Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

The temperature in Maryland reached the high 90s last week, and the kids came home from school with pink cheeks and glistening foreheads. In addition to a tall glass of ice water in this kind of weather, the kids crave after-school snacks that can cool them off, especially before they head outside again to play soccer or ride their bikes.

Since I don't want Solomon and Celia eating ice cream every day after school, we have created a few frosty snacks that are just as satisfying, without filling us up with too many empty calories. As an added bonus, the kids can make most of them by themselves:

• Fruit smoothies: Blend fresh or frozen bananas, fresh or frozen berries, and/or another fruit with nonfat vanilla yogurt, kefir, or any kind of sorbet.
• Healthy Ice Pops: In ice pop molds, freeze chocolate milk, smoothies, or fruit juice.
• Frozen fruit: Many fruits taste candy-sweet when eaten frozen.  Try freezing peeled and sliced bananas, grapes, blueberries, pineapple, mango, and strawberries. (Don't forget to wash and dry the berries and grapes before freezing them.)
• Ice cream sandwiches: Top low-fat cookies (such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers) with softened frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream. Press a second cookie on top, then even the edges with a dull knife. Eat immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve.
• Strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar: Serve fresh strawberries with bowls of nonfat sour cream and brown sugar--first dip them in the sour cream, then the brown sugar.
• Iced Mochaccino (makes 2 servings): In a standing blender, liquefy 2 heaping cups of ice cubes, 3 tsp. regular or decaf instant coffee granules, 3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat milk, 2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup, or more to taste, 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 packet of Splenda or Equal or 1 tsp. sugar.
• Iced Chococino: Follow the directions above but skip the coffee and sweetener and double the chocolate syrup.

Enjoy these other tempting frozen treats from my friends in the blogosphere: Mini mango melon popsicles from Olga Berman at Mango Tomato:

Watermelon Slushies from Monica Bhide of A Life of Spice:

Peachy Pops from Deanna Segrave-Daly at Libbys. Lately, Celia's hands down favorite cold treat is this Chocolate Banana Ice Cream which she can make herself in minutes. Amazingly, though its mostly made of frozen bananas, it tastes like rich and creamy ice cream!

What is your favorite frozen summer treat?