There are two sides to a parent on a school morning. There is the nutritious side that has the FDA food pyramid memorized. This is the side that wants to even out the carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, maybe even squeeze in a few anti-oxidants via fruit laced with beta carotene.

Then … there is the side that really, really wants to hit the snooze button one more time. This is the side that says OK Kool-aid and a Pop-Tart filled with Oreo filling is better than nothing at all in a child’s stomach because listening to a child scream on a school or work morning is just not the way to start a day.

Believe me I understand this. I have one child who eats two Eggo waffles, buttered with syrup every morning and one who goes through cycles of bagels with cream cheese or Kix cereal without milk. And of course there is the one who never knows what she wants to eat and some days will not eat anything even peanut butter on toast. I have tried bribery, raising my voice and begging.

Then it occurred to me: Why do they have to eat &uot;breakfast foods?&uot; What if a your child wants leftover pizza, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a soft taco? What if they would gladly drink a smoothie every morning?

&uot;Smoothies have become very popular. They are very healthy and low-cal if made correctly,&uot; said Ann Watts, owner of TCBY, a frozen yogurt shop in Natchez. &uot;Our smoothies are made with fruit, fruit juice and frozen yogurt, usually a no-fat variety. Some people make them with fruit, regular yogurt and a little milk. If you use ice cream instead of yogurt it’s actually a fruit milkshake, not a smoothie.&uot;

&uot;We sell a lot of fruit smoothies,&uot; said Glenda Turner, TCBY employee. &uot;We have customers that come in for a smoothie on their lunch hour and kids that come by after school. They are healthy, delicious and filling. And with the heat this summer they are a perfect meal.&uot;

Try making a smoothie for your family’s breakfast. Your children will be impressed that you are letting them have &uot;milkshakes&uot; for breakfast.

Banana Orange Smoothie

yields three servings

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup banana slices, partially frozen

1 cup ice chips

Pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Sara Moulton

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Ice cubes

2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 scoops frozen vanilla yogurt

Orange juice

Add a handful of ice cubes to a food processor and process slightly. Add mangos, frozen yogurt, and a splash of orange juice. Process until smooth. Serve

Cathy Lowe

Banana Berry Smoothie

2 bananas

1/2 cup blueberries

1 cup plain yogurt

Peel bananas, slice and place on a cookie sheet. Put in freezer and freeze until solid. Remove from freezer and place in blender. Add berries to the blender. Pour in yogurt. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass and serve.

Cathy Lowe

Peach Pizzazz

Yields two servings

1 cup low-fat peach yogurt

1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk

1 cup frozen unsweetened chopped or sliced peaches

1/2 cup peach sorbet

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground allspice

Combine the yogurt and evaporated milk in a blender. Add all the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Adapted from Super Smoothies, Chronicle Books

Raspberry Peach Smoothie

Yield three to four servings

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

1 cup fresh peaches, sliced, partially frozen

1/2 cup raspberries, partially frozen

1 1/2 cups ice chips

Pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Adapted from Sara Moulton

Ruthie’s Frozen Fruit Smoothie

For the fruit (choose a mix from below):

Frozen strawberries

Frozen banana slices, 1/2-inch thick

Frozen raspberries

Frozen blueberries

Frozen peach slices

For the flavoring (choose one):

Vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon per batch

Almond extract, 1/4 teaspoon per batch

For the liquid(choose one):

Milk

Orange juice

Flavored yogurt (peach, vanilla, lemon, etc.)

In a blender combine the fruit with the chosen flavoring and enough of the chosen liquid to barely cover the fruit. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a strawberry and a sprig of mint.

Smoothie tips

Freeze your juice in ice cube trays and add them to the other ingredients when blending. This will keep ;your smoothie cooler and make it thicker than when you use plain ice.

Use frozen fruit in your smoothies whenever possible. You can freeze fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches. Place washed individual slices of peaches or berries on a cookie sheet and put in freeze4 until frozen. Remove tray, and put frozen fruit in zipper bags and return to freezer.

Before adding ingredients put a few ice cubes or frozen fruit juice cubes in your blender and crush. Then add ingredients and blend until smooth.