Healthy Homemade Popsicles

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Do you remember the pure joy you felt as a kid when taking the first lick of an ice pop? I'm remembering that feeling as I watch my son eat popsicles this year, and re-living that joy vicariously each time he eats one. Lately we have been experimenting with making all different types of homemade popsicles. Last week I wrote about making homemade ice cream, and next up in my frozen dessert series I wanted to share some ideas for making ice pops at home.

Sure, it's easy to buy a box of popsicles in the freezer case at the grocery store. Not to mention all the craft projects you can do with the leftover sticks. But in a few minutes you can make unique and creative treats that only cost a few pennies, and are probably much healthier than the ones you can buy in the store.

First you need a popsicle making mold or kit. I bought mine at my favorite Swedish furniture superstore, but have also seen them in specialty kitchen shops and the bigger retail stores. They come in all different shapes and sizes and are fairly cheap. Another option is to use small size Tupperware container and wooden sticks if you want to experiment with different shapes.

There are limitless possibilities for your homemade frozen treats. You can make a different type of popsicle for every day of the summer if you want to. The simplest way to make them is to pour bottled fruit juice - apple, white grape, cran-raspberry, lemonade - anything you like, into the molds, insert the sticks and freeze for a few hours. I cut the juice with water by half so it is less sweet. Sometimes I add various cut up fruits into the bottom of the mold to add even more nutrition. Our favorite so far has been "grapesicles," white grape juice poured over slivered green grapes.

Another way to make wholesome fruit pops is by pureeing your favorite fruit or mix of fruits in the blender, straining, and pouring into the molds. Hey, you can even sneak in some juiced fresh veggies such as carrots, beets, or spinach if you want to make them even more colorful and extra healthy!

Other options for creamy homemade ice pops include liquid yogurt (or kefir) or softened ice cream. Then you'll be getting some added calcium into your kid's homemade snacks. One of my favorites as a kid was the push up pop (do they even make them anymore?), which consisted of a creamy concoction that was pushed up with the stick as it was eaten. You can find molds for homemade push up pops online.

Finally, if you want to skip buying the popsicle molds, you can try your hand at making banana pops - simply insert a wooden stick into some medium ripe bananas, then dip in melted chocolate to coat. Kids love frozen bananas and that little dab of chocolate on the end makes it a special treat.

So try them of these cool and healthy frozen pops this summer, they'll beat anything you can get from the ice cream truck!

Serves/Makes: 8

• 1 quart whole yogurt (try to find a creamy brand)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 mangos

Serves/Makes: 8

• 1 pint strawberries, hulled
• 1 1/2 pound peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup sugar