Tuesday Treats

So I'm pregnant, due in August.  I'm still running and I'm literally thirsty all the time.  Take a hot, thirsty pregnant woman and what do you need?  POPSICLES!  And what better way to get in some good baby-growing nutrients as well, but to make my very own?  Well, it made perfect sense until I gave it a shot.  Then I learned I had a lot to learn before I'd be good at making really good popsicles... 

First, I found two recipes on Pinterest.

These are called Pina Colada Pops and I found them here.

1 can pineapple chunks in juice
1 banana
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract





So I went to the grocery but could not find any coconut milk.  I found coconut water, but I wasn't sure if that was the same thing so I decided yogurt would do.  I made that decision based on the other recipe.

These are called Crunchy Granola Smoothie Pops found here.

10 ounces of your favorite frozen fruit
2 cups of plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt
Puree until smooth and then stir in:
1/3 cup of granola and pour mixture into 8 popsicle molds





I bought plain Fage Greek yogurt and figured that would suffice.  I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for popsicle molds and I talked with Jason about my recipes to see which one he would be willing to try.  He wasn't big on the coconut milk or the granola ingredients in a popsicle. 

So you are figuring it out...I mixed them!  My first go (after I dug out our aged mixer and cleaned it up and hoped I put it back together right) consisted of frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, plain Greek yogurt, and some pomegranate juice and water to get things going (I was kinda flying by the seat of my maternity pants here).  The mixture was a very odd shade of bright scary pink and it tasted awful. I dumped it all in the sink and tried again.

This time I tried a very ripe banana, a can of pineapple chunks in their own juice, and plain yogurt.  The sweet pineapple and banana worked well.  They weren't absolutely to die for delicious, but they weren't awful either...

Okay, they may not have been that great.  I ate one and Jason tasted one.  That was several weeks ago and they are still sitting in my freezer...next to some perfectly good pre-made, store bought popsicles I might add.

But where is the fun in eating pre-made, store bought pops when I can so easily and conveniently make my own?  AND I can make sure they aren't loaded with sugar and toxins (although I have come to the conclusion that vanilla non-Greek yogurt or a smidge of sugar may be necessary for them to be edible).  I haven't given up.  My sister's Zumba instructor sent me this recipe and I intend to give it a go.




These are called Smoothie Pops and she says her kids love them.

2 cups plain yogurt (or flavored if you want them to be sweeter)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice
2T sugar (or honey)
2tsp lemon juice
Any kind of fruit
Blend in a blender and pour into popsicle molds.

That doesn't seem so bad.  A little sugar or honey OR vanilla yogurt...maybe some sweeter fruit and they might turn out all right.  I'm going to try this.  I have no idea what combination I'll use, but I'm going to try and see.  It probably won't be what is written here verbatim (because again, what fun would it be to follow instructions and not have a catastrophe or two?), but it will be something a lot like this one.

SO, what do you think?  Do YOU have any healthy, delicious popsicle recipes I should try?