Thursday, April 26, 2012

Popsicles


Summer weather is coming and that means popsicle season. But not just any popsicles, homemade, delicious, healthy popsicles.  Both Justin and Reece love popsicles, I could take them or leave them. I often make them up for the two of them to enjoy as they play in the yard on a hot summer afternoon.

Here are two of their favourites:

Strawberry Banana Popsicles
4 large strawberries
1 medium banana
6oz nettle tea, steeped for 5 to 10 minutes
1tbsp lecithin (helps make it creamy)

Put all of the above in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into molds and freeze.  A few hours later and they are ready for you, oops I mean your toddler to enjoy.

You may be wondering why I used nettle tea.  Well of course it was to increase the nutrients in these oh so yummy popsicles.  Why use water when I can punch up the nutrition with nettle tea.  Nettles are nutrient gang busters providing us with chlorophyll, vitamins A, C, D and K and minerals calcium, iron and potassium.  Need I say more?


Chocolate Popsicles
1 avocado, peeled and pit removed
1 banana
6 tbsp coconut milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp organic cocoa powder
1 tbsp almond butter

In a food processor, blend the avocado and banana until smooth. Add coconut milk, maple syrup, cocoa powder and almond butter, blend until well mixed. You can taste test now to see if you would like to increase the sweetness with a little more maple syrup. You may also wish to add a little more coconut milk if it seems a little thick.

Once you have perfected it to pass your taste bud test, fill your popsicle molds and freeze for a couple of hours.

 
What popsicle recipes are a hit in your home?

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And because I know you will ask...those lovely popsicle molds I bought two summers ago from one of my lovely sponsors this month Nayla Natural Care. They were a little tough for Reece to use the first summer, but last year, he got the hang of them no problem at all.  

And just a little reminder, Nayla Natural Care is generously offering Mothering with Mindfulness readers a 10% discount until April 30 with the code mwm412.

27 comments:

  1. These sounds sooo delicious - no wonder they are such a hit!

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  2. I will have to try these recipes, thanks for sharing!!

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  3. Yum...and nettle tea is great for those of us with allergies....this just means that I can justify eating more of them than anyone else ;)

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  4. Yum! Just two days ago I poured the remainder of our smoothie into a popsicle mold (actually I'm just remembering that it's still in the freezer...). I'll have to try your recipes! Thanks.

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    1. Oh yes, we do that too! Although most mornings I finished up the smoothie leftovers :)

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  5. I've been thinking we need to start popsicling for the year, especially because we made it up over 100 degrees yesterday. Thanks for the extra push...and for the recommendation on the molds. I've been wanting to buy new ones and these look great.

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    1. They are really great molds, super easy to use and easy to clean up. Have fun popsicle making :)

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  6. Yay...summer is coming! Thanks for the great recipes. Maeve's a little young but my husband will be happy. And you were right about the popsicle molds. :)

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  7. I love those popsicle holders! And thanks for the recipes. We can always use more popsicle recipes!! I love using nourishing herbal teas as a base too.

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    1. They really are awesome, I love them!!! And my pleasure, happy to share.

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  8. Yum ,thanks for sharing. We make Popsicles from the left over smoothies from the morning time. What ever the flavor of the day is goes into the molds and are enjoyed as "dessert".

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    1. Great idea, we do that too, but there usually isn't much leftover from our morning smoothie.

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  9. yum!!! those looks like the neatest popsicle molds!

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  10. We are already in popsicle mode here. I'm going to have to try out the chocolate ones! I like to freeze bananas and then blend them. When you blend them already frozen they turn into a yummy ice cream. I like to put whole berries in my popsicles as well. Oh coconut popsicles with actual shredded coconut in it. YUM!

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    1. Yes, banana ice cream is the best, with just a touch of vanilla = delish! Some great ideas KC, thanks.

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    2. I can't wait to try out your banana ice cream too KC!!

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  11. Great ideas. I buy popsicles usually, or just freeze juice, but you've inspired me to try harder. :)

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  12. ohhh yum!! I can't wait to try these out. and we have a popsicle maker that freezes them in 7-9 minutes. yes, minutes!!! I know that learning about waiting can be a valuable lesson, but sometimes instant gratification can be great too.... and 9 minutes is a long time for an almost 2 year old. (wink).

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    1. Hope you like them. Will have to look into your popsicle maker. We make our own ice cream too, takes about 25 minutes, it kills Reece to wait that long :)

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  13. What a great idea to put the nettles tea with the popsicles!

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    1. Thanks Taryn, anything I can do to squeeze in some extra nutrition :)

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  14. thanks for sharing these awesome popsicles! i will definitely be making these. and we just gathered nettles today! this week i made some popsicles with yogurt and a very ripe banana. boys loved them :) and thanks for sharing those popsicle molds, i was definitely going to ask you about them.

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