I love home-made popsicles, though I don't have a fancy popsicle maker, nor am I much for following recipes...I just go back to what my grandfather used to do: full-fat milk, sugar, food colouring. Milky, sweet, frosty goodness.
However, being health conscious and following my mantra of still enjoying things without feeling like you are sacrificing, I tinker with this basic recipe now.
I made strawberry coconut yogurt pops, which I really enjoy. The yogurt gives it that creamy feel, the strawberries and coconut provide plenty sweetness... and above all it's refreshingly guilt-free deliciousness.
Here's my non-recipe (because it's totally tinkerable to make it work for you). Also, the amount of ingredients you want to use is completely up to you, I just guess-timate, since any leftovers you can just drink.
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup non-fat strawberry yogurt (try to choose ones without a high sugar content*)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 strawberries (fresh or frozen...I usually buy fresh and freeze myself)
1 tablespoon toasted/dried coconut (grated or chips, I opt for sweetened here)
1 drop red food colouring (just to make it pretty)
Mix all ingredients and blend until smooth, no lumps.
Add more milk if necessary, until the mixture is more fluid unlike a smoothie consistency (closer to milk consistency). Take your mixture into molds and freeze.
*You can opt for plain yogurt, which would cut the sugar down further, however I personally found it too tart for a popsicle and had to add honey when I tried this... which defeats the purpose. You can avoid high sugar yogurts by generally opting for the ones where the fruit is not stirred in; also by reading labels and ensuring sugar is not one of the first three ingredients listed and making sure the calories are less than 100 per serving.
Simple, quick, yummy.
Enjoy mixing up different fruits and concaucsions of your own!
