by Tamra
One of the ways I get my kids to eat fruits and veggies is by making fruit popsicles and yogurt popsicles. It’s an easy and refreshing treat in the summer heat. The kids even like helping make them!
You can use frozen or fresh fruit to make these pops. I’ve used small dixie cups, Popsicle molds and ice pop pouches to make mine. I cover the dixie cups with a wrap and add the stick through the plastic to hold in place. You can find the ice pop pouches on Amazon for about $10 for 120 packages. You can find Popsicle sticks and Popsicle molds at lots of stores.
All I do is puree the fruit in a blender or food processor until smooth. To sweeten you can add a little honey or agave if needed (but no honey for babies younger than 12 months!). Add into the cup, molds, or pouches. I layer different fruits together like:
Strawberry layer and Cantaloupe layer
Raspberry layer and yogurt layer
Banana and pineapple layer and Banana, pineapple, orange juice and spinach layer. (The kids don’t taste the spinach.)
Peaches and yogurt
Watermelon and strawberry layer (you can add chocolate chips to mimic seeds to this layer in the mold), a layer of yogurt and then a kiwi layer (allow each layer set in freezer for about 30 min before adding the next layer)
Mango layer and strawberry layer
Yogurt layer and orange juice layer
Lemonade with whole fruit
Strawberry layer, mango layer, kiwi layer, blueberry layer for a rainbow popsicle
For the yogurt ice pops I combine my fruit and yogurt in a blender or food processor and add to the cups, molds, or pouches.
Note: When using a milk product add a little honey, agave or some sweetener to help prevent it from freezing so hard or crystalizing. You can also add a little vanilla to the yogurt to give it a creamy taste. You can also use coconut milk or soy milk instead of yogurt.
Note from wichealth:
Honey should not be given to babies under 12 months because of the risk of serious illness. Learn more from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Depending on the size and shape, popsicles can also be a choking hazard. Do not leave your young child unattended while they are enjoying these frozen treats.
This blog was written by one of our guest bloggers, Tamra.
In this week's guest post, Tamra shares her ideas for easy and refreshing summer snacks for kids. If you would like to explore more meal and snack ideas for hot days, consider taking our free online lesson called: Saving Time with No Cook Recipes. You can find this lesson in the Meal Planning category of wichealth.org.
