Summer and frozen treats go hand in hand. I distinctly remember the feeling of standing outside the local convenience store as a child with a colourful icy treat dripping down my hands. Being more health conscious now, I'm not so fond of the artificial colours, but I still crave a lovely ice pop on warm days.
Enter my Zoku Quick Pop Maker. Have you seen these? You keep them in your freezer like you would the bowl of an ice cream maker. Once the Quick Pop Maker is frozen, you can use it to create frozen ice pops in just 7 to 9 minutes. Whenever the craving hits, in other words. And the Zoku Quick Pop Maker is BPA and phthalate free and uses no electricity.
Recently, I set out to make a healthy yet delicious ice pop that would satisfy me and the kids. Because, let's face it, the kids are all for buying their treats at the store - the crazier the colours the better! I started with strawberries, because strawberries are always a sweet and tasty way to begin a treat recipe. We had a bunch of local Ontario peaches sitting around, so I threw peach into the mix too. Being a green tea lover, I figured I'd make that my liquid. I use decaf, but you can put in any kind of tea you like really. A bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice, some agave nectar for added sweetness and my recipe was complete!
Then all that remained was blending all the delicious ingredients together for a minute in the blender and pouring the resulting mix into the ready Quick Pop Maker. (Boy does the mix smell yummy - fresh and fruity!) Within minutes, we had these gently (and naturally!) coloured lovely ice pops. Time for the taste test. These ice pops are deliciously sweet (but not too sweet) and tasty (with flavours of strawberry, peach, lemon and a hint of green tea). A great treat for Mom, but do the kids like them? I'm happy to say, yes they do. In fact, my daughter finished one and immediately asked for a second one.
For an even quicker ice pop, you can fill the Zoku Quick Pop Maker with your favourite juice or even non-dairy chocolate milk.
Take a look at Zoku's range of products in the U.S. and in Canada
.Strawberry Peach Green Tea Ice Pops
By: Joann MacDonald
Ingredients (5 ice pops):
- 1/2 cup strawberries, halved
- 1/2 medium peach, chopped
- 1/2 cup brewed green tea, cooled
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
Instructions:
1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until well mixed (a few chunks are okay).
2. Pour into prepared Zoku Quick Pop Maker and freeze for 7-9 minutes, or use classic molds and freeze until solid.
3. Enjoy your homemade ice pops!
Wow ,what a great Idea! Looks very delicious :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday xoxo
What a cool gadget! And that recipe sounds yummy-- who doesn't love a good ice pop?
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a fun little kitchen gadget. :)
DeleteVery cool little gadget! We love our homemade popsicles- but I have a batch of not so healthy nutella pops in our freezer right now. When they're gone, I think I'll try this tasty recipe! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy son would be right there with you for the nutella pops! But if you want something a little healthier... ;)
DeleteMMM GOOD they look delicious and is that my beautiful niece making them?
ReplyDeleteYes, she is a great helper!
DeleteThat's a cool pop maker! I was way better about making my own last summer and haven't done it much lately. Looks like a tasty recipe.
ReplyDeleteI tend to do things in spurts too. Like, I haven't used my ice cream maker at all this year. Summer should stick around... ;)
DeleteOh man, I've always wanted to try this machine! So amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of fun! :)
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