Popsicles are 100% a food group in this house. When the girls were Owen’s age, I realized that homemade popsicles were basically the same as homemade baby food, and I dove right in. Batch for the fridge, batch for the freezer. Watermelon, Strawberry, Banana, Spinach {hahaha…eye rolling is allowed}, yogurt, chocolate…if it’s been pinned by someone, I’ve done it! Ha! We’ve celebrated birthdays with popsicle parties. We’ve gone through a non-homemade sugary phase of popsicles. And this summer…I’m back! Inspired by Becky’s Summer Bucket List, I’ve pulled out my blender and gone to town.
Mags and Jack came over this weekend for a little swim and pop party. The girls are sooooooooooo old….they were rocking the imersion blender. We made Strawberry Banana, Peaches n Cream, and a Green Smoothie Pop! Here are the recipes {the easiest of easy} and some tips I’ve picked up over the past few years of popsicle making!
The Ingredients ::
Strawberry Banana – 2 c chopped strawberries, 1 banana
Peaches ‘n Cream – 5 ripe peaches peeled and chopped, 1c unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/2 c greek yogurt, 1/2 tsp almond extract
Green Smoothie Pop – 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 whole green apple chopped {skin on}, 1/2 banana, 1/2 c mango, water as needed to blend {about a cup}
All 3 – dixie cups, craft sticks, aluminum foil {no fancy molds necessary!}
The Process ::
For the Strawberry Banana and the Peaches ‘n Cream, I used a spouted measuring bowl and my immersion blender only because these were my tools of choice when making baby food. I like the spouted measuring bowl because you can pour your ingredients easily into cups or molds after blending. So seriously, all you do is throw the ingredients into a bowl and blend until smooth. Then, pour the mixture into dixie cups filling each about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I find a full cup is really heavy for a toddler when frozen. For the Green Smoothie, the process is the same, but I use a stronger blender to make sure the spinach is smooth and apples are easily pureed.
After your cups are filled, cover each with a small square piece of foil. Take a pair of scissors and pierce a hole in the center of each foil square. Then, insert a craft stick into each hole. The foil will hold your stick in place while freezing. If you don’t mind slanted sticks, then skip this step! Also note :: we used striped paper straws for this batch, but they did not hold up when the popsicles started to melt. Go with the tried and true wooden craft stick!
Put the unfrozen pops on a cookie sheet for easy transport and let them freeze overnight or for a good 6-8 hours.
Enjoy!
Are you crossing things off Becky’s list this summer? Do you have a favorite popsicle recipe??? Please tell us – we would love to try more! And don’t forget to check out Part 1 of our Living the List posts for more fun ideas to do this summer with your family!
