Category: Healthy Eating

Indian Summer Popsicle Recipe!

Okay you guys. I love summer and eating healthy and I’ve found the perfect summer treat that keeps me cool and accountable to my health. It might be September but it’s still beautiful in Vancouver so I’m clinging onto summer for dear life! Enter homemade real fruit popsicles. Gone are the days of gross freezies full our sugar and dye (seriously?!). I’ve been making my own popsicles all summer to beat the heat and indulge guilt free. Take a look on Google and you’ll find tons of recipes but I really like this one from a food blogger I follow. My faves are the mint watermelon and the blackberry lemon, but I’ve tried them all and they’re all daaaamn good!

Ingredients
Peach Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles
  • 3 cups strawberries pureed to 1 1/2 cup
  • 3 cups peaches peeled and sliced, pureed to 1 1/2 cup
  • 2 tablespoons honey divided
  • 2/3 cup vanilla greek yogurt
Minty Watermelon Popsicles
  • 3 cups watermelon slices divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut water
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
Blackberry Lemon Popsicles
  • 2/3 cup lemon juice plus zest from lemons
  • 2 1/2 cups vanilla greek yogurt
  • 2 1/2 cups blackberries
  • 2 1/2 cup mixed berry Greek yogurt
Orange Mango Coconut Popsicles
  • 4 cups mango divided
  • 2 cup unsweetened coconut milk whisked and divided
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Peach Strawberry Mango Yogurt Popsicles
  1. In a blender, puree strawberries with four teaspoons honey then set aside. Clean blender, puree sliced peaches with two teaspoons, honey, set aside.
  2. Layer the popsicles as follows; 2 teaspoons strawberry puree, one teaspoon yogurt, two teaspoons mango puree and repeat. Make a fruit puree your last layer. Tap the mold on the counter to make sure all of the layers settle. Use a small spoon to drag vertically from the bottom to the top of the mold a few times to create a swirled pattern. Gently tap the molds on the countertop to remove any air bubbles. Insert the popsicle sticks, and then freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Minty Watermelon Popsicles
  1. In a blender, puree 2 1/2 cups diced watermelon pieces, mint leaves, coconut water, lime juice and honey. Cut the remaining 1/2 cup watermelon slices into 1/4 inch cubes. Pour and evenly divide them among the popsicle molds. Stir the popsicle mixture, then fill each mold. Insert the popsicle sticks, if it does not stay in place use a piece of tape to hold them into place. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Blackberry Lemon Popsicles
  1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together lemon juice, zest, and vanilla yogurt, set aside. Puree blackberries and mixed berry yogurt, set aside. Layer the popsicles as follows; 1 tablespoon lemon, 1 tablespoon blackberry, repeat. Swirl layers if desired. Gently tap the molds on the countertop to remove any air bubbles. Insert the popsicle sticks, and then freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Orange Mango Coconut Popsicles
  1. Puree 3 cups mango slices, 1 1/2 cup coconut milk, orange juice and honey. Cut the remaining 1 cup mango slices into 1/4 inch cubes. Evenly divide them among the popsicle molds. Add 3 tablespoons of mango coconut mixture, gently tapping mold on the counter to make sure liquid fills in the diced mango spaces. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut milk, or until the mold is filled. Insert the popsicle sticks, and then freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Removing Popsicles From Mold
  1. Run the molds under warm water for ten to fifteen seconds. Slowly and carefully remove each popsicle. If the popsicles remain in the mold, run them under the warm water for a few more seconds, ensuring not to melt the pops. Freeze or eat immediately!
Recipe Notes

Each recipe makes approximately 10 popsicles, depending on the size and shape of your molds. Adjust batch sizes accordingly.

Sincerely,

Jenni

Juicing for Wellness

For many years, I have incorporated juicing into my diet to to nourish my body and mind with healthy vegetables on the go. Juicing has become a popular trend and for very good reason! Studies show that only 1/3 of Americans eat more than 3 vegetables a day and 2 or more fruits per day. Yikes! Juicing, however, can help even the healthiest of us consume the extra vitamins and nutrients from plants our bodies so desperately need in a very convenient way.

There are many juice recipes you can find on the internet, but below are the staples I include in every juice as my base. I then sometimes add one or two additional vegetables to change the flavor or drink it as is for a healthy afternoon snack.

I make my juices with 90-95% vegetables and 5-10% fruit to limit the sugar content. Even though sugar in fruit is considered natural, it’s still important not to have too much or your blood sugar levels will be out of balance which can lead to headaches, dizziness, and dehydration.

I recommend starting with a lot of leafy greens to your juices for an extra nutrient punch – my favorites are a large handful of kale, romaine, chard, or spinach.

Many nutritionists swear by the benefits of carrots, so I always add one large carrot to my juice.

Lemon and ginger both have amazing detoxification properties! I add half a lemon and a 1 inch piece of ginger to my juice.

Cucumber and celery lend a mild taste and lots of great antioxidants so I add half of a cucumber and 3 stalks of celery.

Lastly, I add one apple for a bit of sweetness, otherwise you might find the juice to be quite bitter.

And that, my friends, is my daily juicing base! I love this on its own or with beets, tomato, red cabbage, orange, or pear.

I truly believe that by incorporating even one vegetable packed juice into your diet a week, one can change their health for the better. After you’ve made that a habit, try drinking more freshly pressed juice every week!

Sincerely,

Jenni