Three Healthy, Easy, Frozen Treats for Kids

As a dad, I sometimes feel like the Batman character Two Face. He's the guy who got burned with acid on one side of his face only, conveniently forming a straight line down the middle. The natural side of Two Face is logical. The acid-burned side of Two Face is impulsive. That's the way I feel as a father, with the smooth-skinned side of my fatherly soul wanting to give my kids only good things, and the purple, acid-burned side wanting to spoil my kids with all kinds of treats.

That's why I love treats that can appease both sides of my battling soul by being both nutritious while also seeming like a treat. Parenthetically, I recently convinced myself that ice cream does not count as a nutritious, calcium-filled serving of dairy.

So here are three of my kids' favorite nutritious treats.


1.   Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches: These are extremely easy to make and are healthy. My kids eat them almost faster than I can make them. Simply cut a banana into circles. Put a dollop of peanut butter on one banana circle (make sure your kids learn the word "dollop" while you're doing this), and close the sandwich with another banana circle. Place in the freezer for one hour (soft frozen) or longer (harder frozen).

2. Homemade Dreamsicles: This has long been a Renaissance Dad favorite, and only requires three ingredients - bananas, orange juice, and yogurt. Mix up the orange juice and yogurt and pour over sliced bananas in an ice cube tray. You can read more about this in the original article here. My kids still believe that they are getting dessert for breakfast when they eat these, even though it is nothing more than mixed breakfast foods. Please don't tell them.

3. Frozen Grape Kebabs: My son will not eat a grape to save his life. No matter how plump and juicy it is, he won't touch it. Unless it is frozen on a skewer. Then he will eat grapes all day long, and will be upset when he has to eat something other than a frozen grape on a skewer. These are delicious and refreshing, and take all of 20 seconds to put together. Read more about them here.

So, moms and dads, appease both your logical side and your impulsive side, throw together some treats, and chuckle maniacally to yourself while your kids eat these treats thinking that they have somehow caused you to lose your mind and give them sugar, sugar, sugar. Pat yourself on the back as they ask for more dessert and you let them help themselves. Offer them thirds and fourths while you give yourself a high five for this parenting win.

Just make sure that you don't eat the last treat while the kids are sleeping.