Smooth(ie) Criminal: A Tasty Program for Tweens & Teens

If you feed them, they will come.  Let's just be honest, here. 

But what about if you feed them...*ominous music* HEALTHY FOOD?! 😮

During the summer of 2016, as I'm sure you all well-remember, the Summer Reading theme was Get In the Game...Read!  With the focus on health and wellness, I decided to try a healthy food wars program for ages 9 and up: Smoothie Wars!  

First things first, we needed to procure some blenders and basic kitchen utensils, like measuring spoons/cups and the like.  Don't be afraid to reach out to your respective staffs or Friends groups!  More often than not, they'll be more than willing to help, provided their bits and bobbles are returned to them in good condition and freshly cleaned. ;)

I purchased all the materials out of our programming budget, but you could also consider reaching out to local grocery stores for donations, if you so desire.

On the day of the program, the attendees divided themselves into teams and were tasked with creating the tastiest smoothie in town, using only healthy ingredients.  Each team was given a blender, a pencil and paper to record their recipes, and free rein over the ingredients table.  

The ingredients included assorted frozen fruits and vegetables, yogurt, bananas, a few nut butters, honey/agave, a few select herbs & spices--cinnamon, mint, etc.--and a small selection of liquids, like orange juice and milk.  Just a note: I didn't choose to provide ice, as most of the fruit was frozen--and the liquids cold--so the finished smoothies would be cool enough without being watered down at all.

In terms of dealing with possible allergies, it was made very clear during the initial breakdown that the teams should be very careful about including everything they used in their recipe.  That way, when it came time for tasting, individuals could opt out if there were any items that were of concern to them.

The kids had a blast creating smoothies and many of them asked if they could make another recipe.  Hurray!  The offer was also made to make photocopies of any recipes that folks might want to recreate at home.

We all had so much fun with this program that I opted to hold it again last summer, with an equally good turn-out and reception from both the kids and parents. (For those who brought theirs along.)  It has definitely earned a place in my rotating tween & teen programs.

A few things to consider, should you decide to host your own smoothie program:

• Have plenty of blenders available!  (I had 6 handy during my first go at this, and it provided to be an insufficient amount, even with the kids separated into teams.)  Another option?  Consider having a staff member or volunteer help out with a quick wash of the blender after each smoothie has been completed.
• Fruit, fruit, and more fruit!  (While this may seem obvious, I found that participants gravitated heavily towards the fruit offerings and were not bashful about taking ample amounts, even with regular friendly reminders about taking only what was needed.)
• Consider having specific categories or challenges.  Perhaps one that includes utilizing "unusual" elements, like kale or squash?  When left to their own devices, there was only one team that actively chose to use veggies.  (There was another one later one, but that was due to necessity--they had arrived late and the fruit supply was completely demolished by the time it was their turn.)
• Consider having either a judging panel--or just a free-for-all taste test!  During my first attempt, I had the kids vote...and, as I mentioned before, everyone liked their own creation best.  I got wise the second time, and simply did a free-for-all taste test, with certain challenges or suggestions along the way. "Use an herb!"  "Try to incorporate TWO veggies into your recipe!"