Food and Drink

For hectic summertime in Alaska, it's smoothies to the rescue

Whether they're playing bocce ball or badminton in the backyard, riding bikes, or tromping through rain puddles, the kids are out of school for the summer with an energetic vengeance. They have a need for adventure, and with that they need nourishment to keep them fueled on the go.

For me, it's always a bit of an adjustment to switch from making sack lunches every morning to having them home for every meal and snack times in between. My grocery shopping and meal planning look different. And heck, my entire day looks different. Since the kids are always in and out, coming and going, it can sometimes be hard to get them to slow down for meals and to make sure they're getting all the nutrition they need.

This is where smoothies save the day, or really, save summer. I can toss fruit, greens, protein-packed Greek yogurt, peanut butter and a whole variety of other healthy goodies into a blender and hand it to the kids in a cup with a straw while they're on the move. This version is what I like to call the summer saver smoothie — ripe banana, frozen strawberries, yogurt, freshly squeezed orange juice and milk.

Around lunch time today, my 9-year-old daughter, Kelty, ran through the door from the backyard with dirt under her nails from playing. She happily slurped down this smoothie, without ever sitting down, and asked for seconds before dashing back out the door. My only regret was not having another ripe banana on hand, because I wanted one for myself.

Summer saver smoothie

Serves 1-2

1 ripe banana

2/3 cup frozen strawberries

ADVERTISEMENT

6 ounces yogurt (I recommend blueberry or vanilla)

Juice of half a large orange

1/2 cup milk

To a blender, add the banana, strawberries, yogurt, orange juice and milk. Whirl on high speed until smooth. If it's too thick, add more milk.

Maya Wilson lives in Kenai and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.

Maya Wilson

Maya Wilson lives and cooks on the Kenai Peninsula and writes the Alaska From Scratch blog. Her book, "The Alaska from Scratch Cookbook: Seasonal. Scenic. Homemade," was published in 2018 by Rodale Books.

ADVERTISEMENT