Healthy Homemade Fruit Popsicles
3 ingredients only. These easy, healthy and refreshing fruit popsicles are a fun kitchen activity and the perfect treat to make with your kids this summer.
I have used these 11 inch popsicle mold bags that come with a funnel for easy pouring. But not having popsicle molds shouldn’t stop you from making these delightful treats. Use any small paper or plastic cups and wooden craft sticks to make your popsicles. To keep the sticks upright in the popsicle, freeze for a couple of hours and then insert the stick in the middle of a partially frozen popsicle before freezing again.
Watermelon Lime Popsicles
We love the abundance of fruit that summer brings with it. The berries, peaches, plums, grapes and melons are all great, but nothing says summer like a fresh juicy watermelon on a hot day.
In season fruit when eaten at its peak is usually sweet and delish, but even then, there are tricks to pick out the ripest, sweetest watermelon every single time. The most nutritious and delicious watermelons are fully ripe and have dark red flesh. Here’s what you should look for when shopping for the perfect watermelon-
The shiny & pretty looking watermelons are the least sweet! Look for dull watermelons with creamy yellow ground spot & webbing.
A flat creamy ground spot is the part of the melon that was in contact with the soil. The more yellow the spot, the sweeter the watermelon. If the field spot is white or nonexistent, that means the watermelon hasn't been sitting out on the field long enough and is under-ripe.
The web-like brown spots or veins on the watermelon indicate where the bees pollinated the flower. Nature knows best. Follow the bees. More pollination = sweeter fruit.
Always pick a watermelon that feels heavy for its size. That means there is more water in it. When you tap the watermelon, listen for a hollow sound rather than a flat thump.
Whenever we use a watermelon to make something in class, the children are very excited. I mean, who doesn't like watermelon? They are fascinated to learn that they can pick a sweet one without cutting into it and always eager to examine the specimen in front of them very closely. The fruit gets passed around the table from one child to another as they check for it’s heaviness and give their nod of approval. At this point, I usually find myself saying a silent prayer for the watermelon to return in one piece or plotting my diving moves to save it from hitting the ground if one of the little ones drops it!
Now that you have the perfect watermelon, let’s make watermelon popsicles that are refreshing, sweet, healthy and incredibly satisfying.
Watermelon Lime Popsicle Recipe
Makes 9-10 popsicles
Ingredients:
1/2 medium sized watermelon (about 6 cups cubed)
2-3 Tbsp turbinado sugar or honey (depending on the sweetness of the watermelon)
1 tbsp lime juice
Zest of one lime
Preparation:
Place the watermelon, 2 tbsp sugar and lime juice in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed. Fresh fruit tends to be sweeter than frozen, so keep the liquid a little on the sweeter side to get perfectly sweet popsicles.
Let it stand in the blender for five minutes or so for the foam layer on top to subside a little. Then skim and discard the excess.
Stir in the lime zest.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
Notes:
Sometimes the watermelon tends to separate in the freezer and you end up with pockets of white, less flavorful popsicle. Removing the froth/ foam layer helps deal with the separation issue.
Skip the sugar & lime zest if consuming it as watermelon juice/ aqua fresca.
Did you know?
You don’t have to stress about consuming farm fresh watermelons right away. They actually benefit from sitting around on your counter. Watermelons are one of the rare foods that increase their antioxidant value AFTER being harvested - provided you keep them outside the refrigerator. Keep watermelon on your counter for several days and it will have 50 percent more lycopene than it did when you bought it!
Pina Colada Popsicles
This tropical classic makes great popsicles. Pina Coladas remind me of beach vacations and lazy pool side afternoons, so naturally just the thought of this sweet pineapple coconut concoction brings a smile to my face.
I have made this as a drink in my classes and kids have always come back for seconds. Freeze it into popsicles, or serve it as a mocktail over plenty of ice, garnished with a slice of pineapple and a cocktail umbrella pick to add a tropical flair; either way, it’s a treat for the kids and grown ups alike.
To make yummy popsicles that require the least amount of added sugar, you need to first buy the right pineapple. Look for a pineapple that is firm, but not hard, with a deep yellow-orange tone. It shouldn’t have any soft spots or dents. Smell the base of the pineapple (away from the stiff spiky leaves) - it should smell sweet, like a pineapple, but not sickly sweet. Do not buy a fruit with no fragrance at all.
We love having our freezer stacked with healthy fruit popsicles all summer. There’s nothing quite like a popsicle (or two or three...) after a long hike on a hot summer day.
Pina Colada Popsicle Recipe
Makes 9-10 popsicles
Ingredients:
1 medium ripe pineapple, cubed
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup turbinado sugar or honey
Preparation:
Place all the above ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed. Fresh fruit tends to be sweeter than frozen, so keep the liquid a little on the sweeter side to get perfectly sweet popsicles.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
Get the kids involved:
Involve the kids in picking out ripe fruits for your popsicles. Cut the fruits together - adults can remove the hard rind/skin and the kids can cube the fruits to be added to the blender. Kids can be in-charge of taste testing.
If the kids want to pour the liquid into the popsicle molds, to minimise spills, instead of pouring directly from the blender, it helps to take a little bit out in a small pitcher or glass and let them do this in batches.
Make these ingredients and recipes even more endearing to your little ones. Get the activity sheets below for some crazy fun facts and word games for the family!
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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram and tag it with the hashtag #nibblengobble.
