Kid-Friendly Food: Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie

My boys love getting slushies at Sonic.

 

See the italic emphasis up there?  Yeah, that's how much they LOVE getting slushies at Sonic.

 

And at 50 cents a slush during Happy Hour, it's a pretty cheap indulgence.  But, as a mom trying to get some amount of healthy food into her kids during the course of a day, I just can't bring myself to give in to their pleas very often. 

 

It's pretty easy to deny my boys, too.  All I have to do is picture them in my mind, pouring a cup of sugar down their throats, and I hit the gas and zoom on by.  Because that is essentially what they are doing when they drink a Sonic slush.

 

So  what is a mom to do?  Find a healthier alternative, of course!

 

I love finding recipes that I can adapt to suit the needs of my family, and this one does just that.  

 

Personally, I try to avoid a lot of extra sugar for myself, so I make this with Diet 7-Up to slash the sugar calories. I also substitute Splenda for the sugar to cut the carbs and calories even more.

 

However, I am not the biggest fan of my kids ingesting a ton of artificial sweeteners, so for them I might do 7-Up Ten, and real sugar, or Splenda/Sugar blend.

 

But even if I make the recipe as written, they are still getting the fiber and nutrition of the strawberries, no High Fructose Corn Syrup, and no artificial colorings like they would with a Sonic slush. 

 

If you try it, I totally encourage you to make this smoothie to suit the needs and desires of your family.  It is fail proof.  And really yummy.

 

 

Strawberry Lemonade Smoothies

1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen strawberries (no sugar added), or about 4 cups

36 oz. 7-Up, diet or regular (3 cans)
1 T. lemon juice
½ c. sugar (or sugar substitute of your choice)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into glasses and enjoy! 
About 4 servings.

 

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