The claim: Koji Slushy Maker creates healthy slushies, milkshakes and smoothies in minutes on your countertop. Stir your way to a homemade frozen treat after pouring your chilled mixture into the inner slushy core and create unique flavors at home in as little as 7 minutes. No electricity needed!

Cost: $14.99

Where: Target

I'm a sucker for anything healthy. Diet pills, body wraps, you name it. So, when I saw that the Koji Slushy Maker supposedly creates healthy slushies, milkshakes and smoothies in minutes, I thought, “Score! I should try that.”

I decided to use almond milk the first go-around. That didn't work out too well because my boyfriend and I buy unsweetened almond milk, and, according to the directions, the maker “may not work well” with beverages that don't contain natural sugar. The second time I used fruit juice, and ended up with a decent slushy.

The only issue I have would be that we normally don't keep juice in the house, so I had to go out of my way to buy some to use in the maker. But if your household usually has sugary drinks in the fridge, I would say go for it.

— Madasyn Czebiniak

You get to stir up a storm with the Koji Slushy Maker. The first day I had it, I poured 8 ounces of 40-degree 2-percent milk into the beaker that had been chilling for 16 hours, and, while it took a little longer than 7 minutes, I ended up with a tasty ice-milk breakfast treat. (I added a couple of drops of vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon about halfway through the stirring, as directed for add-ins.)

Early on in the instructions, it says drinks with artificial sweeteners may not work. You have to get to the back of the booklet to read that all beverages without natural sugars are a problem. That explains why my unsweetened iced tea did nothing more than coat the glass. Iced tea with a hefty dose of simple syrup came out just fine, though. Part of a can of pop started to slush nicely, but ended up needing a few minutes back in the freezer to complete the process.

The only real problem I see with the Koji product is that it says to chill the inner core for 6 (or 8, depending on where you look in the instructions) to 18 hours. It also suggests storing it in the freezer. I think that's the way to go. I had less success with the slushy maker when it had chilled only for 8 hours.

— Vaunda Bonnett

When little ones visit, the key to keeping them happy — and keeping me sane — is to have a number of activities planned before they arrive. Snacks are no different. They, too, must be thought out, prepped and available on demand.

So when the opportunity arrives to not only give the littles a treat, but keep them occupied, too, I am all for it.

With the Koji Slushy Maker, I can easily kill two birds with one snack, so to speak.

Kids love to be involved in “cooking,” whether it's measuring ingredients, manning a mixer or adding drops of food coloring to their otherwise boring white milk.

With the Koji, they get a workout from stirring, scraping and mixing their slushy snack. No need to mention the healthy aspects of a gelato-like yogurt or iced fruit juice. Win-win for all!

— Sally Quinn

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