If you have small children, you know how challenging it can be to get them eating healthful food semi-consistently. Whether you have picky eaters or a busy lifestyle has you grabbing fast but less nutritious options, it can be hard to stay on track. While I don’t mind a little fast food here and there, I too feel the sting of mom guilt over what she eats sometimes. That’s why I’m excited to share with you this summer treat I whipped up!

I stumbled upon an ice pop mold while shopping and the inspiration hit me. I prepare for myself freezer bags of ingredients that I can use in nutritious smoothies (smoothy bags) all the time; why not replicate that into a popsicle? I tried it and my little one LOVED it. Now every day when she plays in the hot sun, she comes and asks me for an ice pop. I have no trouble saying YES because my ice pops contain:

antioxidants

vitamins

prebiotics

probiotics

little to no added sugar

REAL FOOD

Want to know how I make them? Here it goes:

Dice or blend fruit of your choice. We like berries for the antioxidants. Place these in the molds first.

Next incorporate (if you have it) a little banana for the prebiotic. Frozen banana reminds me of banana pudding. It is delicious!

Then add a bit of greek yogurt (probiotic). You can use any form you like, but liquid yogurt or yogurt drinks is easy to pour.

Lastly backfill with a juice of your choice leaving just a pinch of headspace for the ice pop liquid to expand as it freezes.

In a few hours you’ll have delicious ice pops that will cool you down in this heat as well as provide nutritional benefits. When ready to serve them, just run warm water on the outside of the mold to loosen them up.

You can also blend a smoothy and pour it in the molds to freeze; that’s a great way to sneak in a vegetable!

I have found that these ice pops are fairly quick and simple to put together and I don’t usually wait for every pop in the mold to be finished to make more. I just continuously assemble more each evening while they are “in demand” and I always have some on hand. I have also found that grownups really like them as well.

I hope you like this healthy treat for the people you are raising within your four walls as much as I’ve enjoyed serving it to mine. For more ideas and recipes for fun/nutritious foods for kids, Check out this book!