Strawberry Shake aka Pinkie Pie

Even though our nutrition writer Kathy Magilton tried to ruin Christmas  tell us that not all smoothies are the healthy snack we think they are, we’re still obsessed. Okay, if we promise not to make them into calorie bombs, can we keep pounding these, Kathy? I hope so because we’ve got more coming your way.

This one is named for my kids’ latest obsession, My Little Pony (God help me). I’m trying to remember when I hear them singing along to the tooth-aching theme song that there are now-forgotten obsessions that I kind of miss. Like the silly “Where did it go?” game Esme used to play before she could even talk. She’d whip her little fork behind her back in her high chair and then hold her hands up, like, “What?” About a dozen times per meal for six months. I was ready to take that fork and jam it in my own eye. Now it’s all ponies, all the time. Much of the conversation seems focused on who is who. As in arguing over, “I’m Fluttershy” “No, I’m Fluttershy! Actually, I’m Rainbow Dash.” And don’t bother suggesting that maybe the game is still fun if both are Rarity or Apple Jack (that I know all the names is a kind of torture to me) because you will get the scornful look of pity that I do. As if. I felt slightly better to hear that my friend Elana’s kids are so into My Little Pony that they sing along to Alicia Key’s big hit with a little tweak to the lyrics. “This pony’s on fire!” I will never stop laughing about that. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. And so, meet Pinkie Pie, a calcium-rich smoothie with a little shot of flax. Alright, Kathy?

photo by Maya Visnyei