The delicious blend of fresh fruit, juice, ice and sometimes other natural flavors, is an absolute treat for the mouth. Not only are they amazing in taste, but the ingredients, if prepared fresh, makes smoothies very healthy. Although Ames doesn’t have a great selection of smoothie places, Dinner and Dessert is one of the few places most can agree will satisfy your smoothie craving. “Smoothies are absolutely amazing,” senior David Warning said. “I couldn’t survive without them.” One sure reason not to feel guilty while indulging in a delicious smoothie is that they are extremely healthy. Developed in the 1940s, smoothies were made for health conscious people. Today, there are still many recipes that follow the traditional healthy ingredients. Jamba Juice, an internationally renowned smoothie store, is one of the places that keep healthy traditions. In the 417-gram Jamba Juice Blueberry Smoothie, there is one gram of fat, five grams of protein, and 160 calories, seven are from fat. “I like smoothies because they are a fast way to eat a lot of fruit,” sophomore Marley Dobyns said. “You can add vitamins and minerals to make them more healthy too.” There would be nothing to complain about except that Ames is lacking in the smoothie department. There is not one store that devotes 100 percent of its time to making smoothies. However, there is one restaurant in Ames that has a reputation for excellent fresh fruit smoothies. Dinner and Dessert, located in North Grand Mall, is not known for its food, but for its smoothies. Both seniors Paul Zunkel and Wesley Rebarcak have never made it to the Dinner and Dessert restaurant. However, they heard great reviews from many of their peers. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about the smoothies at Dinner and Dessert,” Zunkel said. For those students who have been to Dinner and Dessert, it becomes a usual pit stop for many of the upperclassmen high school students. They often go during their lunch breaks for a pleasurable drink. “The smoothies at Dinner and Dessert are really good, I’ve pretty much gone since it first opened,” junior Katie Warning said. A few other restaurants in Ames such as Stomping Grounds and Café Beaudelaire also have fresh fruit smoothies as well. However, smoothies are not one of their main focuses. So bottom line, whether you’re looking for dinner or a dessert choose neither and get a delicious smoothie at one of the few smoothies places in Ames.