(What kind of a mom ARE you? You'd feed your kids POPSICLES for BREAKFAST?!?! I'm not sure I can keep reading your blog!)
I promise. I'm not crazy. In fact, I can almost guarantee that YOU will feed YOUR kids popsicles for breakfast too after I'm done with you. These aren't your typical "is there even any actual fruit in there" popsicles. These are popsicles that you and/or your kids make from scratch. And it's EASY!
The easiest way to make popsicles at home is to use pre-packaged fruit juice that you'd buy at the store. If you purchase a juice from the "Simply" juice line, the Lakewood "Just" juice line, or the Knudsen "Pure" juice line, then you'll be giving your kids pure fruit juice popsicles. (The Minute Maid "Simply" juices would be the cheapest of the above. They're also found at almost all grocery stores. The others are more costly and aren't carried in all regular grocery stores, but also come in organic varieties.)
I like to go a step further here, though. I like to find creative ways to use the fresh fruit that I get...especially as it gets past its prime. (I know every one of us has that apple that gets lost in the back of the fruit drawer in the fridge.) Many people think these fruits are trash. The opposite is actually true. The riper the fruit gets, the sweeter it becomes. I wouldn't eat it plain, but I'll freeze this fruit straight to use in smoothies or...my kid's favorite...puree the fruit and make homemade popsicles.
The ingredients are incredibly simple:
- A blender, food processor, or smoothie maker
- Popsicle holders (or small cups)
- Lids for the popsicle holders or small popsicle sticks
- Fruit...Be creative!
- Some sort of liquid: Yogurt or Kefir can be used for a thicker popsicle. Juice or water can be used to make it more light.
We got these molds on sale at Albertson's for $2.49 each, but you can find them at Wal-Mart, Target, and other discount stores as well. WARNING: The lids typically do NOT hold up well! I would highly recommend that you have wooden sticks on hand because the lids WILL eventually break on these cheap holders.
The fruit is in! It's ready to go!
It's blending! (If what you're noticing about this picture is that I don't have a Vitamix, you would be correct. I don't. But I do dream about one almost daily when I make my smoothies. I usually use my food processor for popsicles, but I haven't unpacked it yet. The smoothie maker will do the job when it has to!)
(Did she just say that she hasn't finished unpacking yet? Didn't she move in over 2 months ago? Geez! What does she do all day? What kind of a wife and mom IS she? I'd have the house unpacked by now.)
I'm certain just about anyone would have my (or their) house unpacked by now. In my defense, this was like our 80th move and frankly, it gets old after awhile. And you figure you'll just leave stuff in the boxes for next time.
Ready to pour! This is when the kids run over and try to eat some before we pour. They usually end up eating a good bit of this "fruit sauce" before I get it all poured. I fought them off this time just for you. You should feel special.
Children have been fended off and pouring begins!
They're all poured now and ready for the freezer. Wasn't that easy?
Once you put them in the freezer, they'll be ready in about 12 hours...although my kids are usually trying to grab their first one well before that.
Doesn't that look delicious! And it's FULL of nothing but fruit! How awesome is that? So go tell your kids they can have popsicles for breakfast now, K?
3 comments:
LOVE it! Thanks for the fun, healthy, fruity breakfast idea for the kids!
You bet! Glad it was helpful!
What a fabulous idea!! My son is always begging to make popsicles, looks like I am going to have to give in now.
Post a Comment