MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - STRAWBERRY AND COCONUT POPSICLES

Eating a popsicle on a very hot day is a welcome treat and these are super easy to make. I found the recipe at "Eat.Drink.Love" hosted by Stephanie and you can see it at this link.  

Strawberry Coconut Popsicles

Makes 6 popsicles

Each popsicle is approximately 58 calories 

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add strawberries and honey to a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat and simmer until the strawberries are soft.  

Remove from heat and use a potato masher to break down the strawberries. Cool to room temperature. 

In a bowl stir together the coconut milk and vanilla extract.  Spoon some of the coconut milk into each popsicle mold, followed by a scoop of the strawberry mixture, followed by more of the coconut milk.  Continue until all molds are filled.

Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight.  

What did we think? A very tasty, frozen treat. They weren't overly sweet which suited our taste. If you want them sweeter you can always add more honey. For us it was fine as is.

I ran hot water over the outside of the mold for a few seconds to loosen them.  If they didn't come out relatively easy after the first hot water wash, I repeated the process until they popped out.  

The number of popsicles you get will depend on the size of your mold. The molds I used were like these. I also have another shape below which look like the molds here.  

If you don't want to buy the molds, you can use a small paper cup. After you have filled the cup with the mixture, slip aluminum foil over the top of each one and cut a small slit in the top just big enough to slip a wooden Popsicle stick into the hole.  This will allow it to stand up straight while freezing.  (I have even seen sturdy straws used but have never tested those or the aluminum foil method.) 

I mashed the strawberries with a fork instead of using what was suggested.

I didn't want to fiddle too much and instead of pouring the strawberry and coconut mixtures separately, I mixed everything together and poured it into the mold in one go.  They all seemed to get a nice mixture of strawberry throughout.

From my photo you can see I didn't put enough mixture in to go down all the way to the base of the handle.  No big deal but if you like things corner to corner like I do, I will add a little more next time.

We both thought these were very tasty, and refreshing on a hot day. I will be making them again.

The full address is below if you prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link at the beginning.

https://eat-drink-love.com/strawberry-coconut-popsicles/

Thanks for looking, have a great day and

Bon Appétit!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - PINEAPPLE, ORANGE AND BANANA POPSICLE

When I made these it was very hot.  It had been in the high 90s for several days, and my mind kept going to popsicles.  I was happy to find this week's recipe here at "...Shortcuts...", hosted by Amanda. As it only had three ingredients, four if you included the optional choice, I was ready to make them.  

They turned out great, thanks to Amanda's recipe, and these 'big kids' liked them too (Amanda has young ones, and has recipes catered to them, and also a craft section for your own kids or grandkids.  A fun blog to take a peak when you have the time.

Pineapple Orange Banana Popsicles

1 banana, mashed

1 cup chopped pineapple, fresh, frozen or canned

½ cup orange juice

1 to 2 tablespoons Coconut Milk (optional)

  

Puree all of the ingredients in a blender. Pour into popsicle mold and allow to freeze thoroughly over night. Remove from mold and serve.

We enjoyed ours very much, though my batch only filled 5 of my molds.  I will double the ingredients next time, now that I know they are very yummy.

Amanda bought her mold from Amazon at this link.

I have individual ones that fit in a tray and truth be told my fingers seem to be a little too big to fit between.  I knocked a couple out and contents from one splashed my blouse. I couldn't get two lids to fit properly and pressed down too hard.  Ah well, a wee bit klutzy and I may have been a wee bit tired.  I should have had my morning coffee and eased more into the day.  The lids seemed to be getting more difficult to fit over each mold.  I will try with another batch one more time with the molds I have.  If there is another spillage, grumbles and eye rolls to the ceiling, on top of a change of clothes before 8.00 a.m., I might go ahead and buy the new ones.  

I decided to add in Amanda's option of the coconut milk idea, though I didn't want to open a whole can for just 2 tablespoons.  I had what was left of a small container of full fat cream in the fridge from a previous baking session, and used that.  I am not sure this made any difference, so next time with leave this option out.

They work out to approximately 77 calories a popsicle, a nice sweet treat without over indulging.

I am happy to say they were delicious and we both enjoyed them.  Keeping this in my 'when the weather hits the 90s' folder to make again.  

Thanks for looking and I hope your day is a great one.

Bon Appetit!

 

MONDAY RECIPE POST - FRESH BLACKBERRIES AND CREAM ICE POPS

I couldn’t get my blackberry popsicle photo to look that pretty, but it was very tasty.  Truthfully I didn't spend much time trying as the creative side of my brain was a bit tired.  Next time I will at least fill the container to the top.  Maybe that will make it look better, but then maybe my OCD is showing!  

We enjoy the occasional dessert, and always looking for something that will satisfy the sweet tooth and also be healthier.  With organic fresh blackberries and yogurt ice-cream, and only 2 tablespoons sugar divided 6 ways, it seemed that it fit with what we were looking for.  It is 126 calories for each popsicle.  

With the warmer days I thought it would be nice to make this recipe found at All Recipes.  

From prep time to finish it took about 3 hours and 30 minutes.  The 3 hours is required for freezing, the rest is preparation time.  It makes 6 ice pops. 

Fresh Blackberries and Cream Ice Pops

8 ounces fresh blackberries

2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 6-piece ice pop molds

 

Place the blackberries into a blender or food processor. Cover and puree until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the blackberry puree through a fine sieve placed over a large bowl to strain out the seeds.  

Add the softened frozen yogurt and sugar to the strained blackberry puree and mix well.

Pour into ice pop molds, and freeze for at least 3 hours.

What did we think?  Gregg liked them so much he put another container of blackberries on the shopping list.  

I will try strawberries or another fruit some time.  Peaches may be good also.  Not sure if you would have to strain strawberries or raspberries, maybe. 

I was amazed at how many seeds there were in 8-ounces of blackberries, but I believe it was a necessary part of the process to make them so smooth.  I had to press the seeds through the sieve with a wooden spoon, but next time to speed up this part of the process I will use the bottom of a cup or small bowl, at least something with a larger surface.  For me it was a bit time consuming as I didn't do them that far in advance to drain them slowly.  If you have better ideas let me know.  

When filling the molds a small funnel might come in handy.  I managed with one of my measuring cups but it was a bit tricky and I had a damp towel handy.

Once frozen and to remove the popsicle from the container more easily, I ran it under warm/hot water for a few seconds.  Try to remove gently and if they don't budge easily, repeat.

If you click here the link will take you to similar molds I used.  I bought mine at a local store a few years ago.

If you have any additional thoughts, please feel free to let me know in the comment section.  I always enjoy new ideas.

I might leave the sugar out next time to see if it makes a difference.  

I found another version of the popsicle here that uses Greek yogurt and milk, and would like to give their recipe a try too.

Thanks for checking out this week's recipe, bon appétit and enjoy your day!