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Let’s just say that previous explorations with said fruitriled up my son to ask for more. And who wouldn’t have superserved her kid’s every food wish before he left for two weeks of sleepaway camp? Like he isn’t eating dinner doused in sprinkles, cup o’syrup for breakfast, and deep-fried almost meat sandwiches at lunch. I’m not kidding myself – he’s in food heaven. It’s summer camp and he’s sleeping away and eating away from parent rule and roost.

Before he left, he wanted mangos in any way. Sliced slippery sweetness right out of the rind is best, but we put thatnew blenderto use and whipped up a few cup o’breakfast smoothies before his departure.

This one included fresh mango halves, vanilla Greek yogurt, and ice cubes.We used both almost-halves of the mango for the smoothie, leaving the stone center for a mango pop. True to our fast real food strategy, we made more than we needed. Leftover smoothies make the most delicious frozen treats. And this one will be waiting for him after I give him big bear hugs, smell his head (filth and all), and examine his face over and over again to make up for the time apart.

I offer the ‘recipe’ for mango smoothie not because it’s difficult, but because I’ve learned, by actually reading the cookbooks that came with my power blender, that there is an art to getting the right consistency without having to rely on manufactured juices. The strategy is to load the blender with juice producing foods at the bottom and blend slowly at first to create natural juice and then turn up the speed on high for a minute or two. We use Greek yogurt for protein and then ice for chill and consistency.

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