Guilt-Free Popsicles

Summer's almost here and for my kids that means popsicles.  Now, as a parent, I always go through that internal tug-of-war whenever they ask for one.....I love popsicles myself, they are synonymous with summer on one hand and on the other they are full of sugar and lacking any real nutritional value.  So, I set out to find a few recipes that would free my conscious and my inner kid.  So here are my three healthy, guilt-free popsicles....

The Green Machine

This bright green popsicle I found on the blog www.number2pencil.com.  I tested it out and it was perfect.  Tastes great, easy to make and looks fab!

1 cup of baby spinach

1 cup of pineapple juice (or any light colored juice)

1 cup of mangos (frozen or fresh)

1/2 banana

Pop the ingredients into a blender and pour into your popsicles molds.  Yummy and a dose of Popeye's fave.

Just Beet It Popsicle

Okay, my daughters love beets, my son, not so much....as in won't even look at them.  So, a little popsicle magic is in order courtesy of our H&F chef Shanti....

3 carrots

3 oranges

2 golden beets

1 1/2 cups strawberries

1 cup rasperries

Put the ingredients through your juicer (you can also use your food processor, just strain it afterwards), put in your molds and freeze.

Striped Popsicle (aka Kitchen Sink Popsicle)

If your kids are anything like mine, you have half-finished cups of juice and half-eaten bowls of yogurt after many meals.  Instead of throwing it out, turn them into popsicles.  Place a set of popsicle molds in your freezer and instead of the standard handles use popsicle sticks stuck through a piece of aluminum foil.  When you have any leftover juice, lift up the foil and pour the juice in.  For yogurt, mix it with a little water to make it more pourable.  Make sure one layer is frozen before adding the next, but besides that, there are no rules.  Add left over fruit with the juice if you want, I added a kombucha with chia seeds that I couldn't finish, coconut water freezes well  - basically anything but the kitchen sink.  When you're finished you'll have a chic striped popsicle that keeps some of your hard earned cash from being poured down the drain.

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