August 28, 2013

Smoothie Push-Up Popsicle Recipe

Smoothie Push-up Popsicle Recipe

I recently made Smoothie Push Pop Popsicles for my boys after school snack. I used our standard Orange-Strawberry-Banana Smoothie recipe, but I poured the smoothie into Push-up containers and froze them for a special treat.

My kids LOVE popsicles, and honestly, what kid doesn’t? We live in Central Florida, and some days, it feels as though we are sitting on the surface of the sun. The first thing the guys ask for when they get off the school bus is a popsicle. Sometimes, I give them a traditional Popsicle brand popsicle, but other times I try to sneak in something a tad more healthy. Like many party moms, I have an abundance of push-up containers. I also always have fruit, yogurt, and local honey in the house.

The other day, as we melted our way back home from the bus stop, the boys were whining, wanting popsicles…I really wanted to use the fruit we had before the bananas got too brown and no one would eat them. Then, it struck me, I would make a giant batch of smoothies for the kids, and put the left overs in the push-up containers and FREEZE them to make our own popsicles.

We use our Margaritaville Drink mixer to make all kinds of frozen drinks, all.the.time. It was easily one of the very best kitchen appliance investments we have ever made!

To make the smoothies, I use whatever fruit I have on hand. Sometimes, I freeze fruit before it goes bad too, just for smoothies.

Orange Strawberry Banana Push-up Smoothie Recipe

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup of orange juice

1 cup of yogurt (I used strawberry yogurt)

1 tablespoon honey (I used local raw, but any honey will do)

Put all ingredients into the Margaritaville add ice to the top and blend.

If you are using a traditional blender, add 1/2 to 1 cup of ice to the blender carafe and blend.

This makes a fairly large amount of smoothies. I gave the kids a small cup to enjoy right away, and pour the rest into the push-up containers and froze overnight. The kids LOVE them, and I love that I can give them the popsicle they want and the fruit I want them to have on a hot afternoon!