Smoothie Pops!!!

You know those little plastic cups filled with fruit? You know, FRUIT CUPS! Well, those little things are a STAPLE in our house! Not only do my kids LOVE them, but I love the pre-portioned size, and how easy they are for my kids to grab one for themselves for a self-sufficient snack. I don’t have to worry about them having a mid-afternoon or pre-dinner “I’M STARVING” MEGA BLOWOUT meltdown when they eat these. So I make sure to always keep them in the pantry, or even the fridge now that it’s getting HOTTER AND HOTTER everyday cause they make a delicious and REFRESHING snack option, juice included lol! And while they are great on their own, I knew I could totally dominate the snack scene and be a total SNACK QUEEN after my success with breakfast a few weeks ago with my amazing souped-up pigs in a blanket that my kids are STILL talking about! Yes, folks, they are STILL talking about them. My oldest son even told his teacher about them! So I put on my thinking cap and thought and thought about what mine and my kid’s FAVORITE snacks are when it’s hot outside. Smoothies for me, popsicles for them. See where I’m going with this?

SMOOTHIE POPS!

After I jumped up and down a few times and gave myself a high five and even a hug or two, I got down to business!!! I already had those handy dandy popsicle molds you can buy almost anywhere this time of year. If you don’t have any…GET SOME…they are the coolest little thing anyone with kids could have because the popsicle options are ENDLESS I tell you…ENDLESS! I’ve even just tossed the fruit cups alone in the molds for an ice cold summer snack that never disappoints! Don’t be boring! Fruit cups have potential and that’s why they are a STAPLE in my house!

For my version of these smoothie pops you’ll need the following…

• 1 Cup Coconut Milk (from a can)
• 2 Fruit cups (Any fruit variety will work, i used peach)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 Cup Ice

1. First, get yourself an awesome kitchen assistant. Kids helping in the kitchen is always welcome at my house and I always encourage everyone to let your kids in the kitchen! Not only are you teaching them valuable life skills they need, but they are also more likely to try new and exciting foods when they themselves had a hand in preparing!
2. Dump all the ingredients into a blender/food processor/etc, and BLEND! Don’t have a blender or food processor, try a bowl and an immersion blender!
3. Pour blended smoothie mixture into clean popsicle molds. This can get messy, and that’s ok! We had quite a bit end up on the counter when the four-year-old was pouring.
4. FREEZE for several hours, or overnight if you can wait that long.
5. Remove popsicles by running the bottom of the molds under HOT water for a few seconds. Just long enough to let the popsicle pop right out!
6. ENJOY.

Kitchen helpers are the best! They will even taste test everything for you!

And if you have any mixture left, pour it in a cup and DRINK UP!

These were DELICIOUS! Very pina colada like.

They were also KID APPROVED so much that they ate two in one sitting then shared with the neighbor girls who LOVED them and asked me to text their mom where to buy them lol! These are definitely going into our regular snack rotation especially with summer coming. And here in the great state of North Carolina, that means WARM mornings and HOT afternoons so these smoothie pops can be a healthy quick breakfast option, or a refreshing afternoon snack, or BOTH since they are so healthy they have seconds anytime they want!

So SNACK QUEEN I was! And with summer just around the corner…I’m gonna have to fight to keep the title!