Some kids love fruit and some kids need a little coaxing to eat fruit. We all know that smoothies are a great way to get kids to eat (well actually drink) fruit, giving them all the goodness of the fruit as well as some protein and calcium at the same time. However, while many adults love smoothies, some kids aren't quite so enthusiastic.

Kids love some choice, and while at meal times my kids basically 'get what they are given' … (isn't that a terribly old fashioned term that makes me feel like a mean mum writing it) … it's nice sometimes to be able to offer them some choice, and when it is something healthy giving them choice can help them to want to eat it. These smoothies give them the opportunity to mix and match their ideas and get creative with their food.

I usually like to write about recipes and ideas that don't require any equipment or investment, this recipe does need some equipment you may not have, but you might find that once you have these things you will use them not just for your kids, but for your grand-kids (what a scary thought!).

Equipment

• a blender, it doesn't matter what type, a stab blender, a liquidizer or a juicer
  
• some novelty ice cube trays - these are readily available these days, if you don't have some, you can normally get them in your local discount store very cheaply. I recommend at least 3 different shapes. Usually they come in shapes like; lips (kisses), stars, teddy bears, hearts, even Disney characters
  
• some fruit 3-4 choices – good choices are pineapple, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, cherries, kiwi etc. Tinned fruits are also work well – I don't love bananas in this recipe but they are such great source of goodness that feel free to give them a try, I don't find they freeze well – but just about any other fruit will be great
  
• something to stir; you can use a spoon or an ice cream stick (I save the sticks when the kids have finished and put them through the dishwasher), or if you are having a party it is fun for the kids to use those kind of novelty cocktail sticks where they will be able to stab the floating fruit shapes
  
  

Method

• purée some fruit; you want the fruit quite smooth. If you don't have some kind of electronic blender, juicer or liquidiser, you can cook the fruit with a little water until soft and push it through a sieve, you will lose some of the fibre by doing it this way, but it works
  
• pour the fruit purée into the novelty ice cube trays, you want to vary the fruit and the shape to provide the children with the maximum choice (for example one might want cherry, but in a star shape and another might want cherry in a spider-man face shape!!)
  
• freeze the fruit ice cube trays
  
  

When the fruit is frozen, you then have a stock of fruit smoothie cubes. Pour a glass of milk, they can choose the flavour and the shape of their smoothie. Put 3-4 fruit cubes in each glass of milk and let them stir and experiment with flavour combinations and enjoy!!