I is for Icy Treats

Welcome back to another letter in our Blogging through the Alphabet.  Each week we join up many others for the next letter- this week being I!  Click on the pretty blue button at the bottom of this post to see what others are blogging about this week!

So the letter I it is!

We LOVE ice cream and anything icy in this house.  Both have long been staples in our house.  Ice creams, shakes, floats, popsicles- you name it, if involves ice cream, we love it.

Here is the problem with that.  Dyes and preservatives. And then more dyes and preservatives.  When our family decided to try to avoid both to the best of our ability, we knew this was one area that was going to get us.  Through a lot of trial and error, and some occasional cheating, we are finally happy with most of the the alternatives.
             
First, we have learned to make many homemade popsicles.  I bought several different molds and in the summer try to keep them on hand.  With just a few ingredients for most recipes, these are quick to mix up and much healthier.

See all that red???

  Just strawberries!  Yay me!

Here is the recipe we have adapted and like the most-

Fresh Strawberry Popsicles

4 TBSP honey
3 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup liquid (apple juice or lemonade)

Remove stems from strawberries and half.
Blend ingredients until desired consistency.
Pour into molds and freeze.

Makes 6-8 popsicles.

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As for ice cream, our friends sold us on this little beauty. (this is NOT an affiliate link...just making your life easier!)

I waited for it to go on sale, it often does on amazon, and then I bought it for our family gift for Christmas.  Again, with just a few ingredients and only 15-20 minutes we can have ice cream that is safer for us and hopefully a few less calories.  Well, maybe I am just fooling myself on that one, but let me camp there for a while please.

The reason I like this is because it is so fast and easy.  If someone says "let's have ice cream" it is as easy as saying YES.  Gotta love being the hero, right?  Here are two hints- you can thank me later. Buy two freezer bowls.   That way you can make two different flavors back to back.  Once the freezer bowl defrosts you will have to wait for it to refreeze to start over.  Hint two- we have found that we can use half and half in place of cream without altering the taste much.  It may not be quite as creamy, but it does cut calories AND is usually less expensive.  We go back and forth, depending on what's on sale.

There you have it- Icy Treats the quick and healthy way!

Blessings,

Each week we join Marcy over at Ben and Me for Blogging Through the Alphabet!

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!