.

Roasty Toasty:

Mini bagels
creamy peanut butter
Fun shaped marshmallows, or small regular marshmallows

Turn oven broiler on low

Halve the bagels
Spread peanut butter on each half
Put marshmallows on top
Place on a cookie sheet in pre heated oven

Watch carefully, don't burn the marshmallows!

When the top of the mallow gets golden and a little smoky take out of oven immediately

Smush the mallows down and into the warmed peanut butter
Cut in four, bite size pieces making sure that the peanut butter and marshmallows are not too hot for your little one to eat. 

If anyone has any fun lunch items to share, feel free! Have a super day.