Recently, when playing with ingredients and making some super-easy smoothies, I thought to myself, why am I not making my own popsicles too?
Not a fan of the empty sugar and artificial flavours and colours in store-bought popsicles, I was sure I could blend up some real fruit and improve on a summer favorite.
Off I went to the local dollar store and bought some of the cutest popsicles molds in the shape of rockets and ring pops and others that were circular and square. Then I looked in my freezer where I stockpile frozen fruit for yogurt toppings, fun drinks, or to make my morning smoothies.
A little mix of this and that, a few juices, and a couple hours in the freezer and voilà! I had a summer assortment of some great popsicles!
Here are our summer favorites, kids tested and Healthy Mom approved.
Favourite Fruity Popsicles:
Lemonade & Strawberries
That is it! Pour lemonade into your popsicle molds and then add some chopped up fresh or frozen strawberries and freeze. Kids love these ones and they are so easy to make.
Blueberry Yogurt
In a blender, combine blueberry juice or cocktail, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries and a few scoops of plain or vanilla yogurt. If they sit for awhile in the popsicle molds before going in the freezer they separate and create a neat layering effect.
Watermelon & Raspberries
Use up that leftover watermelon by putting big chunks in your blender and adding a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries. So good and such a vibrant red. Use as many raspberries as you want!
Honeydew Lime
My kids are not huge honeydew melon fans but when blended with some lime juice (from real limes or concentrate) and frozen in a popsicle mold, they love it! If it isn’t sweet enough, add some maple syrup.
Pineapple, Orange, Banana
This one is a breakfast smoothie on a stick! Use as much of each ingredient as you like in the blender, remembering that a little banana goes a long way. Fresh, frozen, or even canned pineapple will work.
Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails. She contributes family health articles to many websites and magazines and ensures her own family has fun while eating healthy and staying active. Find more inspiring tips on her website, www.raisinghealthkids.co, and follow her on Twitter @Deb_Lowther and Pinterest.
This article was originally published in July 2013.
