Melon Popsicles

These were simply made from some leftover fruit salad my husband had made, blended up and frozen. The kids LOVED them!

See, sharing does bring happiness.

Ingredients

Various melon chunks, such as watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, etc.

The juice of one lime

Agave nectar to taste

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender, preferably a Vita-Mix.

2. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours.

For easy removal, leave molds out on the counter for a few minutes or run under cool water for a few seconds.
 
Direct recipe link: http://beta.keyingredient.com/recipes/982028/melon-popsicles/

Chocolate Banana Popsicles

Sorry I don't have a photo for you today. These pops are just plain brown anyway, but they're really, really good!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cream
• 3 ½ cups milk
• 3 very ripe bananas
• ⅓ cup honey
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours. To easily remove pops, leave them out at room temperature for a few minutes or run them under water for a few seconds.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/332102/

Iron Man Popsicles

In my town, people bring over food all the time. When I first moved here, they did it because I was pregnant with my 7th child. They kept doing it after he was born, because they figured I was overwhelmed (and for the most part were right), then continued to do it when I became pregnant with the twins, then really stepped it up after I delivered the twins, then kept it up when I got pregnant with number ten, and are still continuing it because I now have a newborn.

It's awesome!

So a couple of days ago, one of these wonderful souls brought over a huge bowl of cut-up mixed fruit. We ate a lot of it for dinner, then some for lunch the next day, and then, because I didn't want it to go bad, I decided to dump the remainder into the Vita-Mix, watermelon seeds and all, and make Popsicles out of it. And because I wanted to add even more nutrients to the mixed fruit, I added flax seeds and sesame seeds. I love sesame seeds because they have tons of iron, which is so important for me, a breastfeeding mom.

When the kids came home that day and asked what kind of Popsicles I had made, I declared that I had made "Iron Man Popsicles". The 10-year-old boy replied...

"So you mean if I eat these, I'm going to become Iron Man?"

"Yes, 10-year-old boy", I answered. "You are."

"Good, because I've been drawing up some plans for an Iron Man suit that I'm going to make when I get old enough for welding class," he said, and proceeded to unfold a worn piece of paper detailing his drafts, both front and back...

Hopefully eating lots of Iron Man Popsicles will help him accomplish his dream of actually becoming Iron Man. Enjoy...

Ingredients

* 4 tablespoons flax seeds
* 1 cup water
* 5 cups mixed fruit
* ½ cup honey or agave nectar
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a blender, mix flax seeds and water until smooth.

2. Add fruit and blend until smooth.

3. Add sesame seeds and blend until just mixed in, but seeds are still whole.

4. Pour into molds and freeze for at least six hours. To remove pops, leave them out at room temperature for a few minutes or run the molds under cool water for a few seconds.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/327942/

Fresh Kiwi Popsicles

Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm totally into Popsicles lately. I've tried my hand at plenty of fruit and veggies pops, like these...

...and because I decided that having only 4 Popsicle molds wasn't enough, I thought I'd invest in some more. So I went to Amazon, and at Amazon, they are always so clever and tell you that if you buy three like products in a group, you will get a better deal, so, I was sucked in, and bought something I hadn't planned on purchasing...this...

Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone

(And because I'm clever, too, just know that you can buy this by clicking the link above.)

And can I tell you..... I'm so not sorry! I LOVE this book! I go to bed with it every night. I take it with me wherever I go, and I breastfeed with it! And I'm pretty sure, because of the inspiration that is flowing through me and in me, I'm going to declare June national Popsicle month and blog about Popsicles every day. We'll see.

Some of the recipes I want to try are Popsicle wonders such as peanut butter sesame raspberry Popsicles, wheat grass and orange Popsicles, and banana split Popsicles. And one of the loveliest Popsicles I came across were kiwi grape juice Popsicles. But because I didn't have all the ingredients the recipe called for, I devised my own version, and here it is. Enjoy!

Ingredients

* 8 kiwis
* ½ to 1 cup of water
* ¼ cup honey
* Pinch salt

Directions

1. Peel all kiwis, then cut two into ¼ inch slices. Set aside.

2. Place all remaining ingredients in a blender, preferably a Vita-Mix, starting with 1/2 cup of water and adding more if needed, and blend until smooth.

3. Pour into molds, leaving a 1-inch space at the top.

4. Push two kiwi slices into each mold. Fill any remaining space with leftover kiwi mix.

5. Freeze for at least 6 hours. To release, run Popsicle molds under cool water for a few seconds, then gently pull out.


Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/322152/

Dark Chocolate Shakes

What can I say about a chocolate shake except that it is awesome! Made with honey instead of refined sugar, you can feel a little less guilty about sipping one of these! Enjoy!

Ingredients

* 4 cups milk, soy milk, rice milk or nut milk
* 2 cups ice
* ⅓ cup honey
* ⅓ cup dark cocoa
* 1 teaspoon nama shoyu or soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* Dark chocolate bar with or without nuts

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, preferably a Vita-Mix.

2. Shave off chocolate as a garnish, and sprinkle on top of shake.

Enjoy!

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/320792/

Purple Fruit and Veggie Popsicles

I really, really, really just can't get enough of fruit and veggies Popsicles. We made these with lettuce...

...and blueberries...

...added some sweetener, vanilla, and salt, poured the mix in Popsicle makers...

...and Wha-lah! Purple Popsicles you won't say no to!

Ingredients

* 2 cups water
* 2 cups blueberries, fresh, or frozen and thawed
* 2 cups lettuce
* ½ cup honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* ⅛ teaspoon salt

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender, pour into Popsicle molds, and freeze for at least four hours, or until completely solid.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/311891/

P.S. Don't forget to make extra mix for smoothies!

Almond Flour Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

As I mentioned in my last post, I was asked to give a class on dehydrating last Thursday, and one of the things I discussed was how to use almond flour as a white flour substitute.

Now, I know you probably have two questions. What is almond flour and how do I get it? Almond flour is the dehydrated, processed pulp leftover after making almond milk. If you've never tried to make your own almond milk, I would highly recommend it. It's very tasty and the fat in almonds is much, much healthier than the fat in cow's milk. Click HERE if you would like to see how I make it ..

So to make almond flour, take the leftover pulp from your almond milk and spread it out on the Teflex sheets of a dehydrator tray. You could probably also do this by spreading it out on wax paper and dehydrating it in the oven at the lowest setting with the door propped open with a wooden spoon.

Once the pulp is completely dry, process it in a food processor until it's a powder. Store this in the freezer.

Now, about the recipe. Because I was in a huge hurry to prepare these cupcakes for my class, I didn't have time to make the coconut frosting that goes with them, so I simply threw together some refined powdered sugar vanilla frosting. I know, shame on me. However, the next time I make these, I'm going to use THIS recipe from Elana's Pantry. If you want tons of ideas on how to use almond flour, you're going to want to check out her site.

Anywho, here's the recipe for the version I made...

Ingredients

* For the cupcake:
* ½ cup almond flour, sifted
* ½ teaspoon sea salt
* ¼ teaspoon baking soda
* 6 eggs
* ½ cup avocado or grapeseed oil
* ½ cup agave nectar or honey
* For the frosting:
* 3 cups powdered sugar
* ¼ cup softened butter
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 tablespoons milk (or more if needed)
* pinch salt
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda.

2. In a small bowl, blend together eggs, oil, agave and vanilla.

3. Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth.

4. Pour batter into well oiled muffin tins.

5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

6. Cool completely.

7. To make frosting, beat all ingredients until smooth.

8. Spread onto cupcakes when they have cooled.


Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/304657/

Pink Fruit and Veggie Popsicles

As promised, I am blogging a second attempt at fruit and veggie Popsicles (And just for your info, I didn't know that the word "Popsicle" was capitalized, but that is what my spell-checker tells me.) These were just as good as the Orange fruit and veggie Popsicles, but because my boys don't have any pink clothes or props, I used my 8-year-old daughter as the model...

So have you thought of any fun fruit and veggie combos to make pretty Popsicles? I thought of a new one today....a Brown Popsicle, using cocoa powder and green leaf lettuce or spinach. Probably replacing the water with milk would be a good idea, too. Let me know if you come up with any other color combinations and I hope your kids enjoy these, too!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup peeled, shredded zucchini
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender (I love the Vita-Mix) and blend until smooth. Pour into Popsicle makers, then freeze for at least four hours, or until completely frozen. To remove from Popsicle makers, run cool water over them for a few seconds.

Orange Fruit and Veggie Popsicles

I am totally obsessed with the idea of fruit and veggie Popsicles! I know humankind has thought of this before, but I personally came up with the idea for our family when I was cleaning out my food storage room. I came across some old Popsicle makers I had bought from a school girl selling things door-to-door so her school could get some kind of grant, and...since I'm ALWAYS trying to find ways to get vegetables into my kids, the idea occurred to me that I could use my Vita-Mix to blend up raw fruits and veggies and freeze them into Popsicles. THEN....my mind went into over-drive and I thought how fun it would be to come up with recipes to make tons of different colors of Popsicles. My first attempt was, as the title states, orange fruit and veggie Popsicles. We used strawberries (these are from our garden)...

...baby carrots...

...and fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice...

...along with some honey, a dash of salt and a cap-full of vanilla. After filling up the Popsicle makers, I had enough leftover for a refreshing drink...

Actually, I added ice to this and watered it down about 50 percent. I felt so healthy drinking strawberries, fresh citrus juice, and carrots! Delicious. So here's how you do it...(But don't leave after checking out the recipe, because I have some amazing suggestions for Popsicles of every color of the rainbow and more cute pictures of my kids!)

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup shredded carrots
The juice of 2 oranges
The juice of 3 limes
1 cup water
1/4 cup cup honey
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender, preferably a Vita-Mix, pour into Popsicle makers and freeze for at least four hours, or until completely frozen.

To remove from Popsicle makers, run cool water over them for a few seconds until they can be easily removed.

Okay, so here are some fruit and veggie combos my kids and I came up with to make all kinds of different colors. If you are too chicken to try them, don't worry, I will, and I'll blog about it. Good luck and I'd love it if you'd let me know what YOU come up with!

Red: tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, red grapes

Purple: red leaf lettuce, blueberries, blackberries

Yellow: bananas, yellow bell peppers, corn, lemons, squash

Pink: strawberries, celery, peeled zucchini

Light Green: white grapes, celery, ice berg lettuce

Medium Green: Kiwis, green leaf lettuce, spinach

Dark Green: blackberries, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, spinach