My OperaIce Pops: The Refreshment For Nutritional, Cheerful Children
Monday, May 27, 2013 5:41:11 AM
Having as many grandchildren as I do is surely a blessing. But it can also be a tough demanding task, when you will need to keep them well-fed and happy. This is the reason why I was so thrilled to discover the silicone ice pop molds. In just a couple of hours I can put together healthy refreshment for my grand kids at home. All I have to do is get fresh fruits and mix them. Then, I just pour the fruit smoothie in the ice pop maker and wait for it to freeze. It is as simple as that!
With all the food colorings and preservatives that go into commercial ice creams and frozen snacks, I do not feel at ease providing them to my grandchildren. Especially if you have kids with allergies, you know how essential it is to stick to natural ingredients. And with all the processed fast food that kids consume nowadays, it only makes sense to try and introduce more healthy ingredients whenever we can. This is why homemade ice pops are the ideal treat. Even the pickiest eaters among my grandchildren will consume fruit in the form of ice pops. Sometimes I will even "hide" healthy fruits and vegetables in an ice pop, that my grand-kids would not consume otherwise. Avocados and beets, if blended with a banana, offer a very good color and tons of nutrients while the little ones cannot figure out the "secret ingredient", thanks to the sweet taste of bananas. The best part is that you can allow your kids to eat as many ice pops as they want, since they are actually good for them!
I have tried a few types of ice pop makers and they all work, but my personal favorite ones are the ones that are BPA-free, because I do not like my grandchildren to come in contact with chemicals. I have found a great package that has six molds in fun colors and the kids cherish them. They are also FDA-approved, so I feel comfortable using them. I have tried the 4-pack ice pop molds before, but they just disappeared way too quickly ! The ones that I have now have a lid that closes nicely, which is excellent, because we had a few disasters of spilled juice in the freezer with other freeze pop molds before. It was sticky and messy and not pretty at all! Here are my favorite Silicone Ice Pop Molds.
There are a couple of recipes that my grandchildren love and they are so easy that I let them make them by themselves (with my supervision). Here are some suggestions to get you started:.
Frozen yogurt pops: Cut up fruit of your choice -we prefer strawberries and bananas- and mix them with the yogurt of your choice. It can be plain or with a fruit flavor. It can even be soy yogurt, if your kids are lactose intolerant! Now pour the yogurt in the ice pop maker and freeze.
Layered ice pops: you can use various colors of juices or even ingredients with different textures in order to create your freeze pops. Pour the first layer in the mold and freeze until it looks firm on the top. Then add the next layer and freeze again. Carry on like this, so that the layers do not mix with each other. You can use whipped cream, chocolate chips, sprinkles etc to make your pops nicer looking!
As you can see, you can produce many different combinations and be sure that your kids eat sensibly, while you save money. What's more to ask? Cleaning after the kids is also a snap because the ice pop molds I have can be easily scrubed with a bottle brush or in the dishwasher. I am genuinely in love with them!
With all the food colorings and preservatives that go into commercial ice creams and frozen snacks, I do not feel at ease providing them to my grandchildren. Especially if you have kids with allergies, you know how essential it is to stick to natural ingredients. And with all the processed fast food that kids consume nowadays, it only makes sense to try and introduce more healthy ingredients whenever we can. This is why homemade ice pops are the ideal treat. Even the pickiest eaters among my grandchildren will consume fruit in the form of ice pops. Sometimes I will even "hide" healthy fruits and vegetables in an ice pop, that my grand-kids would not consume otherwise. Avocados and beets, if blended with a banana, offer a very good color and tons of nutrients while the little ones cannot figure out the "secret ingredient", thanks to the sweet taste of bananas. The best part is that you can allow your kids to eat as many ice pops as they want, since they are actually good for them!
I have tried a few types of ice pop makers and they all work, but my personal favorite ones are the ones that are BPA-free, because I do not like my grandchildren to come in contact with chemicals. I have found a great package that has six molds in fun colors and the kids cherish them. They are also FDA-approved, so I feel comfortable using them. I have tried the 4-pack ice pop molds before, but they just disappeared way too quickly ! The ones that I have now have a lid that closes nicely, which is excellent, because we had a few disasters of spilled juice in the freezer with other freeze pop molds before. It was sticky and messy and not pretty at all! Here are my favorite Silicone Ice Pop Molds.
There are a couple of recipes that my grandchildren love and they are so easy that I let them make them by themselves (with my supervision). Here are some suggestions to get you started:.
Frozen yogurt pops: Cut up fruit of your choice -we prefer strawberries and bananas- and mix them with the yogurt of your choice. It can be plain or with a fruit flavor. It can even be soy yogurt, if your kids are lactose intolerant! Now pour the yogurt in the ice pop maker and freeze.
Layered ice pops: you can use various colors of juices or even ingredients with different textures in order to create your freeze pops. Pour the first layer in the mold and freeze until it looks firm on the top. Then add the next layer and freeze again. Carry on like this, so that the layers do not mix with each other. You can use whipped cream, chocolate chips, sprinkles etc to make your pops nicer looking!
As you can see, you can produce many different combinations and be sure that your kids eat sensibly, while you save money. What's more to ask? Cleaning after the kids is also a snap because the ice pop molds I have can be easily scrubed with a bottle brush or in the dishwasher. I am genuinely in love with them!
