It has been hectic around here with the winding down of school, sports and all this incredible weather. In the chaos and heat my ladies, like most kids I suspect, have been having trouble wanting to eat.

I don’t blame them really.

But I know that when my kids play outside all day, melting away in this sunny glory and don’t eat properly that it is a recipe for disaster.

After a few days of this the general juvenile mood around the house is quite cantankerous. I have had to come up with some new twists on old standbys and some new favorite altogether to blend nutrition and cool treats into one that will entice the little grublets to eat.

As Summer isn’t complete without Popsicles, I pull out the good old Popsicle moulds (is there a non plastic solution to these yet?) and fill them up with a variety of tasty flavors.

We try yogurt with pureed peach or strawberries and mix in some OJ. This one is the girls’ favorite combo.

I use a variety of juices, teas and lemonades and they have all come out wonderfully. I personally love OJ with vanilla yogurt.

There are endless combination possibilities and at the rate we are going we should have them all tried by Summers end.

Out of desperation and having no will to drive anywhere in this heat with 2 less than desirable followers, I decide to use some ingenuity and throw a couple of Satsuma oranges into the freezer.

I cut them in half and let the girls go at them with a spoon.

Sometimes the simplest things are a big success.

They love them so much that we always keep oranges in the freezer now.

On this same day I cut some cantaloupe into cubes, stick them on toothpicks (my kids go for anything on a stick) and place them into the freezer for a couple of hours.

Bingo, another success.

These are very tasty and so super easy to make, that the kids prepare another batch immediately afterwards.

On a roll of sorts, I gather a collection of frozen berries and pour a varied mixture into bowls for each girl. Armed with a skewer, in every sense of the word, they build their own frozen fruit kabobs.

They eat as many as they skewer and enjoy creating their own snack.

The coolness of the task has a definite fun factor.

K came up with a fun variation on a treat she had at a fair last year. Frozen banana on a stick (of course) but instead of in being dipped in chocolate and sprinkles which she new I would never go for, she thought that yogurt to dip it in would be good.

So we peel and cut in half 8 bananas, pushed a Popsicle stick into the base of each and freeze them on a cookie sheet.

Once frozen I put the bananas into baggies for easier storage and the girls take a bowl of yogurt to dip away, yet another flavorful snack to enjoy this Summer.

These treats are great but I want to up the ante a bit and try some ice cream and sorbet. So, I haul out our ice cream maker.

It doesn’t really get much use around here, but sits faithfully waiting.

I put the bowl part into the freezer and prepare the custard mixture. The girl mash up some really ripe strawberries and we chill the custard and wait till the canister is frozen.

Once ready I add the custard mixture and we all take turns to churn the cream. It takes a while but with 3 of us eagerly working hard it goes by quickly.

As we mix I add the berries and once it starts to freeze I place the ice cream, minus a sample bowl for us to share, in the deepfreeze to harden.

This is a must for any true ice cream connoisseur. I am not a fan of any store bought ice cream, save one special place dear to my heart on 5th street, as homemade has them all beat by miles.

It’s a little work for so much satisfaction.

The sherbet is much simpler by comparison and just as tasty, and not so guilt-ridden diet wise.

I have some lovely mangos that I cut up into a blender with simple syrup I just made and puree till smooth. I pour it into a glass dish and freeze. When it is almost completely frozen I take it out and break up all the ice and refreeze. Or you can throw it back into the blender if you’d like.

This is such a nice way to cool down and eat great tasting homemade foods. Serve with a cookie and dinner with guests is complete.

If making ice cream or sorbet is a task you’d rather not take on you can easily make a quick knock-off that my kids always enjoy. I even serve “ice cream” and toast for breakfast sometimes my girls get a real kick out of that.

Take frozen berries, in our house it seems blueberries and raspberries usually win out, and blend them in a mini food processor with some yogurt, a squirt of lime juice and a dollop of honey. Quick and kid friendly, it is a proven winner.

It seems that I have a handle on the snacks and treats but in the summer I find it a challenge to get the girls to drink up and stay hydrated while they’d rather be playing.

I feel that there are too many sugary and chemically beverages out there but I stay as far from them as I can.

We make a lot of delicious smoothies and milk shakes. Lately mango lassies have been our favorite.

I am always looking for new recipes to quench our thirst and stick to our scruples.

I found that any chilled herbal or green tea blend nicely with a squirt of honey and lemon or lime.

We all enjoy a refreshing iced tea anytime.

I usually fill up their water bottles with these. I make the tea the night before and let sit overnight in the fridge. It’s really easy and rewarding as you control the sugar.

Lemonade is a warm season staple and we are no stranger to a jug of it in our fridge.

Martha Stewart has many great ideas and the raspberry lemonade recipe I found this year is no exception.

Mash up 10 cut up lemons with 2 cups frozen raspberries and 1-2 cups sugar (depends on your palette) After about 10 minute and the mixture has turned into a pulp, strain into a jug and add 6-10 cups of water, again to you liking.

I use this for popsicles, ice cubes and to enjoy with guests on a picnic.

All of these ideas have been around in our house for a while and have proven to be an asset in the hot weather. I am comforted by the healthy quality and they are all so great tasting the kids think your a star.