By Hilary Meyer
Bomb Pops were my favorite freezer pops as a kid. They are loaded with sugar and have red, white and blue stripes loosely representing the flavors cherry, lime and blue raspberry.
Blue raspberry? Really? Raspberries aren’t blue. As a kid, I could have cared less. (Nor did I care that my mouth was stained an eerie shade of aquamarine for hours after my last lick either.) But today, I’m a little more conscious of what I put in my mouth.
Artificial flavors and colors like red 40 and blue 1 aren’t ingredients that whet my appetite. But I don’t want to deny myself freezer pops—one of the greatest joys of summer. I’ve started making my own healthy frozen treats at home with ingredients like fruit, low-fat yogurt and sugar (in moderation) that come out of my fridge and pantry, not a laboratory.
Here are four healthy, low-cal freezer pops to make at home:
Chocolate Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pops: What makes your cherry popsicle red? Cherries? Wrong! Food dye. If you want to avoid food dyes, how about making a vibrant popsicle out of actual fruit? Chocolate chips add a sweet counterpoint to these tangy bright-pink raspberry pops. Strawberries would work equally well.
Mocha Ice Pops: A popular brand of fudgesicles sold at the supermarket come in at around 60 calories—which isn’t bad. But I prefer to make my own instead. Why? For one, I can recognize all the ingredients. Plus I can infuse my pop with a little coffee flavor. Our refreshing pop has 54 calories, just a little less than a fudgesicle, but every little bit counts! A little of the cocoa settles at the bottom as they freeze, making a special chocolaty surprise on the top once the pop is unmolded.
Vanilla Orange Freezer Pops: Our creamy vanilla-flavored orange juice pops will transport you back to the days of standing in line at the ice cream truck. They have only four ingredients and 53 calories compared to a popular brand of low-fat creamsicles sold at the supermarket, which have 25 ingredients and 100 calories. I think homemade is the clear winner here, don’t you?
Watermelon Blueberry Ice Pops (see recipe below): If you’re watching the amount of added sugars you consume, but want to avoid artificial sweeteners that are created in a lab (such as aspartame), then these pops are for you. These were a staff favorite during the development process. These pops have only 1 gram of added sugar and the whole blueberries have the look of watermelon seeds.
Need Popsicle Molds? Find molds by Tovolo ($9.95 for a set of 6 star-shaped molds) and more supplies for making frozen treats at amazon.com.
DIY Molds: If you don’t have your own funky molds, divide the ice pop mixture among small paper or plastic cups instead. Freeze until very thick, but not completely frozen, 1 to 2 hours. Insert frozen-treat sticks and continue freezing until completely firm, 4 to 5 hours more.
Watermelon-Blueberry Ice Pops
About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
• 3 3/4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
Preparation
1. Puree watermelon, lime juice and sugar to taste in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Divide blueberries among freezer-pop molds. Top with the watermelon mixture. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours. Dip the molds briefly in hot water before unmolding.
Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Freeze for up to 3 weeks. | Equipment: Ten 3-ounce (or similar-size) freezer-pop molds
Nutrition
Per serving: 29 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 0 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1 mg sodium; 79 mg potassium
