Healthy Popsicles

With this heat wave that we've been experiencing, we've been trying to keep cool any way that we can. My phone is telling me that it is 31 degrees celsius out there. For Ontario in June, that is stinking hot!

One way that we've been keeping cool is with nice cold popsicles. My girls love popsicles. I mean, what kid doesn't?! The only problem that I have with them is the fact that they are full of sugar and preservatives. So every once in a while I buy popsicles, but mostly I make them myself.

Instead of making them with fruit juices, usually I make a smoothie and then freeze them. My favourite is mango banana popsicles. Because they have a yogurt base, they are nice and creamy!

Mango Banana Popsicles

2 bananas (extra ripe is better!)
1/2 cup chopped mangos (I use frozen)
1 cup of plain yogurt
2-3 tbsp honey (use maple syrup if you're planning on giving them to a baby under the age of 1)

Put everything in the blender and blend for a few minutes until it's nice and creamy. Add cold water if it is too thick. Poor into popsicle moulds and set in the freezer for a few hours. Enjoy!

You can substitute the mangoes for any other fruit. I've used berries and pineapple. I've even added some avocado to make it even creamier. If there is a dairy allergy in your family, substitute with coconut or almond milk instead of yogurt.

If you're looking for some more great recipes, try here and here. If you're wanting to make them healthy, try avoiding anything with corn syrup or sugar. You can always substitute extra bananas, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup or stevia to give you the sweetness you want.

One of my current favourites uses this recipe to make chocolate popsicles. Yumm! The best part? They have no dairy or sugar in them. So good!

My little monkey enjoying her chocolate popsicle :)