It used to be surprising and perhaps a little unnerving, the way both of my children like to eat frozen things. It is now just a given in our household, and maybe kids having an affinity for freezer food is more commonplace than I realize, but as an adult it seems odd as well as unappealing. 

Things that are too cold hurt my teeth, and there is essentially no draw for me to chomp on icy-crunchy things (ice cream is a category unto its own). Ice is ideal for being blended into drinks, but it is not for eating and crunching; frozen fruit follows along the same lines, as it’s lovely for smoothies but just so cold to eat on its own. 

Benson and Kiah, however, could live on frozen things. The freezer shelves have been hijacked by little baggies of all sorts of nibbles for the kids — if it’s frozen, they’ll probably want it. 

For a year or two, Benson was in his frozen banana era. I would just cut bananas in half, stick a popsicle stick in, and pop them in the freezer. I know some moms dip the bananas in chocolate, but trust me, he didn’t need any extra incentive (or mess). Some moms also limit how many bananas they give their kids in regards to “regularity issues,” but Benson never had a problem so I just tried to keep his little body at some sort of moderation. I came home one day to his babysitter having given him five (“he kept asking for them,” she justified sheepishly — never trust a grandma), if that tells you anything about his devotion. They were a nonnegotiable staple for so long that it felt like we lost part of our family identity when he slowly transitioned to a low frequency of ingestion. 

It was bananas with Benson (that boy is bananas), yet Ki would gladly freeze all her assets. She can be remarkably articulate without many words to communicate what she desperately needs out of the freezer — and how incredibly appropriate that literally in the middle of that sentence, she woke up from a nap, inconsolable until we went to the freezer to discuss her options. 

Options like frozen peas, butter buttons, energy bites. There are “normal” popsicle-mold choices like peaches ‘n’ cream and raspberry chia, and I use a little ice cube tray to be creative/lazy with plain yogurt, bone broth, even awkward things like leftover oatmeal or mini wheat mush. The green grapes are shriveled and freezerburned; the strawberries are so hard; the okra slices feel too weird to even offer. She don’t care: if you freeze it, she will come. 

When she was teething, it made a little more sense, but I guess now it’s just part of her personality. It really doesn’t have to be anything fancy: even plain ice is plenty exciting, especially the perfect crunchy little ice spheres they steal out of Aunt Lisa’s cup whenever they see her. I just read an article about the science of picking the best ice cube for each situation, so it must not just be my kids who are obsessed with ice. 

I actually shared a recipe for a “Cup of Ice” once, in an article that I think of more often than any of my others. I wrote it the week Brian had his farming accident; we were in the SICU with his extensive injuries, at the end of ourselves (we thought — there was much more “end” to be reached) but so floored at the gift of life and the care of our community. Brian wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything, “but he can crunch on an ice chip once every long while. He is incredibly grateful for every tiny bite, and it reminds me just to be thankful.”

I’m writing this article on Father’s Day, about Brian’s kids and their predilection for ice and icy things. I can’t help but stop and grin at God’s grace. 

Cup of Peach Icee

To be fair, it’s officially hot now and ice cold things are the ticket. While the kids would be happy with a cup of ice, a fruity icee is way more Brian’s and my style. ICEE (in all caps) is a trademark brand of frozen carbonated beverage made with sugar syrups and carbon dioxide; they began in 1967 and their website claims to be “the No. 1 frozen beverage brand worldwide.” Maybe, but my goodness, this homemade one is really fantastic, and I’d choose its natural color, flavor, and sweetness any day. Kiah got a sample taste out of the blender and almost fell apart waiting for me to pour it into her cup she was so excited. 

Prep tips: you need a powerful blender for this to work. The baking soda is to react with the acidity and create a few carbon dioxide bubbles — it won’t be fizzy per se, but you might taste a little carbonation! This amount served us four, but the kids would definitely have slurped down twice as much.

• 12 ounces ice cubes

• 12 ounces fresh peaches, roughly chopped

• squeeze of lime juice

• drizzle of honey, to taste

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Blend for a minute or so, until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

Amanda Miller lives with her husband, two young children, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kids. Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.