Happy Summer, all!! Ok, so I’m not usually thrilled about Summertime. It just gets too dang hot for my liking. If I had it my way, I’d be great with a moderate temperature of 72 degrees…however, that’s just not possible. So I’m trying to embrace the heat by thinking of fun and creative ways to enjoy it with my Crunchy Mountain Kiddos. We live in the mountains…more specifically, in the woods. So we don’t really have a yard that’s conducive to have a swing set or a pool…or really any dedicated outside play area.
The woods are their playground! But we do have a water table. On my to do list this week is to get it all cleaned up from Winter storage, for them to enjoy on these HOT summer days. But in the meantime, I knew it was time to start investigating how to make our own icy treats – be it ice cream, popsicles, etc…The past few times the Nugget has tried a popsicle, he’s actually eaten it! I knew that’s where I wanted to start. Oh my. There are SO. MANY. Popsicle recipes out there, and I got overwhelmed. Not out of the ordinary for a SAHM of 3 kids under the age of 5. So I decided to do a little trial and error and put together my own healthy, fruity popsicles!
And guess what…? They were a hit!
J-Man loved them (shocker), and immediately wanted me to take a picture of him and his popsicle (another shocker – this kid is obviously the product of a photogmom).
And the Nugget? Well if his face in the image above doesn’t make you a.) laugh, and b.) know that is his “holy cow, this is awesome, and I can’t believe mama is letting us eat this” face, maybe these yogurt pop faces will help you out.
Ok, sorry for the picture overload. I just had to document this. I mean, he’s been my super difficult eater since day one, so that fact that he is loving this is music to my soul. Baby steps folks, baby steps.
First thing’s first..you need some popsicle trays. I found these at a kitchen outlet store in the area. Cute, kid friendly, and affordable. But I really think any of the ones you could find would be acceptable. This recipe makes 8 popsicles, but could easily be doubled to fill bigger trays.
What you’ll need:
- 1.5 cups fresh (or frozen) strawberries – sliced
- 3/4 cup fresh pineapple slices
- 1 1/4 cup whole plain yogurt (we like stonyfields brand)
- 2 1/2 Tbls maple syrup
Directions:
Step 1: Blend all ingredients until well combined and smooth – Taste and add syrup / pineapple juice to get to desired sweetness.
Step 2: Pour mixture into moulds and freeze for 4-5 hours, or overnight.
Step 3: Enjoy!
*Side note: when removing from tray, you may want to run the bottom of the tray under warm water to loosen it up a bit…it was not the easiest getting these suckers out, otherwise, haha…
