Healthy-ish popsicle fun

It's hot. Would you like a popsicle?

Skip the neon green, artificially-flavored, HFCS-on-a-stick and make your own pops using natural, grown-up flavors.

High Tea

Next time you brew yourself some tea, add a little honey or lemon and pour into your popsicle molds. Or, add a little bit of fruit or juice to sweeten with a flavor. Green tea goes well with pineapple juice, black tea with pomegranate.

Herbal Infusions

Speaking of brews, try herbal-infused concoctions like lemon basil. Steep 10 basil leaves in 2 cups of hot water (covered) for 10 minutes. Strain and add juice of 2 lemons and agave syrup (a low-glycemic alternative to sugar) to taste (at least 2 tablespoons). Make a variation on lavender limeade by steeping 3 tablespoons dried organic lavender flowers in 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes. Add juice of 2 limes and agave syrup to taste.

Tropical Mango Crush

You can make easy popsicles with fruit juice, but even better are crushed fruit popsicles (get in that fiber!). Puree berries, peaches, melon, banana, whatever you can find in any combination. My current favorite is mango coconut. I pureed a mango and stirred in 1/2 cup coconut juice with a squirt of lime and a 1/4 teaspoon salt. For a thrill, add some cayenne or Thai chili pepper!

Frozen Yogurt

Stir in your favorite fruit or jam and freeze away.

If you're feeling naughty, or you're looking for a fun party trick, spike the pops with a dash of rum or tequila.

Find more fun grown-up popsicle recipes in New York Magazine.

I love Tavolo rocket popsicle molds. You can get them at Amazon.com or at Wrapables. Target has a simpler mold, and these castles from Cooking.com are so cute.

Agave syrup is still sugar, so use sparingly. Apparently you can save big when you buy in bulk. If you just want to try one bottle (or live with a tiny kitchen) look for single bottles at Whole Foods/Wild Oats, Trader Joe's, or online at iHerb.

Comments

[Alice]

Making tea in to popsicles is a great idea. Recently in Whole Foods I found a company that does this. They are called Frosteas. They're awesome. They are all natural, actually made of tea, not tea flavor. They're sweetened with honey and they have an herbal variety (with no caffeine) that my kids love.