Many summer moons ago when I worked in a city office, I discovered the joys of an icy cold fruit smoothie from the nearby juice bar. What a great way to get in a couple of fruit and dairy servings–chilly, delicious, portable. But commercially made smoothies are not always healthy for you: some can have over a thousand calories. And as you drain away a smoothie through a straw, you are draining away three, four, even five dollars a cup.

My daughter recently became enchanted by a six-pack of yogurt smoothies at the grocery store. After a quick scan of the nutritional data, I decided to give them a try–and what a hit! Our family vacation this summer was a cruise to Bermuda, and part of the breakfast buffet was a smoothie bar where you could customize your own creation. We all became enchanted by the piles of fruit and yogurt lined up next to the blender. Wow! We were all pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed a smoothie in the morning.

Given the season and abundance of fresh fruit choices, I have started experimenting with the blender to create smoothies at home. The kids have taken very well to this new addition on the home kitchen menu. Naturally, the use of crazy straws never hurts, either. While the appeal is similar, this sweet treat packs a nutritional punch that popsicles simply do not. When I give my kids a smoothie, they do not come back to the kitchen fifteen minutes later looking for another snack.

You can vary a smoothie, as my son would say, to infinity and beyond. Many contain dairy: milk, yogurt, even pudding mix. Plain nonfat yogurt, vanilla yogurt, Greek style yogurt, cow’s milk, soy milk… you name it. Even the sweeteners (when called for) are diverse: sugar, brown sugar, honey, Stevia, Splenda. In August and September, combine fresh fruit with ice and whatever other flavorings you can think of. Chocolate strawberry, peanut butter and banana, vanilla blackberry… But down the road, swap fresh fruit and ice for frozen fruit (skip the ice) to create equally delicious drinks even when the produce offerings are looking a little tired. Sometimes I think they come out better with frozen fruit, no ice.

They key feature in making a smoothie that my kids will like is making it really cold and really thick. If the consistency is at all milky, they make a face and hand it back to me. Sometimes half of a scoop of sorbet, sherbet, or vanilla ice cream does the trick, and Greek yogurt is a good thickener. And here’s a secret: I’ve tossed in a little wheat germ every time, and they’ve never noticed!

We’ve done Banana Strawberry and Pick Your Fruit Smoothies for breakfast. Peppermint Chocolate, Cherry Berry, and the Magic Brew are terrific afternoon treats.

Surf around for smoothies on your favorite recipe sites; you are sure to find something that will delight you (and your kids). Save to Plummelo, customize your ingredients, and shop. Then come home and become a smooth(ie) operator like me!

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Melissa Devereaux. Find her here and here.