Berry Banana Popsicles

Summer is here which means long days spent outside in the heat with friends and family. Now whether those days are spent sitting on the beach, hanging out by the pool or just relaxing in your back yard having a nice cool treat is the best.

*Printable recipe card at the bottom of the post!

The basic store-bought popsicles seem like they are just full of artificial flavors and colors. Plus most of them have tons of added sugars that it just makes my stomach hurt thinking about it. I don't want my kids to have that kind of treat so we made our own healthier option using only a few simple ingredients. No added sugars but still loaded with flavor.

I've never been a huge popsicle fan; I have always preferred ice cream instead. However once I made our own popsicles I was hooked! These are so yummy and full of flavor without all of the extra calories. They're the perfect healthy snack to help you cool off during those hot summer months. You can also customize these with whatever berries or fruit you have or prefer.

This part is totally optional but you can also add some spinach or other pureed veggies for some added vitamins. Be sure you use a small amount so you only taste the fruit though. I put a little spinach in this batch and you can't even tell. My daughter still eats these up and doesn't' even realize she's eating spinach too.

TIP: If you have issues trying to keep fresh fruit in your house try freezing them! There have been plenty of times where I bought too many strawberries because they're on sale and they start to go bad before we can eat them. Bag them up and freeze them to use in smoothies, pancakes or this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 Whole Banana

5-6 Big Strawberries

1/2 Cup Blueberries

1/2 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Spinach (optional)

Makes approx two (2), 3inch popsicles or about 1 basic ice cube tray of mini pops.

Directions

1) In a food processor or blender, add frozen or fresh strawberries, blueberries and the banana. Add the milk and any optional ingredients (like spinach or pureed veggies).

2) Blend everything together until it is a smooth and creamy texture. Make sure there are no lumps or chunks.

3) Pour the mixture into your popscile mold. This recipe makes about two (2) 3inch popsicles using this silicon mold I found at Meijer ($6). If you don't have an actual popsicle mold you could use an ice-cube tray and make mini popsicle bites (great for kids!).

4) Once your tray is full place it in the freezer overnight or for about 8 hours if you have a thicker mold like mine or about 4 hours for an ice-cube tray. Eat them as a yummy and berry packed dessert or as a cool snack!

My oldest is severely allergic to peanuts so it breaks my heart every time we hear the ice cream truck drive by. She understands why she can't have anything from it but that doesn't make it any easier. We try to keep a few of these made in the freezer now so everything the ice cream truck drives by we know we have a nice cold treat that is safe for her to eat.

What's your favorite summer-time treat? Leave a comment below and don't forget to subscribe for more healthy recipes.

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