I am, in a general sense, opposed to sneaking foods into my kids, and other than a little experimentation I've never really tried, or paid much attention to the possibilities. Some misplaced sense of honor or idealism, I think. But now that I've got one kid beginning to see the light about trying new foods, and another one who's suddenly taken a turn for the picky, maybe it's time to rethink my policies a bit.

Looking at the sample recipes on The Sneaky Chef's website, I realize that I don't have to stop offering vegetables in their natural state just because I've also got them hidden in the cheeseburgers. Plus, it's an easy way to make sure we're all getting enough fruits and vegetables. Heck, I'm even intrigued by the idea of adding baby food blueberry-applesauce to my baked goods and meatloaf, blueberries being the superfood that they are.

There's a slight possibility that my new openness to the food-hiding concept has something to do with this recipe that the Sneaky Chef herself provided for me to try out, just in time for special first-day-of-school breakfasts:

Breakfast Ice Creams
by Missy Chase Lapine
Nutrition Highlights: Fruit, calcium, and probiotics

The name alone makes kids giggle and school mornings go a bit smoother. Your kids will think you’re the best when you call them into the kitchen for their morning “ ice cream” ! These two-minute recipes are fun enough to entice even the grumpiest kids. This is the only way I got my youngest daughter, Samantha, to eat anything in the morning all during her first year of kindergarten.

Your food processor is the only way to puree the frozen fruit without having to add a lot of liquid — and for these small quantities, a three-cup mini food processor works best. These recipes can be quickly converted to a thinner smoothie by adding an extra _ cup of milk to all the variations below and then mixing them in the blender:

Each variation below serves 2 children
Really Easy Strawberry Breakfast Ice Cream
Rich in vitamins C and K, potassium, folate, calcium, fiber, and protein
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries, without syrup or added sweeteners
1/2  cup milk
1 tablespoon honey or sugar

Extra Sneaky Strawberry Breakfast Ice Cream
Rich in vitamins C and K, potassium, folate, calcium, fiber and protein.
1/4 ripe avocado
1/2 cup frozen strawberries, without syrup or added sweeteners
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar

Banana Breakfast Ice Cream
Rich in vitamins B6, C, potassium, fiber, calcium, and protein
1 frozen banana, cut in pieces (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar

Chocolate Banana Breakfast Ice Cream
Rich in vitamins B6, C, potassium, fiber, calcium, protein, and antioxidants
1 frozen banana, cut in pieces (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Note: If you prefer to use sweetened yogurt (the vanilla flavored yogurt works well with all of the above), you probably won’t need the extra sugar or honey.

For each of the above Breakfast Ice Creams, put all ingredients in food processor and puree on high —  hold on tight, the first few seconds are a bit rough until the mixture smoothes out. Each makes about 1 1/2 cups of ice cream.

Another sneaky hint: Make popsicles out of these ice creams by pouring them into ice pop molds and freezing the night before. It’s double the fun to eat it this way in the morning!