Fabulous Fruit & Cream Popsicles

 

Featured post by Kelly of The Nourishing Home

Fabulous Fruit & Cream Bars

“I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!!”  Especially when it’s fresh fruit covered in delicious creamy goodness!  Making homemade frozen popsicles and ice cream bars with your kids is not only fun, but it’s delicious and nutritious too!

Strawberries & Cream Bars

• 1 pound fresh ripe organic strawberries
• 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
• 2 ½ tbsp raw honey
• 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove stems from strawberries. Finely dice four of the strawberries and set aside. Then, cut the remaining whole strawberries into halves and place in your blender or VitaMix. Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the four finely diced strawberries. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced strawberries and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Peaches & Cream Bars

• 4 large fresh ripe organic peaches
• 1 cup plain organic whole milk yogurt (coconut kefir makes a great dairy-free option)
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup (I prefer a light grade A, as it’s less maple-y in flavor)
• 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Remove skins from the peaches. Cut one peach in half. Finely dice the half peach and set aside. Then, cut the remaining peaches (including the leftover peach half) into slices. (Be sure to slice them right over your blender or VitaMix container to catch all of the juices in the container.) Add the remaining ingredients listed above, except for the finely diced peach half. Blend until thoroughly combined. Then add the diced peaches and blend on low just a couple of seconds to mix together. Pour mixture into pop molds and freeze for at least 6-8 hours hours. When ready to serve, run the pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to loosen before removing the mold.

Please note:  Ripe fruit is much sweeter and more flavorful. So be sure to only use fully ripened fruit in your ice pops for the best flavor. To ripen peaches faster, place them in a brown paper bag with a banana and seal the bag by folding the top down. Allow them to hang out with the banana for a day or so until they ripen. Unfortunately, strawberries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so it’s important to choose strawberries that have been picked fully ripened for best flavor. The key to getting the sweetest, juiciest fruit is buying locally grown fruit – so check out your local farmers’ markets for the best selection of fresh organic fruits and veggies.

Also note:  When fresh ripe fruit is not in season/available, you can use frozen fruit to make ice pops. However, it’s best to allow the frozen fruit to thaw first, before blending it. That’s because you may need to add more liquid to get the fruit to blend properly and this will change the flavor and texture of your ice pop.

***For the groovy popsicle molds shown in the photo above, click here.

***To get the best price on a new or refurbished Vitamix, click here.

 

Kelly Smith loves the Lord, her family, and sharing her passion for real food cooking and meal planning with others. She is a part-time healthcare writer and a full-time wife and mother to two awesome boys. Kelly’s real food journey began four years ago when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Since then, the Lord has blessed her with an amazing recovery – a testament to His grace and the health benefits of eating real food. Kelly shares her knowledge of cooking and meal planning via her facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheNourishingHome. 

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