Parenting lessons are hard won and easy to forget. Both my girls are back in school and it’s taken me weeks of chaos to re-learn an important tenet of smooth weekday afternoons: without a good snack, the battle for order is lost. After a tough few weeks, I’ve remembered it’s wholesome after-school snacks that make all the difference in the lead up to dinner. In our house, great snacks lead to more peaceful, productive afternoons.

Most days, I’ll chop up a couple of apples or slather whole grain crackers with nut butter, but one of the best snacks in my repertoire – and the girls’ favorite by a long shot – is a fruity, cold smoothie. I like to pack as many nutrients, healthy fruits, and vegetables as I can into my smoothies, which, along with a bit of natural sweetness from bananas and orange juice, always make for a satisfying sip the girls love. Blueberry is a longtime favorite and to make things extra special, I’ve also been adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. There’s no added sugar – just lots of chocolaty goodness. These blueberry chocolate smoothies are super satisfying and surprisingly chocolaty. Next time your kids (or their parents) need an afternoon boost, give this simple recipe a try!

Whenever I have over-ripe bananas on hand, I like to rescue them by peeling and freezing them. Later, frozen bananas lend lots of creamy sweetness to smoothies. If you don’t have frozen bananas on hand, you may want to add a bit more ice.

After a few rounds, you’ll find this easy smoothie recipe works well with all kinds of variation. Try subbing out the blueberries for blackberries or raspberries, use a different juice, or add a few handfuls of spinach for added nutritional oomph.

Makes 4 smoothies.

• 12 ounces frozen blueberries฀
• 2 frozen bananas, broken into pieces฀
• 2 cups ice฀
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder฀
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup water (more as needed)

Layer the blueberries, banana pieces, ice, and cocoa powder in the pitcher of your blender. Add a cup each orange juice and water, plus more as needed, and blend until smooth.

Pour into glasses, add a straw to each, and serve right away.

Slurp and enjoy!