Popsicle season is in full swing here in the desert, so Miss G and I stocked up our freezer today with a big batch of tasty new treats – fruit and honey yogurt pops!
Tag Archives: healthy popsicles for toddlers
{3 Ingredient} Swirly Strawberry Creamsicles
We’ve been making super simple {and healthy} strawberry creamsicles since Grae was a wee little thing, and they’ve always been a summer favourite. Today, with our fridge still brimming with freshly picked berries, we made our best version yet with the addition of a simple ingredient… dates!
I must admit that though I’ve known about the awesome sweetening power of dates for a long time now, I’ve been a little hesitant to jump onboard… But, I’m so glad I did! Using them in our cookie dough boys and our wholewheat strawberry shortcake recently has made me realize that they really aren’t all that intimidating. Simply soak, puree, and use like honey. Easy enough, right? Plus they allow these popsicles to be perfectly sweet even though they’re made with plain yogurt.
Healthy 3 Ingredient Strawberry Creamsicles
(makes 12 – 14 large popsicles)
- 3 cups of fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
- 4 majool dates
- boiling water
- 2 cups of plain organic yogurt, greek or regular
Before beginning this recipe, put the 4 majool dates into a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Pop strawberries into a food processor (or good blender) and puree until smooth or nearly smooth. Pour the puree into a glass measuring cup and set aside.
Without worrying about washing your food processor or blender, blend your pitted dates and about a tablespoon of the soaking water until smooth (this may require you to stop the processor and scrape down the sides with a spatula a few times). Add the yogurt and blend to combine.
Using a large spoon, scoop some of the yogurt mixture into each of the popsicle moulds. Gently pour enough strawberry puree on top to cover the yogurt. Continue to layer the two until the moulds are full.
Freeze overnight and enjoy!
♥
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{Healthy} Tropical Fruit Popsicles
With 1/2 a crate of mango in the fridge and our supply of banana fudgesicles and avocado kiwi pops dwindling after last week’s burst of hot weather, Gracen I set out to make a yummy new batch of popsicles this afternoon. And yummy they are! The combination of mango, pineapple, coconut, and lime makes them taste just like something you’d sip on vacation while sunning on a gorgeous beach… Delicious!
Here’s our lineup of ingredients… Pineapple chunks (we used frozen because it’s what we had on hand, but fresh would be even better), mango chunks, a lime, one ripe banana, coconut milk, and Grae’s addition – unsweetened shredded coconut.
We began by juicing our lime and threw both the juice and the pulp into our food processor…
Along with everything else, except the shredded coconut.
Then we blended everything up until completely smooth while this little monkey gave our food processor some love.
Next, we added the shredded coconut and gave the mixture just a couple of pulses to mix it in. At this point, we had a little taste test and decided to add in a teaspoon of good honey because our mango was very tart (totally optional, of course).
Now while it does mean dirtying another dish, I always like to pour our popsicle mixture into a large measuring cup before filling the moulds. It’s so much easier and quicker than clumsy me attempting to pour straight from the food processor. Of course, if you use a blender, this won’t be an issue.
After I fill the moulds, Miss G’s job is to place a ‘stick’ in each one. When she was done, she desperately wanted a popsicle to eat (particularly, “the green and blue one on the riiiiiight”) .
Luckily, the disappointment that came with me telling her they’d need to sit in the freezer for several hours first was kicked to the curb with the offer of drinking up the leftover mixture, smoothie style.
Healthy Tropical Fruit Popsicles
- 3 small mangos
- 1 cup of pineapple
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- juice and pulp from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut
- honey (optional)
Juice lime and add both the juice and pulp to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add the shredded coconut and pulse just long enough to mix it in. Taste your mixture and add a small amount of honey if desired. Pour into moulds and freeze for several hours.
Enjoy!
♥
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Healthier Banana Fudgesicles
The other night, Brad went out for Saturday night movie treats after G was in bed. I requested a fudgesicle, and he came home with a box of 18. Oy. Several fudgesicles into the box, I decided we’d better come up with a healthier version, stat.
Here’s our line up of ingredients… Frozen banana chunks, cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla. Plus a popsicle mould of course.
To get started, we basically turned out frozen bananas into one ingredient ice cream by adding small batches into our food processor at a time, blending them into a thick soft serve texture.
Next, we added some cocoa, a little bit of pure maple syrup, and a little bit of pure vanilla, and blended everything up again to create thick, chocolatey soft serve.
And that’s it. We simply scooped the soft serve into our popsicle moulds and popped them in the freezer overnight.
This was the end result. Thick chocolatey banana pops that are bound to satisfy a sweet tooth or chocolate craving.
What does Miss G think? Well, after finishing her first one, she turned to see mine still almost whole, and said, “Mine’s a little bit almost all gone, Mama, so I want to trade wif you.” as if she was doing me a favour – hah! Thanks for thinking of your mama, Miss G.
Healthier Banana Fudgesicles
- 3 medium bananas, frozen
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup (truly optional – they’d be sweet enough without)
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla
Blend bananas in a food processor until they reach a thick soft serve consistency. Add in the cocoa, maple syrup, and vanilla and blend again. Scoop mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze overnight.
Enjoy!
♥
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Egg-Shaped Yogurt Pops
Holidays like Halloween and Easter, which are most often filled with chocolate, candy, and other junk can definitely be a little challenging when you work hard to not have your child eat any of those things. And while I’m certainly not ready to throw in the towel and pass the jellybeans her way, I also really don’t want her to ever feel like she’s missing out on something special. My solution? Creating treats that are fun and delicious, but healthy at the same time. I won’t deny that it takes a little bit of extra planning, some extra effort, and some extra time, but for me, it’s 100% worth it that my little love gets to enjoy and indulge, while maintaining a wholesome, healthy diet. Needless to say, when I saw this adorable idea on Play Eat Grow, I knew I had to try a version of my own for Miss G and her cousins.
Before I could get to making the popsicles themselves, I had to prepare the moulds first. And by *I*, I mean I had to ask my hubby to drill holes in the bottoms of the plastic eggs, to which he recruited my father-in-law’s help. The two of them disappeared into the garage for a minute, and returned in no time with the job done.
For the filling, I knew I’d have to make them a little sweeter than I normally would in order to coax my niece and nephews into eating them, but I also wanted to keep the ingredients very simple. Grae and I popped a cup of plain organic yogurt, a cup of no-sugar-added frozen berries, and 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup (you could easily do with less – half even) into Grandma Sue’s food processor, and blended it up until nearly smooth. My plan was to fill a piping bag and carefully pipe the mixture into the closed plastic eggs via the drilled hole, but at the last minute, I decided to go with a less finicky and much more messy method. Basically, I dunked the egg halves into the mixture to fill them up separately, then quickly slapped the two halves together trying to lose as little as possible in the process. It worked fairly well.
With the eggs full, I plugged the drilled holes with my fingertips, quickly ran them under some cool water to clean off the exterior of the eggs, then popped them into an empty egg carton and added sucker sticks into the holes. We froze them for several hours, and voila! A new Easter treat was ready.
The good news is that most everyone really liked them. Even my 6 year old nephew who tried a piece of apple for the first time this weekend ate about a 1/4 of his before leaving it to melt in a cup (pretty much a huge success in my books). And most importantly, Grae loved them. While her cousins moved on to apple pie, Jell-O dessert, and salt water taffy afterwards, she happily asked for another popsicle. Yay.
♥
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Creamy Kiwi Avocado Pops
A couple of weekends ago, at our local farmer’s market, we came across a Abbotsford-based farmer selling my favourite fruit… kiwi. While I had no idea that kiwi fruit was grown locally, I did know that kiwi is delicious and lasts a long time when properly kept, so I stocked up. When we got home, the kiwi went into the back of the crisper and I forgot about them for a while. Oops.
Upon rediscovering a stash of over a dozen kiwis, I decided we had to put {at least some of} them to good use asap. I ran a few ideas past my sous chef and she very confidently decided on popsicles. As you do. We gathered up a few simple ingredients – the kiwi, some plain yogurt, a little bit of honey, and some pure apple juice, and got started.
While I’m sure they would have been yummy given the original line up of ingredients, at the last minute I decided to add in an avocado… Extra creaminess and extra nutrients equals a win-win, right?
My little helper threw everything into the food processor…
Stopping to sample her first ever taste of apple juice. When the measuring cup was four fifths empty she asked, “Dump it in now, Mama?” Hmmm… you think she enjoyed it?
After replacing our missing apple juice, we processed everything until smooth.
This was the result. A super smooth, super creamy mixture that Miss G wanted to drink then and there.
We transferred the mixture into our makeshift popsicle moulds, which are still some of my very favourites despite the fact that we now have several proper sets.
Grae happily placed the lids on top and inserted the wooden popsicle sticks…
And it was time for the freezer.
Several hours later, we had delicious, healthy popsicles Miss G couldn’t wait to get her little hands on.
Creamy Kiwi Avocado Popsicles
- 8 kiwi fruits
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup of plain organic yogurt
- 3 tablespoons of fresh-pressed apple juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey (more if desired)
Pop everything into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze.
Enjoy!
See more of our healthy popsicle recipes here.
♥
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Simple Blueberry Popsicles
With our {essential} popsicle stash running on low, Gracen and I decided we’d whip up a new batch this afternoon. I really had no recipe or flavour in mind, but as we rummaged through our fridge and freezer, Grae caught sight of frozen blueberries (her favourite!) and our decision was quickly made.
In addition to the blueberries, we gathered up some plain organic whole milk yogurt (with just a tiny touch of honey added), our new Ring Pop-esque popsicle moulds, and our food processor.
Gracen started us out by putting the blueberries into the food processor (at least the ones that were lucky enough to not be eaten).
Then she added our yogurt and honey…
And we blended it up for a decent amount of time. That’s it. Tout fini!
Now, if you don’t enjoy a bit of texture in your popsicles {and you have the patience}, you could strain the mixture at this point, but since we don’t mind the grit and I feel like they must be more nutritious with the skin bits left in, we left it as is.
With some help, Grae scooped a little bit of the mixture into each mould…
Then snapped the lids on and into the freezer they went.
Simple Blueberry Popsicles
- 2 parts frozen blueberries
- 1 part plain yogurt
- 1 tiny drizzle of honey (if desired)
Blend everything well in a food processor or blender. Scoop into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least a few hours.
Enjoy!
Oh, and be forewarned… There’s sure to be a similar fig popsicle recipe happening soon. We’ve got a tree bursting at the seams with fresh figs and I’m going to have to start getting creative. Surely figs must make good popsicles, right?
Healthy Homemade Strawberry Creamsicles
During the last couple of weeks of gorgeous weather, our popsicle supply has been hit hard. With one lone popsicle left in the freezer, it was time to replenish our supply. I came across this idea a while back on Super Healthy Kids and loved the simplicity of it. Just two ingredients? Yes please.
Here is everything you need to whip up a batch of your own… A bowl of strawberries (washed and hulled), plain organic full-fat yogurt (the thicker the better), a food processor (or good blender), and some popsicle moulds (these are my makeshift moulds that I love because of their small size – cheap containers with slits cut in the lids). Ooh – and a spoon. Can’t leave that out.
Get started by putting your strawberries into your food processor.
Let them mix until they start to turn into a puree. You can stop while the mixture is still chunky, or blend a little longer for a smoother texture, depending on your child’s preferences.
Take a little taste. If desired, you can add a touch of pure maple syrup or honey at this point and then mix again, but Grae’s enthusiastic “Mmmmmm” and request for more told me that ours was plenty sweet. (Keep in mind that the finished product will be slightly more tart.)
Transfer your strawberry puree into a measuring cup for easy pouring.
Now you’re ready to put the popsicles together. Start by adding a little scoop of yogurt into each mould. (We used plain yogurt because it’s what Gracen is used to eating, but if you don’t mind the added sugar, you could easily use a vanilla, honey, or berry flavoured yogurt. If possible, try to pick a thicker yogurt as it will make the ‘layering’ easier. Greek yogurt would be perfect.)
Next, cover the yogurt with strawberry puree.
Then add another spoonful of yogurt.
Continue layering until your moulds are nearly full.
Secure the lids onto your moulds and add the popsicle sticks (if needed).
Done! Place your strawberry creamsicles into the freezer overnight (or at least for a few hours)
And now for the best part – let your munchkin slurp up the remaining strawberry juice if there is any. Yuuuuum.
Healthy Homemade Strawberry Creamsicles
- Approximately 15 large strawberries, washed and hulled
- Approximately 1 cup of plain organic full-fat yogurt
Place strawberries in food processor or blender and mix until they form a puree, then transfer mixture into a measuring cup for easy pouring. Fill your popsicle moulds with layers of yogurt and puree until nearly full. Freeze overnight.
Enjoy!
{Healthy} Frozen Banana Pops
With a freezer already full of two ingredient ice cream, frozen bananas waiting to be turned into smoothies, and a few beginning to speckle bananas in the fruit bowl, I decided we’d try something new today… A much healthier version of one of my childhood favourites – frozen chocolate-dipped bananas from Dairy Queen (does anyone remember those?)
Our line up of ingredients: bananas, all-natural peanut butter, wooden popsicle sticks, and toppings. (Grae picked sesame seeds, organic raisins, sunflower seeds, and organic brown rice puffs, but almost anything would work… Dried cranberries, chopped nuts, and granola would be yummy too.)
To get started, peel a couple of bananas.
And then chop them roughly in half.
Now for the messy part… Spread your peanut butter on the banana halves. (Gracen started by spreading peanut butter on one side, then I’d insert the popsicle stick, flip the banana over, and gently cover the other side.)
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want most of your banana covered in a layer of peanut butter by the time you’re through.
Next, take your banana and roll it in the topping(s) of your choice. Larger items, such as raisins, can be added by hand afterwards.
Place your pops on a tray and pop them in the freezer for at least an hour or so.
In the meantime, let your little munchkin {messily} lick the spoon and snack on the leftovers.
Once they’re at least semi-frozen, serve them as a snack or for dessert.
Or heck, why not breakfast?! If there’s ever been a breakfast-appropriate popsicle, this has got to be it.
{Healthy} Frozen Banana Pops
- Bananas
- All-natural nut butter
- Toppings of your choice
- Wooden popsicle sticks
Peel your bananas and chop in half. Gently cover the bananas in nut butter and insert your wooden popsicle sticks. Holding onto the stick, roll your banana in the desired toppings. Place on a tray or baking sheet and freeze.
Enjoy!
Refreshing Watermelon Ice Pops
We were on a roll with our mango smoothie popsicles today, and when the disappointment of our kitchen fun being over set in for the little one, I decided that we may as well whip up another batch of popsicles. I mean, why not? Of course, Gracen was more than game.
We chopped up a couple of big slices of watermelon, grabbed a lemon and lime from the fridge, and clipped a couple of mint sprigs from the garden, and we were good to go.
This recipe is pretty much identical to the one for the citrus mint watermelon cooler we made a few weeks back, other than the addition of lime and the fact that you freeze the mixture instead of just drinking it as is. But here it is anyways…
Put your watermelon chunks into a blender.
Taste midway through to ensure yumminess.
Next, juice a lime…
And a lemon.
Pull out the seeds and pour the juice and pulp into your blender.
Next, sniff in the deliciousness that is fresh mint.
Then pop it into the blender.
Secure the lid on the blender and blend everything until smooth. (Depending on the juiciness of your watermelon, you may need to pulse and shake the blender a few times in order to build up a little liquid.)
Once fully blended, carefully pour the mixture into your popsicle moulds.
Then add the sticks and pop them into the freezer.
If there’s any leftover, let you toddler have a little taste and watch her eyes light up with excitement. If Grae’s reaction to the frozen pops is anything like the reaction she had to the juice, I know she’ll love them.
Refreshing Watermelon Ice Pops
- 2 cups of chopped watermelon (a few seeds won’t hurt)
- A small handful of fresh mint leaves
- Juice and pulp from 1 lemon and 1 lime
Place everything in blender. Pulse and shake a few times in order to build up a little liquid. Blend the entire mixture until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze.
Enjoy!
Healthy Mango Smoothie Popsicles
With our abnormally long string of sunshiny-weathered days coming to a screeching halt today, we spent our rainy day inside, stocking up our freezer for the next our next stint of beautiful weather… With homemade popsicles of course!
Cases of mango seem to be everywhere lately and since our crisper was overflowing with them, I decided we’d put them to good use and whip up some creamy mango smoothie popsicles this time around (see our banana almond yogurt pops and our raspberry blueberry yogurt pops here). I quickly peeled and chopped a few mangos, then recruited my little lady to help in the kitchen.
We started by gathering our ingredients. Here’s what you need: mango, plain Greek yogurt, lemons, and pure vanilla (and a blender, spoon, and popsicle moulds of some sort).
Get started by putting all of your mango chunks into your blender.
Then add a generous amount of really good, thick Greek yogurt. (We used the no fat kind this time around because it’s what we had on hand, but since these popsicles are really for Gracen more than anyone else, I’d normally use the full fat kind.)
Next up – juice a couple of lemons…
And add the juice and pulp to the blender.
Lastly, add a splash of pure vanilla for a little hint of sweetness. (Depending on the sweetness of your mango, you may want to add a tiny bit of honey or pure maple syrup at this point too, but if your mango is ripe and naturally sweet, you won’t need it).
Next, blend away!
While your mixture is blending, get your moulds out and ready. (I love these old-school Tupperware ones from Gma Char… They remind me of summers on the back deck as a kid!)
When your mango mixture is smooth and creamy, pour it into the moulds, leaving a little room at the top for expansion.
That’s it! Let your little one slurp up the extras, put the lids on the moulds, and pop them in the freezer!
I must admit that Brad and I tried these tonight while the doodlebug was asleep. The verdict? They’re yummy! Can’t wait for Grae to try them tomorrow!
Healthy Mango Smoothie Popsicles
- 3 medium-sized mangos, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (you could easily use vanilla instead if you want extra sweetness and don’t mind some added sugar)
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of good honey or pure maple syrup (if desired)
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze.
Enjoy!
Healthy Homemade Popsicles for Toddlers
It must be the spring sunshine we’ve had this weekend, because this afternoon Gracen and I set out to make some healthy, wholesome, toddler-friendly popsicles. We decided upon two kinds; banana almond yogurt pops (these ones are much like G’s favourite banana almond oatmeal smoothie) and raspberry blueberry yogurt pops. 
We got started with a few simple ingredients… Whole organic plain yogurt, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries and raspberries, some honey, toasted ground flax seeds, and all-natural almond butter.
First up – the banana almond yogurt pops! Gracen popped a couple of frozen bananas into the blender to get us started.
Then she added some all-natural almond butter.
And a generous amount of whole organic plain yogurt.
We decided to add in a little sprinkling roasted ground flax seed at the last minute too…
Then we blended it all up.
And poured it into our little containers (I’ve been searching for mini popsicle molds for a while now, but haven’t had any luck… This is my interim solution).
Miss G was pretty stoked at the fact that there was a little left over. Mmmmmm!
With one batch done, we got started on the raspberry blueberry yogurt pops…
No need for a blender with these ones… Grae started us off by putting some yogurt into our bowl.
Next, we added some no-sugar-added frozen blueberries and raspberries.
Just a little squeeze of honey for sweetness…
And a touch of cinnamon.
And then Gracen mixed it all up.
And we poured it into the remaining containers.
There wasn’t any left over this time around, but Gracen was just as excited to lick the spoon.
We put on the tops, popped in some wooden popsicle sticks, and put them in the freezer. Tomorrow we shall see how they taste!