Bye Bye Red Dye, Hello Natural Pops

Bounce...jump...run...skip...but never walk.  NEVER!

Does your childrens' energy irritate, I mean, amaze you?  One of ours -to remain nameless- wears. me. out some days.  Many days.  He is so much fun to watch if you can spot him as he flashes by, that I haven't given running and jumping and whizzing by too much thought.  Until recently.  Kindergarten is approaching.  I am the teacher. hmmmmm.  And then there have been whisperings of hyperactivity.  (Isn't every 5 year old boy hyperactive?)  But anyway, I have been looking for any outside influences that might make a difference in one's activity levels.  And no, Benadryl, fellow parents, does not count!  ;)

But red dye- 'nuff said!    Never mind it is made from petroleum- yuck!  Never mind that it stains everything permanently.  It does affect a child's behavior - MY child's behavior.  I have seen it- at home, at church, and in everyday life.  Give a kid a piece of red candy or popsicle or Fruit Loop and watch them P-I-N-G!

And so we have decided to cut it out of our life as much as possible.  Seemed easy enough.  We don't eat that much "junk" food anyway. (Excluding my M&M stash, but I don't share those with the 5 year old anyway!)  But, man, you have to check those labels folks!  Not just the obvious red stuff.  Remember, yellow and red equal orange.

Let me share with you my biggest frustration - POPSICLES!  Seriously, even the "natural" ones have dye!  I figured it was going to be a long, hot, popsicle-free summer.

                                     

But just to prove that God is even in the small stuff, the very week of my frustration The Nourishing Home email appeared in my inbox with a free down-loadable e-book for healthy frozen treats!  We jumped for joy, headed out to buy molds and are sold!  So far we have tried 3 and are quite pleased. 

Ahhhhh....happiness, minus the red dye!

Has our behavior changed? Not completely. But our health sure has, and for now, I'll take that!

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You can get The Nourishing Home Frozen Treat e-book by going to the link and signing up for her email.  While you are there, check out her other recipes!  They are awesome!

Since our first find, we have also added this recipe to our list!

From- Made in Alaska

Orange Creamsicle Popsicles Recipe
yields 8 – 10 popsicles
2 cups unsweetened orange juice (I use the Naked brand of orange juice, it has no added sugar, no preservatives, non-GMO, and it’s vegan)
3/4 cup plain yogurt (you can use dairy yogurt, or coconut milk yogurt for dairy free/vegan)
2 – 3 tablespoons raw runny honey, or organic agave nectar, or coconut nectar, etc.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 drops liquid vanilla stevia (I use the NuNatural’s stevia brand. If you don’t like to use stevia, simply increase the amount of honey/liquid sweetener used)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Taste mixture and add more sweetener if desired.
3. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Enjoy!