Smoothie Pops

Some kids are out of school for the summer and warmer weather is upon us (in most places), so why not make some SMOOTHIE POPS?

Store bought popsicles are often filled with sugar and artificial colors, but smoothie pops are easy, healthy and refreshing. Just like the name says, make your typical smoothie and freeze it in popsicle molds.

Here's my son's favorite recipe:

• mango
• vanilla yogurt

Blend those two items and freeze. Voila!

The possibilities are endless.

• Use whatever fruit you have in the house (it's a great way to use up any that might go bad)
• Try yogurt or almond milk for different flavors
• Purchase frozen fruit when/if it's on sale.
• It's a good way to introduce new fruits into your diet. Kiwi not your favorite? Blend it with strawberries!
• Blend the fruit completely or leave small chunks of fruit in the popsicle if you like.
• Watermelon is great, put it in a blender then pour it into a popsicle mold. Nothing else needed!
• These healthy pops can be eaten for breakfast too! It's a fun and different way for kids to eat their fruit.

Action Item: Make smoothie pops today (or buy/create popsicle molds first). These popsicles are healthier, taste great and reduce packaging waste!

For Further Reading: Fructose Watch: The Top Nine Healthiest Fruits You Can Eat and The Best Eight Fruits for Better Health

Keep up the good work

If you are committing to a healthier you and following the mini-pledges to cut out processed foods OR if you are always on the lookout for creative and easy ways to add fruits and veggies to your diet, here are some ideas:

The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide offers 13 ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. Here are some of them:

• Be sneaky. Adding finely grated carrots or zucchini to pasta sauce, meat loaf, chili, or a stew is one way to get an extra serving of vegetables.
• Try something new. It’s easy to get tired of apples, bananas, and grapes. Try a kiwi, mango, fresh pineapple, or another of the more exotic choices available at your grocery store.
• Blend in. A fruit smoothie is a delicious way to start the day or tide you over until dinner.
• Spread it on. Try mashed avocado as a dip with diced tomatoes and onions, or as a sandwich spread, topped with spinach leaves, tomatoes, and a slice of cheese.
• Start off right. Ditch your morning donut for an omelet with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Or boost your morning cereal or oatmeal with a handful of strawberries, blueberries, or dried fruit.
• Give them the heat treatment. Roasting vegetables is easy and brings out new flavors. Cut up onions, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, turnips and coat with olive oil, add a dash of balsamic vinegar, and roast at 350° until done. Use roasted or grilled veggies as a side dish, put them on sandwiches, or add them to salads.

If you make a smoothie, why not freeze the rest into popsicles? Smoothie Pops, as we call them in our house, are a great warm-weather treat with no artificial colors or added sugar.

• Make a smoothie as you normally would and freeze it in popsicle molds.
• Use fresh or frozen fruits, sometimes frozen may be less expensive. Or buy up lots of blueberries when they are on sale and freeze them!
• Fruits such as watermelon and mango can be pureed and frozen without any added ingredients or by adding a little yogurt to the mango.
• The fruit combinations are endless... keep trying different fruits, yogurt, juice or almond milk.
• Delicious and healthy! My son even eats these with his breakfast some days.

Action Item: If you don't have popsicle molds, you can make popsicles using small paper cups and popsicle sticks or even plastic spoons (if you have any that you want to use up!) If you like to eat fruit this way, then down the road you can invest in re-usable popsicle molds.

For Further Reading:

• From this blog, read In Your Face and Change. 
• Or from allrecipes.com, this looks like a delicious one that I hope to try today, Hearty Breakfast Muffins.
• More good information can be found here, Eat Right When Money's Tight