Friday, May 14, 2010

Homemade popsicles

Do you want to give your kids some cool treats this summer but none of the guilt? So many premade (and I daresay even the ones marked "all natural") popsicles and treats have lots of sugar or corn syrup, colors and preservatives that many of us want to keep out of our kids' diets. There is an easier way! Fruit smoothies are a great way to get veggies and fruits into your kids without them knowing! These are kid tested (and mom approved).

In a blender combine:

8 ounces of water
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
1 handful spinach (optional but your kids will not know it is in there!)
3 scoops of KAL brand stevia (use the tiny scooper they provide in the container - add more or less depending on how sweet you want it)

Blend then pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Your kids will be getting whole fruit, and if you add spinach, veggies too and the best part? They will LOVE it. My kids beg for these, yes even my 12 year old step-daughter who has had commercial popsicles before. She wanted to take the recipe back home with her after the first summer I made these. I get flak from people who say "sure, you get your kids to eat healthy because that's all they know, it is harder when they have eaten the other stuff with corn syrup, etc.". Yes it CAN be more challenging but eating healthy does NOT have to taste bad. Many of the raw food desserts and snacks I make are devoured by my step-daughter who is not used to raw foods at all. It can be done, with a little imagination anyone can eat healthier and like it. And this recipe can be modified to fit your tastes by switching the fruits. Spinach is so mild tasting raw that it makes a good addition. A few summers ago I used the green super foods powder, almond or coconut milk and a frozen banana and strawberries and called it "shrek ice cream" because it was green from the green super foods powder. The texture of the frozen banana is similar to ice cream and the kids LOVED it. And, I could feed my kids "ice cream" in the morning with NO guilt. What kind of cool mom was I??? :) So as the heat approaches, you can find cool ways to feed your kids healthy!! So go ahead, let your kids eat ice cream or popsicles for breakfast, because with these recipes, you know they are getting whole food nutrition at the same time, and YOU get major brownie points!

1 comment:

larson_luck said...

Love this! Going to try it ASAP. Did I miss your GFCF graham cracker recipe??? :)