My childhood was filled with the wonderfully artificial, off brand, plastic-sleeved ice pops, and I won’t deny my little ones of that sugary goodness from time to time. My health aware mom side kicks in regularly though, and I try to find something with a little less dye, and a little less added sugar. Did you know fruit makes a fantastic frozen treat? These frozen fruity treats were a success in my family, and I think they will be in yours too!
Watermelon Popsicles
Homemade watermelon popsicles have only one ingredient: watermelon. Cube some watermelon and use an immersion blender, or regular blender to puree the fruit. Pour the watermelon puree into popcicle molds and place in the freezer. After a few hours, you have single ingredient icy goodness.
Grape Pops
This is by far the easiest of my frozen fruity treats. Using something fun, like sword toothpicks or toothpicks with the fancy flags, skewer grapes. Place them in the freezer for a half hour or more, then enjoy. If you have a child who dislikes the peel on grapes, or is very picky about eating “squishy” grapes, this might be a great treat to have them try. (I’m speaking from experience here. ;))
Banana Cream Swirl
Bananas that are getting too ripe on the counter can always go peeled and into a bag in the freezer. From there, they can be used for smoothies, and more importantly, banana cream swirl. Add your frozen banana, a few tablespoons per banana of cream or milk, and blend it up in the blender. Sometimes I add a few ice cubes and a little water. There aren’t exact measurements here because it really depends on the size of your bananas and the type of blender you are using. If your swirl is too runny, add more banana or ice. If your swirl is not blending or too thick, add a tiny bit of water or cream. What results is a soft serve textured, banana flavored, creamy bit of goodness. I love serving banana cream swirl in little cake cones.
The hot humid days of summer can start to feel pretty long if you’re also in charge of entertaining children all day. Add some of these frozen fruit treats to the mix and give everyone a nice, cool break. Enjoy!
Yum! What great ideas. Pinned to try.