Smoothie Banana Shake from Pretend Soup Cookbook

From Daryl aka Avery

Say hello to my new puppy, Sparky!!

A ten-week old golden doodle rescue! Just got him yesterday and my husband and I are very excited! What a bundle of energy and new lessons for "mom." LOL

His arrival came on the heels of taking little ones to their schools.

What little ones?

I had two little cuties over this past weekend, their first time staying overnight with us. [My stepson's children, 3 and 5. Darling, inquisitive, active!!!!]

We laughed, we went to the movies, we did art. We did more art. We built blocks. We built more blocks.

And we cooked. Okay, we blended!

A child has to eat to keep all that energy going, right? (Me, too.)

For fun, but also for a good balance of many nutrients, we made smoothies (i.e. shakes with no ice cream). Chocolate-banana and vanilla-banana. For the chocolate, we used Penzey's High Fat Cocoa. [Good for this little girl's energy.] Yum!!!

Now, teaching kids to cook is fun, but sometimes it can be a daunting task. Too many steps. Too many ingredients.

When I found this cookbook PRETEND SOUP--one that my protagonist Jenna stocks at The Cookbook Nook--I went wild. It's so cute; so easy! It has each recipe written out in large print, and it also has step-by-step directions with drawings that kids can appreciate. Talk about easy.


By the way, Jenna Hart, if you didn't know, isn't a great cook yet. She's learning. This cookbook is real easy for her to follow, too. So for those moms who are a little timid in the kitchen, don't despair. This book is for you, too. :)

CHOCOLATE-BANANA RECIPE

Ingredients: 
1 cup milk (OR you can use almond milk)
1 peeled banana
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa
3-4 ice cubes (already crushed, if you have the option)
(if desired, one teaspoon natural liquid sweetener)



Directions: 
In a blender, put all your ingredients. Blend for 2 minutes.

Pour into a glass and add a straw and a smile!

VANILLA-BANANA RECIPE

Ingredients: 
1 cup milk (OR you can use almond milk)

1 peeled banana
2 teaspoons vanilla
3-4 ice cubes (already crushed, if you have the option)
(if desired, one teaspoon natural liquid sweetener)

Directions: 
In a blender, put all your ingredients. Blend for 2 minutes.

Same as previous recipe, pour into a glass, add a straw, and smile!

How easy is that?!!

Note: One portion made enough for 2 kid-sized drinks.

I have more kiddies coming this weekend. My nephew, who is like my son, and his wife and their two kids, 1 and 3. Fun, fun!  Laughter and knocking down blocks will be the main attraction, I'm sure!

I'm thinking we'll try the blueberry pancakes recipe from Pretend Soup!

Big P.S.  If you have kids in your life, enjoy them now. They grow up too fast. Puppies, too!

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Next up: 

Days of Wine and Roquefort Feb 2014, preorder here

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