June Is Ice Pop Month

Do you know that?  Did you know that June is ice pop month?  Maybe it's because you have never been in my house where this is pretty much a 'house rule'.  For years, when my kids were small, we used Kool-aid and a Tupperware Ice Pop Molds to make summer treats.   Today life styles in the kitchen have changed.  Hopefully for the better.  Here's a couple of summer cool treat suggestions that I think everyone will enjoy.



Remember that the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can mix up for your frozen treat.  Also, I love the Tupperware molds but when you have a house full of kids, and adults who love these treats too, you can use the 3 ounce mini size Dixie cup or a disposable plastic cup if you have problems with them sticking.   

 

Keep it simple.  Puree your fruit, leaving a little bit of chunks is OK for us, add a small amount of water or juice, a bit of sweetener if you have tart fruit, and add to cups.  Layering is pretty and fun but does take longer since you have to freeze one layer at a time.  Think about how fun it would be to do red, white and blue ice pops for the 4th of July weekend.  Fun stuff.

Another thought - mix up your favorite Jello or pudding, omitting half of the liquid so you have a thicker base, add your puree to the Jello or pudding mix, and freeze.  Now you have a new twist on the original fruit pop.  What about chocolate chips?  Just sprinkle a few in when the mix has began to freeze or add between layers.

Just a little food for thought - Keepin' it a little bit on the healthy side is always a good thing and teaching the kids that healthy can still be tasty and fun is absolutely great.  Think about using and organic pudding mix, possibly using soy milk or even an almond milk, if your family is nut allergy free.  

 Ready for a couple more? 

 This is an all fruit and not a freezer treat idea -

Something that I have never seen at the grocery store is dried strawberries.  Maybe they are there but I have not seen them.  With the price of strawberries coming down in the store, now is the time for this delicious snack.   

Simply bake the strawberries on a cookie sheet for 3 hours at about 210 degrees.  Allow to cool before putting in a Ziploc bag.  If we don't finish these dried fruit treats, I put them in the fridge but allow to warm to room temp before eating then again.  

Back to the freezer for one more -

Frozen grapes are amazing.  Kids love to just pop these cold treats in their mouth when they are just

needing a little snack.

                                                                                                                               Another use for frozen grapes, you ask?   They are amazing at keeping a drink cold.  Weather it is a fruit drink or a glass of wine, this is the answer. The drink stays cool and doesn't get watered down.  You can eat them when you are done with the drink and start all over again.